5 ms·

Great idea, but not sure US$800 price point will be attractive to a large market. At half that price, these would likely fly off the shelves though.

by tux1968 12y ago

dfxm12 12y ago
According to the article, electric bikes are selling for upwards of $3,000 in Europe. The best selling electric bikes on Amazon appear to be going for $1,200-$1,500. At $800 for the wheel, you save about half compared to a complete electric bike, and you can use your current or favorite frame. I agree, if they were cheaper, they'd sell faster, but this appears to be competitively priced, compared to the rest of the market.
- tromp 12y ago
  On a recent trip to Holland, I saw the ALDI (a cheap grocery store selling goods from boxes) selling electric bikes for EUR 799 which is under $1100. There's simply a huge price-range on electric bikes, and picking just one price point does not make for a convincing argument.
  - kennywinker 12y ago
    Reminds me of bicycles in general. You can pick up a used bike for >$100 in most cities, or you can spend $3k on a sweet carbon fibre racing machine. For that matter, cars vary in price from >$1000 used to... the sky's the limit. Until battery prices fall, there will definitely be a high bottom limit for electric vehicles. The lower that limit gets the more adoption will happen, for sure. Still, an $800 wheel on a $300-$500 bike is competitive with most POS electric scooters.
    - rahimnathwani 12y ago
      You can get a used bike in Beijing for ¥100 ($16). Used electric scooters with 30km range and 45km/h top speed can be had for $250.
doorhammer 12y ago
Along with the other comments, I'd say it depends on how you use your bike. For two years, my bike was my only mode of transit. My commute to work was about five miles. I spent about $800 on my bike. I've ridden cheaper bikes, and cheaper bikes can definitely work, but nothing ever broke on my bike, I had a good guarantee on the frame, the parts were under warranty and everything worked really well. Fwiw I took a different bike and circled Ireland on it. Similar idea. Spent about $900 total on that bike plus the touring gear (which is more sensible because it was a really specialized use) The tires I had were something like $80 each as well. If I were still commuting by bike everywhere, I'd really quickly consider spending $800 on something like this if I could get a guarantee on the lifetime of the unit. I love biking, but having a bike with an assist would just mean I'd have biked more, and been okay going farther out without thinking "Crap. I so don't want to bike there" I think you're right, in that they'd sell more if they were cheaper, but if you're bike is your primary form of transit, and you have no car, $800 to make that more realistic isn't really that much, if you ask me. ymmv of course

Great idea, but not sure US$800 price point will be attractive to a large market. At half that price, these would likely fly off the shelves though.

by tux1968 12y ago

Great idea, but not sure US$800 price point will be attractive to a large market. At half that price, these would likely fly off the shelves though.

dfxm12 12y ago

According to the article, electric bikes are selling for upwards of $3,000 in Europe. The best selling electric bikes on Amazon appear to be going for $1,200-$1,500. At $800 for the wheel, you save about half compared to a complete electric bike, and you can use your current or favorite frame. I agree, if they were cheaper, they'd sell faster, but this appears to be competitively priced, compared to the rest of the market.

tromp 12y ago
On a recent trip to Holland, I saw the ALDI (a cheap grocery store selling goods from boxes) selling electric bikes for EUR 799 which is under $1100. There's simply a huge price-range on electric bikes, and picking just one price point does not make for a convincing argument.
- kennywinker 12y ago
  Reminds me of bicycles in general. You can pick up a used bike for >$100 in most cities, or you can spend $3k on a sweet carbon fibre racing machine. For that matter, cars vary in price from >$1000 used to... the sky's the limit. Until battery prices fall, there will definitely be a high bottom limit for electric vehicles. The lower that limit gets the more adoption will happen, for sure. Still, an $800 wheel on a $300-$500 bike is competitive with most POS electric scooters.
  - rahimnathwani 12y ago
    You can get a used bike in Beijing for ¥100 ($16). Used electric scooters with 30km range and 45km/h top speed can be had for $250.

doorhammer 12y ago

Along with the other comments, I'd say it depends on how you use your bike. For two years, my bike was my only mode of transit. My commute to work was about five miles. I spent about $800 on my bike. I've ridden cheaper bikes, and cheaper bikes can definitely work, but nothing ever broke on my bike, I had a good guarantee on the frame, the parts were under warranty and everything worked really well. Fwiw I took a different bike and circled Ireland on it. Similar idea. Spent about $900 total on that bike plus the touring gear (which is more sensible because it was a really specialized use) The tires I had were something like $80 each as well. If I were still commuting by bike everywhere, I'd really quickly consider spending $800 on something like this if I could get a guarantee on the lifetime of the unit. I love biking, but having a bike with an assist would just mean I'd have biked more, and been okay going farther out without thinking "Crap. I so don't want to bike there" I think you're right, in that they'd sell more if they were cheaper, but if you're bike is your primary form of transit, and you have no car, $800 to make that more realistic isn't really that much, if you ask me. ymmv of course