Are FreeGo the first casualty of Anti Dumping?

[gray198]

At least 25 - 30%, as usual big business is profiteering at the cost of the consumer and SMEs. Exactly the people who can least afford it.

big german business??

 

[Laser Man]

I'm not convinced that it is solely the anti-dumping thing that has caused Freego to fail.

I looked at their bikes before I went the DIY kit route : the bikes looked solidly made and were good value, but they were sort of frumpy. Maybe they were aimed at the older buyer, but I'm old and I still want a bike which looks good and a bit sporty!

Other similar(?) firms (Whisper, Woosh, Juicy etc.) all have some really smart looking bikes in their ranges as well as the "traditional" e-bikes : more likely to satisfy both the younger and young-at-heart buyers.

 

[gray198]

I'm not convinced that it is solely the anti-dumping thing that has caused Freego to fail.

I looked at their bikes before I went the DIY kit route : the bikes looked solidly made and were good value, but they were sort of frumpy. Maybe they were aimed at the older buyer, but I'm old and I still want a bike which looks good and a bit sporty!

Other similar(?) firms (Whisper, Woosh, Juicy etc.) all have some really smart looking bikes in their ranges as well as the "traditional" e-bikes : more likely to satisfy both the younger and young-at-heart buyers.

would agree with you there. They don't seem to have moved forward much with design since I bought mine in 2012. Maybe thinking '' it works, why change it''.

 

[Woosh]

would agree with you there. They don't seem to have moved forward much with design since I bought mine in 2012. Maybe thinking '' it works, why change it''.

where have you been in the last few years?

these are some of the 'on trend' e-bike components.

In tube battery, this one is 36V 8AH but capacity is increasing fast:

Drop this crankset into a modern bike and connect the battey above to the socket you see in the picture and the bike is ready. All the electrics is packed inside this crankset: pedal sensor, torque sensor, controller.

 

[gray198]

where have you been in the last few years?

these are some of the 'on trend' e-bike components.

In tube battery, this one is 36V 8AH but capacity is increasing fast:

Drop this crankset into a modern bike and connect the battey above to the socket you see in the picture and the bike is ready. All the electrics is packed inside this crankset: pedal sensor, torque sensor, controller.

are these on Freego

 

[Woosh]

are these on Freego

ha ha..
they may have used them on their lightweight road bikes.
I can't check, their website is down.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

are these on Freego

No... and as you say, maybe this is part of the problem.

 

[Deleted member 128]

There is a small price advantage buying from China but this is around 15% mark.
If you want the same EU quality, the cost is about the same, give or take 3%-5%. The cost of the bike is as usual the sum of its components plus about £40 labour if you operate at the scale of Chinese factories or £100 if you operate at my end of the scale.

Thanks for your inputs Woosh, in re-reading this thread I've become very confused:
Is the 86% duty due on ebikes assembled in China and/or parts made in China?

 

[Woosh]

Thanks for your inputs Woosh, in re-reading this thread I've become very confused:
Is the 86% duty due on ebikes assembled in China and/or parts made in China?

applicable to e-bikes assembled in China.

parts are still unaffected, so the logical reaction is to buy parts and re-assemble here. However, what I can put in one container before now has to be packed separately in bulk (tyres, innertubes, wheelsets etc even rim tapes are packed separately) - thus become one and a half container plus an awful lot more packing material to dispose of afterward. Still better than paying anti-dumping levy.

 

[Deleted member 128]

applicable to e-bikes assembled in China.

parts are still unaffected, so the logical reaction is to buy parts and re-assemble here. However, what I can put in one container before now has to be packed separately in bulk (tyres, innertubes, wheelsets etc even rim tapes are packed separately) - thus become one and a half container plus an awful lot more packing material to dispose of afterward. Still better than paying anti-dumping levy.

But at least it might give you an edge over those importing assembled ebikes from China and it creates work locally. And if the levy is later imposed on ebike parts from China you might still have an edge by buying parts from elsewhere.
I hope this all works out well for you.