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They are stil very expensive where I live(NL). EUR 4K+ on a cargobike or renting one for 150+ per month is A LOT for a normal family with 1-2 children. To add t

• timClicks 2y ago
  We justified the upfront cost by treating ours as a cheap second car, rather than as a very expensive bike. It's been an incredibly positive experience for our family.
• morsch 2y ago
  Spending 4000 EUR on a bike is all kinds of crazy, but nobody bats an eye at people spending 20k on a car.
  • Ekaros 2y ago
    4000 seems high when you can get some type scooter or mobility scooter type of thing in that range... And some of them even have protection from rain.
  • rhombocombus 2y ago
    And then nobody goes on to bat eyes at the galling maintenance costs, insurance, registration, or taxes on cars, but yeah $4k (or euro or gbp) for an e bike seems like a stupid idea to people for some reason. I think it’s either bad marketing on the part of the ebike folks or pernicious effort on the part of car manufacturers.
  • greener_grass 2y ago
    Cost models are completely different too. Bikes have very low maintenance costs and if you buy second hand you don't lose much on resale.
  • Tade0 2y ago
    Of course, as cars and bikes serve different purposes. You're not going to take your cargo bike on a weekend 200km trip or to visit family on the other side of the state/country unless you're bent on doing exactly that. Spending this much just to move around the city? A hard sell considering a car also doubles as a moving room with AC. My experience is that while people tend to be irrational in one-time decisions, they're asymptotically rational facing the same problem again and again.
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    • throw0101c 2y ago
      > You're not going to take your cargo bike on a weekend 200km trip or to visit family on the other side of the state/country unless you're bent on doing exactly that. How many times are those types of trips done, as compared to 'just' running errands around town? What are the fixed costs you are incurring for those presumably occasional occurrences, versus optimizing for the more likely common cases? It's like the folks who buy pickup trucks "for towing", but: > According to Axios, 63% of Ford F-150 drivers barely use their trucks for towing. 29% admitted to towing occasionally, while just 7% regularly tow. When properly equipped, many F-150 models can pull around 13,000 pounds. > However, 28% of drivers say they use the truck for hauling. Meanwhile, 41% take advantage of the F-150’s hauling capabilities once in a while, and 32% are indifferent. It’s a shame considering all F-150 models can haul about 2,000 pounds. * https://www.motorbiscuit.com/63-of-ford-f-150-owners-almost-never-tow-anything/ https://www.motorbiscuit.com/63-of-ford-f-150-owners-almost-... Perhaps buy for what you actually do, and rent for when you need 'extra' capabilities.
      • Tade0 2y ago
        > How many times are those types of trips done, as compared to 'just' running errands around town? If you have children definitely more often the former than the latter. I think it's every 2-3 weeks in my case. That's also how my father would use his car and, coincidentally his father as well. > Perhaps buy for what you actually do, and rent for when you need 'extra' capabilities. I did. Perhaps you shouldn't make assumptions about people's habits.
• orwin 2y ago
  My city rent them for 70€/month (limited to 3 month/year, 35€/month in winter), i rented one last time i moved house, honestly i want to buy one now. Bike maintenance is both easy and cheap tbh.
• CalRobert 2y ago
  For us it’s cheap, but that’s because it enables us to not own a car. And we’re in Hilversum which is pretty car focused.