Dubber

Congratulations. That is some solid riding in testing weather and challenging road surfaces. Glad you had a good trip and experience overall. Nice work!

Those things are menace 😂. They all over the place here. Available as short term rentals all over the cities... A few of the school kids in our area also have them - and not the cheap 5 mph versions, the unlimited 30 mph versions (and the one wheelers)! It's going to end badly. Fortunately, most parents perceive the danger and are going with ebikes. Obviously any self propelled vehicle has inherit risks, but I think ebikes slightly less so? Maybe not. Ironically, the vast majority of parents that get their kids ebikes enforce the use of helmets and other protection, but those whose kids that get 'scooters' seldom seem to enforce helmets. Agreed! When I refer to my neighborhood, Id say it is predominately older - empty nesters or soon to be empty nesters. Most of these households hadn't bought a bike in the last 10 years no doubt. Either had an old clunker gathering dust in the garage or nothing at all. Now they all out buying ebikes. I don't think they using them as a commuter in most cases - more recreational. But there are a bunch of tax incentives and rebates for e-bike purchases (on the premise that you do use it as a commuter), which is facilitating additional Ebike purchases. $1.8 million for Colorado for 2024... There are restrictions on who can apply for these rebates, but more interestingly there are limitations on the type of bike you can purchase. A large percentage of the traditional bike manufactures are eliminated by these restrictions (top speed, power of battery, full suspension mtb etc). Again impacting what we see as traditional cycling resellers... https://energyoffice.colorado.gov/ebike-rebates

I don't disagree with any of the points here. But I do think, in the context of this discussion being on TheHub, my interpretation of 'the cycling industry' is different to yours. While I can't speak for everyone here, given the post is on a forum where the majority of readers would consider any bike with less than 21 gears and coil shock entry level, lumping mass produced commuters et al into the discussion is out of context (for the original discussion) imho. Not incorrect, but out of context... Anyway, no use flogging a dead horse... An observation from across the seas here in the USA (which you may or may not be seeing in UK/SA yet): The rise of the e-bike has been staggering over the last 12 months. I'd say, 50% of our neighborhood has at least 1 ebike in the household now compared to nothing 12 / 18 months ago. Parent's that would normally buy a $150 'scott' entry level MTB for their kids school commute are now buying $400/$500 no name ebikes. The rise has been exponential. Tying this back into the original thread: the vast majority of these bikes are no name brands sold on online retailers. Very few are typical 'big name' bike brands bought through your LBS. So yes, lots of $'s being spent on bikes, but little going to your typical LBS and even less going to the traditional bike bike brands. I have no idea actual margins on these bikes and may simply be a case of loss leaders and hoping to make money on replacement batteries? (Razor blade strategy)... See image attached - 1800+ sold in the last month just on these two versions. To re-iterate the point, yes, all these sales go into your 'cycling industry' stats. But again, I can't speak for everyone on the TheHub' but I doubt these would be on any Hub Member shopping list.... All about context I guess...

"Clearly 'Cycling industry is in a boom' - just have a look at the stats"... This is what I see from the stats you linked (bear in mind all these numbers are 'FORECASTS'): Unit Sales: Down from 2020/21, possibly a touch higher than 2022/23 but no major increase. Revenue: Appears to be increasing inline with past few years. This despite inflation being higher now and the average bike cost increasing more. I would expect the increase in bike price plus high inflation should lead to a relatively higher income number - which is not the case? Safe to assume if income is increasing in line with other years but cost of bike/inflation is increasing then profit would be flat (at best) but more than likely decreasing? Price: Average price increasing. Logical, given inflation and the increased demand for Ebikes, along with other factors like increased transports costs etc. I'm not sure which of these stats indicate that 'Cycling Industry is Booming'? I can't speak for the European market, but here in the USA the industry is struggling without a doubt. Excess stock from oversupply following post COVID shortages is being sold at clearance prices. This glut of stock has bottomed out the 2nd hand market value. So consumers have the choice of clearance pricing on 2022 model bikes, or can pick up 1 year old 2nd hand bikes for 50% of the original price. (That is assuming the customer has any disposable cash after all inflationary pressures on day to day cost of living). In the above scenario, why would anyone be paying full price for a 2024 bike - especially in the current financial climate? Cycling Industry is not in a boom, not here anyway.

