Join in editing the buyers guide

[EdBike]

A big thank you to the folks who have been giving feedback and suggestions for the electric bike buyers guide I'm creating. In particular thanks to Dave (d8veh) for trawling through the whole thing.

What do you think about this buying guide?

Overall, I've had a positive response from folks on this forum and via email. People like the idea of having a definitive buyers guide written by a group of electric bikes experts.

I've now set up a writeboard for you to make suggested edits right in the text itself. You, me and everyone on this forum can now make your own versions of the buyers guide by writing in your own suggestions.

I've setup this initially with two of the pages that caught up the most comments; the page on 'parts' and the page on 'choosing'. There have been lots of threads about which bikes to choose recently!

If people want to make some suggestions for the other pages, post in the replies and I'll set it up

Here are the actual webpages live…

Choose an Electric Bike | Electric Bike Buyers Guide: Chapter 4
Electric Bike Parts | Electric Bike Buyers Guide: Chapter 3

You can edit the text files in the writeboards here:

Link to writeboard: Edit the 'Choose an Electric Bike' page
Password: choose

Link to writeboard: Edit the 'Electric Bike Parts' page
Password: parts

What is Writeboard?

A Writeboard is a web-based text document that
people can write, share, revise, and compare.

Writeboard is free and doesn't require you to
even create an account. Just use the URL and password
displayed above and you're in. :-]

 

[JuicyBike]

Excellent Stuff

Great idea EdBike. Easy to use and what is already in place is going to be very useful.
I was able to edit a little bit quite easily and added what I thought was a useful addition. My inner dictator would ask for protection from malicious or ill-informed posters, however my outer libertarian thoroughly approves.

Nice one!

 

[EdBike]

Great idea EdBike. Easy to use and what is already in place is going to be very useful.
I was able to edit a little bit quite easily and added what I thought was a useful addition. My inner dictator would ask for protection from malicious or ill-informed posters, however my outer libertarian thoroughly approves.

Nice one!

The genius of Writeboard is that it creates different versions for people to see - we can publish the best, dump the rest and make something invaluable to potential electric bike buyers.

I really appreciate your input - thanks!

 

[brucehawsker]

Editorial Independence

I am curious as to who "we" in the context of "we can publish the best, dump the rest and make something invaluable to potential electric bike buyers."

EdBike, could you please tell us all who you are? You have not posted, as far as I can see, on the “Introduce yourself here” thread. Please can we know your experience, and the identity and experience of the others who form your editorial board?

You said somewhere on a thread last autumn I seem to recall that you were studying for your ‘A’ levels?

• Do you work for any electric bike shops or for any manufacturers / importers? Have you ever worked for any?

• Which electric bike(s) do you own? How long have you owned it / them? What usage do you get out of it / them?

That sort of stuff, so we can all have a better idea of who you are.

Sure, I understand why Wikipedia works because of self policing. But the Pedelec world is a small, small subset of the real one....

Quoting bits from your document:

• Where possible, buy your electric bike from a dealer at their location.
• It helps buying from somewhere that’s been in business a few years.
• Smart shop owners will also be able to help you out with your electric bike away from the shop.
• Buying online, or by mail-order or over the phone, you suffer from having to wait for the product to arrive (with a hefty shipping cost).
• Whilst you may have more options online, I would consider it as a last resort.
• If you can get to a dealer reasonably easily, do it.
• If you are going to buy online, stick to a major bike retailer with a long, good track record and excellent customer service.

I would like to ask if you could justify these comments instead of asserting them as logical conclusion. This is still a cottage industry in its infancy but expanding rapidly here in the UK, it is a brave new world and the industry must be flexible to change and new additions - both being complements to existing products as well as healthy competition.

I have been carrying out, for commercial reasons, mystery shopping at a large number of e-bike shops and electric bike stockists. Not everyone knows their stuff, if you are an independent bike retailer you can't be expected to know the ins and outs of battery chemistry and controller programming or even real world likely ranges for bikes, no matter if you have been in the business one month or 30 years. Even looking at some 'manufacturers' claims is worrying (peak amps on a 37V volt battery implying over 1.5KW going into a 250W motor.... surely not).

The business is still in its infancy. The market has not so far managed to propel itself to continental standards market share of the wider bike market. I am not saying that David or Mark are doing a bad job, but they would be the first to admit that the market remains disappointingly small, as you say yourself EdBike.

So discouraging people from visiting the new boys on the block - whether manufacturers or retailers - seems short sighted and counter-serving. I would note two players I recently encountered at the London Bike Show: Nipnip (on line) and Cyclingmadeeasy (bricks and mortar, Coulsden) who deserve not to be criticised simply for being new. They have different business models - in my view good luck to them and they deserve support, as does anyone brave enough to be entrepreneurial in this Whitehall climate....

If you believe online support does not work I have to cite the VAST wealth of evidence that YouTube "how to" videos and great technical bike sites are really impacting. I do not know of one on line bike business who fails to provide telephone support in an analogous way to us at Big Cat (we do have a bricks and mortar in Southampton).

