this post was submitted on 02 Dec 2024
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micromobility - Ebikes, scooters, longboards: Whatever floats your goat, this is micromobility

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Ebikes, bicycles, scooters, skateboards, longboards, eboards, motorcycles, skates, unicycles: Whatever floats your goat, this is all things micromobility!

"Transportation using lightweight vehicles such as bicycles or scooters, especially electric ones that may be borrowed as part of a self-service rental program in which people rent vehicles for short-term use within a town or city.

micromobility is seen as a potential solution to moving people more efficiently around cities"

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago

Stromer’s electric bicycles have been popular among the ultra-premium end of the market, though that is a small niche that has never supported very high sales volume in North America. With multiple models above US $10,000

My ebike from an American company was $1800 with a 1000W motor. This company made bikes 5x the price with 750W motors. If you price yourself out of the market, you won't make sales!

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 day ago (2 children)

not long after Yamaha announced that it was ending sales of its electric bicycles in the North American market

I didn't know Yamaha was selling e-bikes in North America.

now the Swiss e-bike maker Stromer is pulling out of the US and Canada.

I've never heard of this company that was allegedly selling e-bikes in Canada.

Maybe the issue is marketing? None of the local bike shops have those two brands, and I would imagine that business would suck if you aren't selling any e-bikes...

[–] sensiblepuffin 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

100% marketing. There's no clear avenue for potential customers to find out about these brands; it's not like the old days where you just take out a spread in a magazine. I could name maybe three brands that do e-bikes outside of the old names (Cannondale, Specialized, etc.). So if you're not in that last, I'm never going to buy your bike.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah, there are so many "influencers" who would gladly take one of your e-bikes for a "review", and that can give you exposure to millions of people who are looking for e-bikes already (or are curious about them). The YouTube Channel "electroheads" is an example of a place to hear about some brands outside of Trek.

Even sponsoring free test rides through local bike shops can at least get your brand's name out there.

[–] sensiblepuffin 2 points 1 day ago

My theory is that there's a bit of a divide in bicycle brands: the old and new. The old ones have the name recognition, which means people know about them, but not necessarily that they make e-bikes. The new ones will have the flashy website and visuals to draw in the online crowd. I think the e-bike people are kind of in-between those two and so are slipping through the cracks.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

I've never heard of them either

[–] Usernameblankface 14 points 1 day ago

Lack of bike-friendly infrastructure, with several other factors causing and maintaining the lack of bike-friendly infrastructure.