German e-bike market success

mike killay

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Feb 17, 2011
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I have had two 'Cheap Chinese bikes' one for 7 years one for 5 years and never had any 'endless niggles'
And why should I?
They use standard fittings, standard electrics, standard battery cells and Chinese frames are top notch.
As engineers, the Chinese left the Germans behind years ago. Just look at their high altitude railway, their enormous bridges, their space programme.
 
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RobF

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 22, 2012
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I have had two 'Cheap Chinese bikes' one for 7 years one for 5 years and never had any 'endless niggles'
And why should I?
They use standard fittings, standard electrics, standard battery cells and Chinese frames are top notch.
As engineers, the Chinese left the Germans behind years ago. Just look at their high altitude railway, their enormous bridges, their space programme.
Yeah, speaking of railways, 40 dead in this crash.

What caused it?

No idea because they buried it literally and figuratively.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenzhou_train_collision

Working in a Chinese power station is not without its hazards.

At least 21 killed by a dodgy steam pipe, although once again the truth will never be known.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1592651/china-power-plant-explosion-dangyang-at-least-21-workers-killed-and-five-injured-after-explostion-rips-through-power-plant-in-china/

Chinese knock off copies of European cars are a sick joke when it comes to crash protection.

The list goes on.

So if there are all these oh-so-superior Chinese engineers, it's a pity the system doesn't let them demonstrate their skills.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
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Yeah, speaking of railways, 40 dead in this crash.

What caused it?

No idea because they buried it literally and figuratively.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenzhou_train_collision

Working in a Chinese power station is not without its hazards.

At least 21 killed by a dodgy steam pipe, although once again the truth will never be known.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1592651/china-power-plant-explosion-dangyang-at-least-21-workers-killed-and-five-injured-after-explostion-rips-through-power-plant-in-china/

Chinese knock off copies of European cars are a sick joke when it comes to crash protection.

The list goes on.

So if there are all these oh-so-superior Chinese engineers, it's a pity the system doesn't let them demonstrate their skills.
Very unfair, the accidents are inevitable when systems are expanded as rapidly as they've done.

Our equivalent rapid expansion of the railways in the 19th century and into the 20th was also marred by many horrific accidents.
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mike killay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 17, 2011
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The point that many miss is that China is basically a free manufacturing market.
They will make whatever you specify to a price.
That does not mean that they are honest, and will try to cut corners if Western manufacturers do not install rigid quality control measures.
Equally, the standard of their engineering should not be judged poorly when some Western fly by night under specifies and tries to flog a cheaply made product.
Chinese ebikes can be some of the best in the World, if that is what you want from them.
 
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flecc

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Oct 25, 2006
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The Chinese boil dogs alive for dinner; Chinese medical students partly dissect puppies and dogs and throw them in the trash to die. The Chinese aren't human.
It's all relative to culture etc. We do the most horrific things to living creatures too, insects, fish and even much larger creatures in our food chain we treat very badly at times.
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flecc

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Oct 25, 2006
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No one ever said, 'A Haddock is Man's Best Friend'.
Not relevant, they are all living creatures, just with varying degrees of sentience.

You say the Chinese throw live dogs into boiling water, we throw live lobsters into boiling water.

It's a cultural matter, not an ethical matter.
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Steve Bowles

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Mar 23, 2018
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Some cultures eat people. I guess we're animals, too, so why differentiate? You may see cultural relativism and accept it. I don't, nor will I accede to the notion that all cultures are equally meritorious. I choose Western Civilization -- you may have what's left.
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,202
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I choose Western Civilization --
That the one where they poison people they don't like, or use drones to assassinate them, or just carpet bomb them into oblivion.

Meanwhile they exploit poor peoples to grow produce and make clothes for the West at rock bottom prices to ensure they stay subservient in abject poverty.

To cap those the West has long been destroying the planet with pollution due to the gross overconsumption of an out of control consumer market, all the while criticising others for following suit.

I can see why you've liked it, it's an utterly selfish self serving one. Trouble is it's a civilisation beginning to fall apart and we are already starting to feel the pain of that. It's going to get worse.
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
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Yeah.
Like Sub Prime mortgages.
Apparently nobody saw that one coming.
I did in the sense that I knew the slump was about to arrive. So after hanging on to the last minute I made a property deal at the start of October 2007, just before the property price slump started. That left me almost £30k better off than if I'd not forecast it.

I don't subscribe to the ostrich view, too many nasty surprises.
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