Many physical shops or importers can't afford to hold huge stock - if you are importing from China a 14 week delay order to arrival in your retail shop is kind of inevitable - so the issue of retail delivery is not online vs. bricks and mortar but supply chain and financing.

Most online stores do not charge a 'hefty' shipping cost. Some are free. Others charge at cost. The most sophisticated use Shiply or equivalent and only pass on the reverse Dutch price to the client.

Suggesting "online as a last resort" flies in the face of the many people who have distant bought bikes and are very happy with their purchases, and service from a 3rd party support network of mechanics.

Getting to a dealer is great - if the dealer really knows the products and the issues - sadly, that is not always the case. Many people cannot access a shop - no transport, no shop, disability, work commitments.....

As to if you go online - some of the people who have been online for a long while are good, some notably less so. But someone new, like nipnip, possibly from another industry but with loads of online commercial experience, might well have a better business model and so serve you better. A modern well designed electric bike is virtually plug and play and can be supported by any competent independent bike shop.

 

[brucehawsker]

opps - sorry about the unintended font change.....

 

[Scottyf]

I.ve read the complete article and for a start point its been very good. At least defining terms, changes and general advice some of which common sense would provail.

Hence why i am on a forum, asking questions about products. Asking is usually the only way you learn. Advice come's from experience. Of which i have none but will under go my first build soon. More annoying questions coming your way.

However as a start point its been good. Even if it is one viewpoint.

 

[EdBike]

I am curious as to who "we" in the context of "we can publish the best, dump the rest and make something invaluable to potential electric bike buyers."

EdBike, could you please tell us all who you are? You have not posted, as far as I can see, on the “Introduce yourself here” thread. Please can we know your experience, and the identity and experience of the others who form your editorial board?

You said somewhere on a thread last autumn I seem to recall that you were studying for your ‘A’ levels?
Do you work for any electric bike shops or for any manufacturers / importers? Have you ever worked for any?
Which electric bike(s) do you own? How long have you owned it / them? What usage do you get out of it / them?

That sort of stuff, so we can all have a better idea of who you are.

Sure, I understand why Wikipedia works because of self policing. But the Pedelec world is a small, small subset of the real one....

[continued]

Hi Bruce,

You're right. I mean 'we' as in the forum members. What I've tried doing is distilling the suggestions and wisdom on this forum into a handy buyers guide. So yeah, the editorial role is mine - I'll make some adjustments (and you guys can too via the Writeboards above) to fine tune the buyers guide. I've talked through it with my Dad this evening too...

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/7554-what-do-you-think-about-buying-guide.html

You're right - I hadn't posted in the introduction post yet, so here's something to read: http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/52-just-registered-introduce-yourself-here-210.html#post95664

I'm totally independent man, but I'd love to work alongside people. I posted a thread (here: http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/7287-how-electric-bikes-could-take-off-uk.html) about how people can get involved with my projects. I've got a small email list of people I'm working with, but anyone's welcome to join.

I've been in cahoots with BEBA, and *may* be helping them out with their social media strategy (will find out soon if its a goer). I've tried out a few of the BEBA-brands bikes but I want to get a whole bunch of bikes (and people ideally!) together and create a few definitive reviews. Help boost the better bikes on the market

Does that help?

 

[Blew it]

EdBike, could you please tell us all who you are?

I'm surprised you had to ask that question. Within two hours of 'EdBikes' first posting I knew exactly who Ed Fry was and what his field of expertise is.

What interests me far more is the frequent removal of postings by your 'customers' in various pages of this forum.

For example: A few weeks ago, in the 'introduction' forum, a new member posted their delight at having purchased one of your machines......two hours later it had been removed!. Why?

Today, another new member 'Brambles' makes a posting in the introduction thread, again extolling the virtues of your machines. (now removed?). Next, the 'Which Dealer Would You Not Hesitate to Recommend?' thread is bumped to the top by the same 'Member' , but now the posting has been removed. Why?

I don't have a problem with 'EdBikes' presence on this forum, his intentions are clear and unambiguous, but I do have a problem with dealers apparently posting under several pseudonyms in order to boost their sales.

Have a nice day Bruce.

 

[brucehawsker]

Hi Blew it,

I plead guilty that I have encouraged people who have bought our bikes, and people who have enjoyed testing them, to post to the forum. We have a couple of nice leather sofas and anyone who wants to use them, our coffee, or our wifi is warmly welcomed, as would you be.

I know who Brambles is! He has posted from here sometime late last month, and also a couple of times in the past 48 hours. At his request, I originally set up an account for him. He reported a problem with the first account so I set up a second one for him at the start of this week, I seem to recall. I have no idea why his most recent posts are appearing and then rapidly disappearing. A problem for Richard or Russell? Perhaps it is due to Apple

And - I know who Ed is - my concern was that other people do not.

Bruce