Hello, I'm a new ebike lover and also a student in London. I ride a lot in London and really got attracted by ebike recently. After following some ebike user in Instagram, I received quite a lot advertisement about ebike and most of them are from a crowdfunding platform called Indiegogo, such as Nireeka, Mate, FLX and STROM. Their product look very cool and equipped with good configuration. And the most important thing is they are much cheaper than those with similar configuration but sold in store. Since I'm a student, my budget is very limited. But no test riding and long time waiting worry me so I want to see if there are any friend here could give me some advice? Is that platform reliable? Are those crowdfunding product as good as they show? Thank you.
Has anybody bought Ebike through crowdfunding platform like Indiegogo?
- Thread starter Brian Koch
- Start date
they look cheaper because you don't actually buy the advertised products when you pay.
Strange? yes.
You pay your money to support the advertisers to achieve their goals because you want to help them. Call it whatever you like, but it's not a sale, so therefore not protected by consumer laws.
because it's not offer for sale, there is no law against exaggerated claims, like 50 mile range with a 6AH 36V battery or £2,000 in the shop price while only £1,000 will secure it on the platform.
In return, the advertisers promise to offer you something in return, a printed mug, a T-shirt or one unit of their first production run depending on the size of your 'support'.
Failure to deliver on time or deliver at all does not count as breach of contract. You still have to pay for freight, import duty and VAT on top. They are usually good deals when everything runs smoothly but rarely as good as the ads make out.
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Wow, I thought they just need money to start their business and really engaged to make good product. No relevant law protection is also what I'm really concerned about.
yes, they do but these platforms are useful tools to promote their products and test the market without taking on too much financial risk.
If I sell my 15AH e-bike batteries for £200 in the UK, I'd go broke but if I put it on kickstarter at $200 shipped from Shenzhen with a target of $400,000 - I'd make a profit just selling shipping service and wouldn'tt have to invest any more than making a mockup case.
D
Deleted member 4366
Guest
You take a lot on trust. If you had followed the story of The Copenhagen Wheel, it would put you off Kickstarter for life. From memory, it appeared in 2013, when people started pledging, but deliveries didn't come until late 2017. Four years is a very long time in the e-bike world, so by the time that deliveries started, there were many better options. Many of their customers obviously were very disappointed with the long wait for their shipment.
If you look around, you can often find better products for the same price from established traders, where your transaction is protected. If you tell us exactly what you're looking for, we might be able to help you.
If you look around, you can often find better products for the same price from established traders, where your transaction is protected. If you tell us exactly what you're looking for, we might be able to help you.
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BTW, I have an idea for a repairable e-bike battery that I would be happy to place on kickstarter if anyone of you fancy to manage that project on your own.
Does it involve a coin, nail and a potato ?
Thank you. I haven't heard about Copenhagen Wheel before. But 4 years just shock me. Actually I'm looking for electric mountain bike, I would like to commute with my ebike but also take a short distance trip with it during vacation. Trek and Giant are quite nice but a little bit expensive.
I just can't believe that money just come this easy. It seems that we consumers are quite blind and even stupid, don't we .....
The motivation is usually greed. People will try to get an advantage and will take risks for a potential benefit.
That's why so many transfer huge sums to unknown telephone callers who promise them big returns on "investments" they are offering. When they hear a promise of their money doubled, all caution is thrown to the wind and greed takes over.
.
D
Deleted member 4366
Guest
There are some quite nice ones on Ebay, or the Halfords Carrera Vengeance isn't bad. You can get 10% off if you join British Cycling first (£25) and up to 5% more by using one of the cashback schemes, so that will be about £750 net:
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/junior-bikes/carrera-vengeance-e-mens-electric-mountain-bike-16-18-20-frames
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25-21-Speeds-Mountain-Bike-36V-Lithium-Battery-Electric-Bike-E-bike-250W-Motor/401446651735?_trkparms=aid=555018&algo=PL.SIM&ao=2&asc=49138&meid=f2b3c55319cb49dda9961fcc2ca9fbaa&pid=100005&rk=4&rkt=6&mehot=lo&sd=183150801682&itm=401446651735&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851
There are also some nice MTBs from Woosh and Kudos for not much more.
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Right. Too risky and the pre publicity is usually hyped.
There's such a wealth of good product on the market in every price range, why take the risk and suffer the indeterminate delay?
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Thank you for your advice, the first look very nice but the detail about the configuration is not sufficient. I'll think about it. Really appreciate your help.
D
Deleted member 4366
Guest
I too am looking again at getting an eBike or a conversion kit that would work well with a recumbent trike to be more precise. I very much like the concept of the Copenhagen Wheel. However, it's still rather pricey and the range is pretty low. What's out there that competes well with this? I'd prefer to stay within UK legislation if possible, but I live in a fairly hilly area and need something that'll get me up said hills, sometimes carrying shopping or a touring load. This means torque is more much important to me than speed, I suppose. I'm about 12.5 stone and trikes tend to be quite a bit heavier than standard hybrid type cycles.
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Deleted member 4366
Guest
I currently have a Trice XL which has a 20" rear wheel.
However, I'm seriously considering getting a Performer JC70AL, which has a 700c rear wheel.
However, I'm seriously considering getting a Performer JC70AL, which has a 700c rear wheel.
fit a crank drive kit.
It's simpler and still perfectly suited to the job.
http://wooshbikes.cco.uk/?cdkit
It's simpler and still perfectly suited to the job.
http://wooshbikes.cco.uk/?cdkit
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