linberl

I think this is pretty awesome. $240/yr for unlimited use and includes all maintenance and theft protection. If I wanted a ebike to use all the time (I'm a very infrequent user so I prefer something I can take off my bike), I would seriously consider this. https://electrek.co/2018/06/02/vanmo...tric-bicycles/

CliffordK

Hmm...

Interesting concept.

$3,398 bike
$298 lock fee
divided by $19 per month
----------------------------
163 months, or 13 1/2 years.

Including new tires, chains, and 100% of the maintenance?

The economics just don't add up for an avid commuter.

Their wheel lock would be great for quick stops, but I don't think I'd trust it for longer commute type locking, unless the bike also has active tracking.

At the same time, that $3,398 price tag is pretty steep. So, perhaps the numbers work out more in favor of the company if the bike is simply a $1000 bike.

linberl

My impression of the wheel lock is that is is an adjunct to normal locks, app initiated. Theft isn't a problem because they do have tracking; that's how their Bike Hunters find your bike. Financially, I think of it as $240/yr less the cost of a tuneup (which is around $100 where I live), so $140/yr since they cover the tune up. Tires are consumables you have with any bike. The subscription model means you aren't responsible for replacing the battery when it dies which is a huge cost of owning one's own e-bike; they cover it. So, $140/yr + a one-time fee of $300 is still pretty cheap compared to buying your own ebike and replacing the battery after 3 years or so and paying for tuneups, etc. And you get free "theft" coverage as well.

justin70

Looks ok. The biggest limitation is there aren't a lot of vanmoofs stores. Any free repairs must be done at a specific store. The only one listed on the website currently for the USA is in New York City, with one opening in San Francisco soon. It's also unclear if the free repairs means free parts AND labor, or just free labor.

It's not a bad option if you live in proximity to one of their stores.

Doc_Wui

A lot cheaper than cable TV and more fun in good weather. I wouldn't want to back these guys financially. Being a pessimist on human nature and good deals, I think they will lose money ... like the all-you-can eat sushi place that opened up nearby and shut down after two weeks.

linberl

It actually makes me wonder how much it really costs to make those bikes. I can't imagine they didn't do some math and projections which show they come out ok. So maybe their cost is really low and the markup is very high on the retail price?

BiciMan

Interesting, perhaps, but before I click, where is this .co link from and what kind of $s are we talking about? BTW, any $249/year in a year-round-biking climate is different than in Fairbanks or Edmonton -at least for many of us.

CliffordK

You'd have to read the fine print. I would imagine the "lock fee" would preclude part year rentals.

The initial rollout is only in a few cities, so you'd have to wait anyway. Although, you can still buy the retail bikes (or with the discount. )

CliffordK

I wonder what percent of the users would be riding nearly every day... pounding on the motor, battery system, cassette, chains, chainrings, etc. vs those that would hang the bike in the garage and take it out once or twice a month.

So, then, if the bike gets turned back in after say 5 or 10 years, could it be just spit-shined and returned to the fleet, or would it need a complete overhaul. How much will battery system and electronics progress over time, thus requiring updates?

Everyone wants a "new" bike, but if one claims it is a leased bike, perhaps one could convinced that a recycled bike is as good as new.

Say the economics are such that 100% cost recovery is in 4 years, then any time after that is just free cash.

I suppose I'd be most concerned about obsolescence of the fleet from evolution in the E-Bike world and limited lifetime of batteries. Plus, of course, continuing maintenance costs.

Nightcap

There’s quite a lot of fine print. This is a startup; I’m doubtful as to its long-term viability.

akent

It sounds like even if they find it, you wait two weeks and pay a $98 replacement fee? That would still make me reticent to lock it up all day.

linberl

Where I live, I would never lock any bike up all day (Bay Area). The $98 is cheaper than insurance on a quality bike, and I think of it as something in case it gets jacked when you're out doing something and the bike is locked for a couple hours maybe. Although it doesn't take more than 10 minutes to get a bike jacked - a guy on the Bike Friday community page had his bike stolen in 10 minutes when he popped in someplace. But, as I said, it's cheaper than replacement insurance on a bike that costly.

prathmann

If you go to the company's website it's clear that the $19/month is for their basic, non-electric, no rack, 3-spd version of their bike. The subscription charge will undoubtedly be substantially higher for the electric versions. So you are correct: the economics stated in the article do not add up because the article is misleading.

repairmaster

Are they E Bikes worth it? They have the same pick up as the normal bikes have. If they are same then it is the best alternative to use which will save your money and avoid pollution.

Doc_Wui

A strong rider on a 20 pound bike probably has the same or better acceleration from a stop than a low powered 50 pound ebike, but many people who ride ebikes are just recreational riders looking for something that makes hills ride like flat ground, overcomes headwinds, or allows them to ride an hour without wearing out the legs.

Saving money and reducing pollution were not the objective for my wife and I. We're in our upper 60's. We rode 1700 miles last year, maybe not a lot to most folks, but I bet it's 10X more than we rode 10 years ago. We're at 665 miles so far this year. When I was 40, we rented bikes in Colorado, rode 8-10 miles and had to stop because of altitude and hills. Last summer, we took three rides in the same area and covered over 100 miles. Great to look at the scenery instead of staring down at the pavement, huffing/puffing.

drowling23

This is no fun. The whole point of buying a $5k ebike is to spend another $5k on customizing the hell out of it. Stock ebikes have single 500Wh batteries, crappy seats/handlebars/pedals, often have cheap Suntour forks (completely unacceptable!), et cetera.

linberl

Lolz...not everyone enjoys the money pit of cycling.

Watchdog

The subscription sounds pretty cheap to me.

I commute about 5k to 6k km's a year on my bike so only $240 a year sounds great to me.