Prototype / ex demo / ex display, end of season sale.

flux

Pedelecer
Nov 28, 2016
27
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scotland
Nope, if you go the start of the thread there is a picture. Its the folder with the battery hidden in the frame.
 

Andy88

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 6, 2016
747
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Right so by adding the motor and battery the sales tag of £1699 not so far over the top if its the same bike in the earlier spec sheet thread.

However as eddiePJ pointed out once you reach this price point for another £50 or £100 you can buy a machine with better brand recognition with a more solid warranty.

When searching for independent reviews, which would be automatic if you were buying a new car or motorcycle you would be presented with numerous reliable sources but within the ebike industry particularly in the uk it is sadly lacking with some mainstream manufacturers, both ebike and other.

I remember a comment from one prominent supplier who quoted that the ebike industry is a minefield and they are right but the way I see it, it is not just limited to ebikes but also within the traditional bicycle industry itself.

No doubt the industry will level itself and 2017 will be an interesting year, as brexit takes its toll and exchange rates fluctuate it will be a survival of the fittest.

With the likes of Volt, Momentum, Gtech etc. entering the arena pushing direct and other sales strategies in an effort to produce a more lean machine in the term of cost to the end user my concern with these companies would be true level of after sales, spare parts and customer service.
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
15,973
6,292
if you buy all the parts from china and make it ur self it will be alot cheaper but have no warranty so to speak but i have never had a problem with a seller from china if it all goes tits up.

so what you are paying for is the warranty and support ie new parts if they fail as none will even try to fix a motor and even bosch dealers can not open the motor case as it voids the warranty.

as for the batts none seem to state what cells they are other than voltage and amp hrs of the pack but unless you know what the cells are rated at and tested any range given is from here to the moon.
 

Andy88

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 6, 2016
747
135
68
Ayrshire
if you buy all the parts from china and make it ur self it will be alot cheaper but have no warranty so to speak but i have never had a problem with a seller from china if it all goes tits up.

so what you are paying for is the warranty and support ie new parts if they fail as none will even try to fix a motor and even bosch dealers can not open the motor case as it voids the warranty.

as for the batts none seem to state what cells they are other than voltage and amp hrs of the pack but unless you know what the cells are rated at and tested any range given is from here to the moon.
I validate and appreciate what you are saying here but the average consumer with little or zero technical knowledge will always within reason sacrifice cost over peace of mind in terms of service.

The industry is very diverse from the multi-talented electro/mechanical tinkerholic engineer, to the retiree that struggles to change a light bulb.
 

EddiePJ

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jul 7, 2013
4,632
4,011
Crowborough, East Sussex
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as for the batts none seem to state what cells they are other than voltage and amp hrs of the pack but unless you know what the cells are rated at and tested any range given is from here to the moon.
In this case the whole spec is all but non existent.

  • frame - Aluminium
  • frame sizes available - Nil spec
  • Available colours - Nil spec
  • front fork - Nil spec
  • Headset - Nil spec
  • Stem - Nil spec
  • Handlebar - Nil spec
  • Grips - Nil spec
  • Shifter - Nil spec
  • Rear derailleur - Nil spec
  • Cassette - Shimano Alvio 9 speed
  • Cassette ratios - Nil spec
  • Final drive chain - Nil spec
  • Crankset - Nil spec
  • Front chainset - Nil spec
  • Front chainset ratio - Nil spec
  • Crank arms - Nil spec
  • Pedals - Nil spec
  • Wheel hubs - Shimano Alvio
  • Hub axle type - Nil spec
  • Wheel rims - Nil spec
  • Wheel size - 26"
  • Tyres - Nil spec
  • Saddle - Nil spec
  • Seat post - Nil spec
  • Seat clamp - Nil spec
  • Brakes - Disc front and rear Shimano M315
  • Disc size front - Nil spec
  • Disc size rear - Nil spec


It certainly makes for disappointing reading on a bike that is being marketed at and I quote "Just £1,699.95!"

It makes comparing on a like for like basis impossible, which I guess is the idea.

SW, as for your comment in relation to range. I certainly don't believe the quoted minimum range of this bike, but at least that is a legal get out for anyone that doesn't reach that distance.


.
 
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Zack @ Byocycles

Official Trade Member
Nov 17, 2015
91
35
32
Havant
www.byocycles.co.uk
if you buy all the parts from china and make it ur self it will be alot cheaper but have no warranty so to speak but i have never had a problem with a seller from china if it all goes tits up.

so what you are paying for is the warranty and support ie new parts if they fail as none will even try to fix a motor and even bosch dealers can not open the motor case as it voids the warranty.

as for the batts none seem to state what cells they are other than voltage and amp hrs of the pack but unless you know what the cells are rated at and tested any range given is from here to the moon.
Thats the point of buying from a manufacturer based in the UK, yes you can buy a bike with a Bafang mid drive motor from alibaba for around $1000.

On top of that you have:

Shipping which is around $300 minimum, hazardous good shipping is a minefield too!
6% import duty
And then you have the abysmal exchange rate which currently stands at around 1.2.

On top of a 1-3 month wait, because China have nothing in stock.

bringing your $1000 bike to around £1150 at your door.

That's if you actually get what you wanted.

Story time!

The manager before me at Byocycles ordered a sample of 10 electric mid drive bikes, costing £500 each, cheap, a bit too cheap. This is what turned up:

upload_2016-12-16_9-31-54.png

£50 bikes at best, retail. Completely unsafe, no certifications, (CE etc), the factory disappeared shortly after. Wheres the backup? I wouldn't even give them away for fear of killing someone. We run our own facility in Shenzhen, quality control is our own, the designs are our own.

