Looking around the various advertisers whose sparkly, eye-catching ads adorn this site, I note that there are essentially two types of provider. On the one hand, we can see one-make suppliers with good reputations yet they are in competition with some multi-marque dealerships with equally good reputations advertising in the same place.
Call me old-fashioned but I like the idea of the little man down the road who provides good service at a decent price. I'm not a fan of big, sometimes multi-national, companies subsuming the little guys or simply driving them out of business just because they can.......think Tesco here!
Now don't get me wrong; I've got a Tesco clubcard and I use their local store but I try to do business with my local small shops as and when I can. I just get a feeling that, with all the new models emerging on to the market; new drive systems and a very clear upward movement in prices of the perceived "premium" bikes, not all of the names we're familiar with in this forum will survive too long in what appears to be an increasingly competitive market.
I suspect David Miall has probably got it right with his marketing model as he sells his bikes through many outlets without actually having a shop that I know of with Wisper emblazoned above the door. It occurs to me that we're going through a period of change in the ebike market and I think there will be much jockeying for position before things settle. Eventually, I suspect there will be less choice available in the market than there is right now and the bargain-basement bikes we can choose at the moment, if on a budget, will simply disappear. My worry is that the very basic but nevertheless functional bikes will be at the price point of the mid-range bikes we see now, if they survive at all.
Although the technology will improve, albeit slowly, I really believe that right now will be looked upon in the future as being the great days of electric biking. Every time I ride my bike, I marvel at the fact that I can ride it up a hill without my bum ever leaving the saddle when I know that on my other bikes, I'd be standing, (and straining) on the pedals or getting off and walking.
It will be nice in say, five years time, if we still have all the ebike brands available to us which exist currently but I can't imagine that happening. If, however, we can view and test-ride those bikes we like in modern, sleek premises, rather than risking a purchase from a well-known auction site, offered by someone working out of his shed who may disappear tomorrow or simply revert to double-glazing or water-softener sales, I would regard that as progress.
For unselfish reasons, (cos I've got a bob or two) I really hope the cheap end of the market survives. If it should go, short-term profiteering by the pricier retailers will certainly occur until the market crashes on account of ridiculous prices, which is in no-one's interest in the longer term.
If any part of my prediction...or suspicions should come true and you would like my forecasts for the treble-chance next season, you can contact me, Horace Batchelor, Keynsham, spelled, K-E=Y=N=S=H=A-M, Bristol.
Indalo
Call me old-fashioned but I like the idea of the little man down the road who provides good service at a decent price. I'm not a fan of big, sometimes multi-national, companies subsuming the little guys or simply driving them out of business just because they can.......think Tesco here!
Now don't get me wrong; I've got a Tesco clubcard and I use their local store but I try to do business with my local small shops as and when I can. I just get a feeling that, with all the new models emerging on to the market; new drive systems and a very clear upward movement in prices of the perceived "premium" bikes, not all of the names we're familiar with in this forum will survive too long in what appears to be an increasingly competitive market.
I suspect David Miall has probably got it right with his marketing model as he sells his bikes through many outlets without actually having a shop that I know of with Wisper emblazoned above the door. It occurs to me that we're going through a period of change in the ebike market and I think there will be much jockeying for position before things settle. Eventually, I suspect there will be less choice available in the market than there is right now and the bargain-basement bikes we can choose at the moment, if on a budget, will simply disappear. My worry is that the very basic but nevertheless functional bikes will be at the price point of the mid-range bikes we see now, if they survive at all.
Although the technology will improve, albeit slowly, I really believe that right now will be looked upon in the future as being the great days of electric biking. Every time I ride my bike, I marvel at the fact that I can ride it up a hill without my bum ever leaving the saddle when I know that on my other bikes, I'd be standing, (and straining) on the pedals or getting off and walking.
It will be nice in say, five years time, if we still have all the ebike brands available to us which exist currently but I can't imagine that happening. If, however, we can view and test-ride those bikes we like in modern, sleek premises, rather than risking a purchase from a well-known auction site, offered by someone working out of his shed who may disappear tomorrow or simply revert to double-glazing or water-softener sales, I would regard that as progress.
For unselfish reasons, (cos I've got a bob or two) I really hope the cheap end of the market survives. If it should go, short-term profiteering by the pricier retailers will certainly occur until the market crashes on account of ridiculous prices, which is in no-one's interest in the longer term.
If any part of my prediction...or suspicions should come true and you would like my forecasts for the treble-chance next season, you can contact me, Horace Batchelor, Keynsham, spelled, K-E=Y=N=S=H=A-M, Bristol.
Indalo
