how do we help newcomers

[electric.mike]

just been to asda on the bikes the last 20yds we always walk, although a dedicated cycle lane its full of shoppers because its wider than the path(i don't mind i do use paths in what i consider dangerous road areas).
anyway walking along and a chap comes up to us and asks are those electric bikes any good, i answer yes brilliant,its part of his next statement that annoys me though,
he tells me he is in his early 60s, cant drive, has always ridden bikes,but now has a mild heart condition, he goes on to say he has ask about them at a local bike shop and been told they are not very good.
here is a man who in my mind the electric bike was made for, i ask him just where does he go on his bike,it turns out its mostly local 5-6miles round trip and fishing at our local country park 4miles away, when he takes a small trailer for his gear, he has a mountain bike and most of the time can cope with out any motor help.
after i tell him they would be ideal he asks should i get one like yours (powabyke) well from what he has told me the answer is no, what about your wife's (sakura)again listening to him the answer is no.so thinking about what he said 8mile max trip, a cyclist,can manage most of the time without help,uses a mountain bike, goes on rough tracks at the country park, i suggest he goes to one of our LBS and looks at the izip as a good starting point.
this started me thinking just how much are LBSs holding back electric bikes
also i think apart from price which after many years in selling i found customers wont always tell the truth about what they can or will spend.
as we use electric bikes we will be ask about them and which one should the person buy, we should have a set of questions in our mind to help us find the ideal answer for that person.
perhaps some one can tell me if i have missed a question or two that would have helped.

mike

 

[flecc]

To my knowledge local bike shops have always held back progress, for some odd reason it's very conservative trade. I can remember my first boss when as a 14 year old just joining the trade and his attitudes. He thought the newly arrived 4 speed derailleurs ridiculous, saying "Who could possibly want more than 3 gears?"

It goes beyond the dealers, the UCI, the international organisation controlling cycle sport, banned recumbents from competition when they first arrived on the basis that they weren't "proper" bicycles. Two wheels, pedals, rider, what more did they expect? Equally, Chris Boardman's 30 miles in one hour is recognised as a record, but his 35 miles isn't because the bike contained some "unapproved" materials!

Of course the same attitudes are common amongst club riders and can be seen in the CTC forum regularly with silly remarks like "cheating", so it seems to be endemic throughout the cycling world, all the bigots reinforcing each others attitudes.

With attitudes like this we're up against it, but I think it more likely change will come when other electric vehicles like cars become more common, but it will be gradual and I doubt I'll see it. Meanwhile we can only struggle on as you did so admirably on this occasion.
.

 

[Quicken]

To my knowledge local bike shops have always held back progress, for some odd reason it's very conservative trade. I can remember my first boss when as a 14 year old just joining the trade and his attitudes. He thought the newly arrived 4 speed derailleurs ridiculous, saying "Who could possibly want more than 3 gears?"

LoL!. That reminds me of some classic computer predictions:

'I think there is a world market for maybe five computers'
Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943

'While a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 10000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers of the future may have only 1000 vacuum tubes and weigh only 1.5 tons.'
Popular mechanics, 1949

'I have travelled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year'
Editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957

'But what... is it good for?'
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems division of IBM, commenting on the microchip, 1968

'There is no reason why anyone would want a computer in the home'
Ken Olson, Present, Chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977

'640K should be enough for anybody'
Bill Gates, 1981

It goes beyond the dealers, the UCI, the international organisation controlling cycle sport, banned recumbents from competition when they first arrived on the basis that they weren't "proper" bicycles. Two wheels, pedals, rider, what more did they expect? Equally, Chris Boardman's 30 miles in one hour is recognised as a record, but his 35 miles isn't because the bike contained some "unapproved" materials!

Yes, they are ludicrously conservative.

Of course the same attitudes are common amongst club riders and can be seen in the CTC forum regularly with silly remarks like "cheating", so it seems to be endemic throughout the cycling world, all the bigots reinforcing each others attitudes.

With attitudes like this we're up against it, but I think it more likely change will come when other electric vehicles like cars become more common, but it will be gradual and I doubt I'll see it. Meanwhile we can only struggle on as you did so admirably on this occasion.
.

This is why it is so good to have recognition of the Torq in Cycling Plus magazine. This section I copied and pasted from the 50 cycles website:

CYCLINGPLUS Pick of the year
'If you're a cycling purist then my choice might alarm, but I rate is as a real groundbreaker. The Ezee Torq electric bike that I reviewed in Cycling Plus 188 is a throttle-assist machine based around a hybrid style 6061 alloy frame. It packs an astounding zip into a relatively small front hub motor, powered by the latest lithium-ion battery technology. If you've been interested in getting a bit of assistance it's worth taking a look at the Torq. The lithium-ion version that I tried weighed in at around 25kg complete with lights, mudguards and rack, and accelerated to the legal limit of 15mph with real verve (the speed limiter can be disconnected for off-road use). Even better was the 30 mile single-charge range.' Richard Peace made the eZee Torq his Pick of the Year in the January 2007 issue of Cycling Plus magazine, in shops now.

Good stuff.

Q

 

[Baboonking]

to make things worse there's an awful lot of useless bikes being sold. I know of two people who've had really lowsy experiences, one with a with cheap bike bought from ebay. One of them bought a scooter type bike, gave it one uphill test run. (it didn't make it and wieghed a ton) and sent it straight back. the other got it off a bike shop, it was a bad design made worse by poor reliability, and the local shop didn't know how to fix it proberly. since then I always give out my home number so people can ask me questions and hopefully avoid such hazards.

 

[nigel]

nigel

yes you
are right that first choice is so important i made the same mistake buying my first 2 bikes on ebay which were cheap poor quality and heavy i have learnt the hard way with hindsight i could have bought 1 good bike still i got their in the end with my twistlite i think their are still some decent machines out their for the right price powacycle and urban mover being some of the better ones also it would be great it ezee could produce a bike for £500 and still have good power and light in weight and fair quality fingers crossed nigel southampton.

 

[MaryinScotland]

If I'm asked about my electric bike by somebody just passing, and the reply has to be quick, I usually refer the person to the "A to B" website, as a useful guide for features to think about. In short, I'll tell them that powered bikes are excellent for some purposes.

(I give a similar answer if asked about my unpowered folding bike.)

Most bike shops I've seen don't sell electric bikes, or else sell only one make, so they're not ideal for unbiassed advice.

Mary

 

[nigel]

Nigel

I am not to bad at giving advice to the public concerning electrics bikes but it is basic i still think the old saying applies you pay for what you get i dont know many good cheap bikes.
However on a bright note the local powabyke dealer has some urban movers for sale the basic road bike and its not to heavy which i hope is good news.