A quick note on certifications, you have to have the bike, battery, charger, kettle lead, and each individual component tested to bring something to market. This costs $5000+, you change the pedals? Needs to be tested again.

We always try and fix before replacing, sometimes things can't be fixed and it's more economical to replace, quite often we'll just send a new part if its inexpensive, and then keep the other and repair it or send it back.

We use Samsung ICR18650 cells in all of our batteries, and we open 10 out of every consignment to test.

In this case the whole spec is all but non existent.

*snip*

It certainly makes for disappointing reading on a bike that is being marketed at and I quote "Just £1,699.95!"

It makes comparing on a like for like basis impossible, which I guess is the idea.

SW, as for your comment in relation to range. I certainly don't believe the quoted minimum range of this bike, but at least that is a legal get out for anyone that doesn't reach that distance.

.
There is no ulterior motive for not listing the full specification. In our new website which is currently being developed a full specification is available, we've stopped developing the current website as it's not what we want.
 
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Andy88

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 6, 2016
747
135
68
Ayrshire
Hi EddiePJ, I have been following this thread closely and agree with you wholeheartedly however byocycles is not the only culprit.

To simply make excuses that the website is not ready, (I had a similar experience with zak on two tiered pricing)

Its simply unacceptable and indicates a company that simply does not have the resources or customer centric mindset to operate at a professional standard.
 

Zack @ Byocycles

Official Trade Member
Nov 17, 2015
91
35
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www.byocycles.co.uk
Hi EddiePJ, I have been following this thread closely and agree with you wholeheartedly however byocycles is not the only culprit.

To simply make excuses that the website is not ready, (I had a similar experience with zak on two tiered pricing)

Its simply unacceptable and indicates a company that simply does not have the resources or customer centric mindset to operate at a professional standard.
Two tiered pricing?
 

Andy88

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 6, 2016
747
135
68
Ayrshire
Short memory. Bike on site £1,599 u quoted £1,699
You said it was trivial however i don't think customers would.

Your website is your national and global brochure, get it right b4 you go to market not as an afterthought.
 

Zack @ Byocycles

Official Trade Member
Nov 17, 2015
91
35
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Havant
www.byocycles.co.uk
As a last point, the exchange rate can't be helped, the price hadn't been adjusted on the website, because the bike isn't here. The sample is now sold, as are the two Zests with mid drive motors. All to members or visitors to this forum.

Either way, I'd like to thank you for all of your feedback and we'll of course take it on board, like we do all advice! Byocycles constantly strives to improve not only it's products, but the company as a whole. We've come on leaps and bounds since this time last year, and the only way is up.

All bikes gone.
 

Andy88

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 6, 2016
747
135
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Ayrshire
Nobody's questioning stock levels and price increases but update that info on the website prior to going live with it.

I don't know what kind of software u are using for your website but most sales sites have automatic quantity and stock levels built in and price increases can be administered via a smartphone in seconds.
 

Zack @ Byocycles

Official Trade Member
Nov 17, 2015
91
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Havant
www.byocycles.co.uk
Our new website will have live stock pulled in from our ERP software! The current website is just some images and text, for some reason the previous web developer decided to use wordpress, then build the whole front page in html & css, which is why we're changing it. Its not user or SEO friendly!
 
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Andy88

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 6, 2016
747
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Ive also had my moments, wordpress is not an ideal platform for ecommerce however there are some very good ecommerce themes these days.

As eddiePJ leaving a website in the wrong hands while you are developing a business can be catastrophic.

However at least byocycles realize this and are addressing the issue.

My only tip is make sure that it is visible and rendered properly accross all popular browsers and is mobile friendly.
 
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Zack @ Byocycles

Official Trade Member
Nov 17, 2015
91
35
32
Havant
www.byocycles.co.uk
Ive also had my moments, wordpress is not an ideal platform for ecommerce however there are some very good ecommerce themes these days.

As eddiePJ leaving a website in the wrong hands while you are developing a business can be catastrophic.

However at least byocycles realize this and are addressing the issue.

My only tip is make sure that it is visible and rendered properly accross all popular browsers and is mobile friendly.
Possibly quite embarrassing, however I've actually been developing websites for the past 10 years! (mainly backend PHP, Javascript etc).. However with everything else I do at Byocycles, it's impossible to find even an hour a day to develop a new one. Hence why we've just employed a web developer full time!

Wordpress and woocommerce can be excellent ecommerce platforms, with the right theme. However, doesn't agree with our ERP software, so Magento is the way we're going.
 
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Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,407
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Magento is hardly a suitable choice for small catalogs.
 

Andy88

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 6, 2016
747
135
68
Ayrshire
When we sold mobile equipment we used a third party managed solution, which worked very well for us and saved the need to hire a full time web developer, graphic designer etc. It also allowed us to focus our efforts on the business.

I believe being a bike consumer, what is most important is that we can get to the right product and product information, make comparisons, get answers to questions and ultimately make a buying decision.

Two ebike websites that are clean, load fast, render in mobile devices are Volt and Oxygen however they have limited products thus easier to manage.

I agree with Woosh point with Magento however we don't know the full extent of byocycles network or whether they are planning to allow dealers to log in and manage their inventory, orders and customer service.

Oh the joys of doing business.