Yep - Boulder is a stones throw from me. I see he’s playing Red Rocks in September. Maybe I’ll pop in 😏

Colorado, USA ...

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Boulder, Colorado, USA

Alternative view. Default camera settings

Autumn Golf in Colorado.... Iphone 12 No Adjustments - straight out the phone.

I haven't read all the comments. But I guess the Good, Bad Ugly threads, Time to get out of here etc all are all now gone / going? As an expat, the thoughts and or queries that arose in those threads were ones I could relate to (and in some cases assist with). Can't say I'll be able to help with local group ride queries . Good luck - it's been fun...

lol - he is

When in SA I always wanted one of these. I think Bosch was the only model available at the time - not sure if that has changed. When I got State side I found they were dime a dozen. Such a useful tool - we use them daily. Highly recommend... https://www.homedepot.com/b/Search/N-5yc1vZc2b2/Ntk-Extended/Ntt-multi+tool?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5

Both options are possible. Not sure if you were hoping to do it yourself or get someone to do it for you. Check out these for inspiration: Wrap: https://wrapmybike.shop/product-categorie/helmets/ Paint: If painting, make sure you use a polystyrene safe primer to protect the help from the paint. Otherwise the paint will eat you helmet...

Hey Dave I don't have the link to actual supplier I bought mine from with me at the moment. But a general Aliexpress link below for the search. (I bought mine via Aliexpress with a shop that has USA distribution centers - received the items within 5 days)... https://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=bafang+motor+bbs02b+bbs02+48v+750w+mid+drive+motor&viewtype=&tab= I got the 750w motor with 17 Amp hour battery. Around $770. For comparison the 2019 Spez Levo has a 250 w motor and around a 4 amp hour battery. (I'm not saying this is better than the Levo - its merely for comparison). The Levo is obviously lighter, more refined and a whole lot prettier. If you think it worthwhile, I'll take some photos during the install and post them to TheHub... In the meantime, YouTube Bafang mid drive ebike motor conversion.

We are way off topic here talking about E-bikes, but I can't shake the feeling that they are going to be massive. I remember connecting to the internet for the 1st time in around '92 - long before pretty much anybody knew what the internet was. It was slow, clunky, expensive to get set up and had around a total of 50 websites. But even then, I had the feeling that 'this' was going to be big. Got the same feeling about ebikes.... I'll be converting a Scott Hardtail in a couple weeks for my wife so she can join me on some rides. All in, it should be around $700... (and that is for a slightly bigger than average battery). Once people realize they don't have to spend thousands on a new bike and can convert their current bike, I'm pretty sure there will be an exponential increase in the number of e-bikes we see on the road.

Agreed - and I haven't even ridden one yet !

Ty (DIY Carbon Bikes) is based in USA and imports blank Chinese components and frames, builds them up and re-sells them to the local market (so they don't have to deal with imports / builds etc). Much like Rob Booth did for Booth bikes in SA (if you know of Rob Booth)... Ty seems like a decent guy - I've messaged him a couple times and he's been really helpful with advice for my builds. So long story short - try drop him a message and ask who he buys from in China. Let him know you are in SA and not trying to cut him out. He may let you know... And all that said, try ICAN bikes. Just at a glance the bike in the link looks similar to the 130mm Ican bike: https://icancycling.com/collections/mtb-frame/products/trail-bike-frame-p1

In the Appliance industry Head office didn't look at day to day exchange rates. They set a fixed rate for the year at which they expect the exchange rate to average out. For example, they may expect the average Dollar / Rand to be 1/18 for the year. Pricing is then based on that figure. If rand drops, they score. If Rand goes to 20 or something stupid like that the customer scores (in theory). Of course, when the Rand does hit 20, most retailers up their price anyway... And then they also factor in higher distribution costs etc (shipping, support.). Being at the end of Africa means SA will always be more expensive - but shouldn't be $200 more expensive!

I'm happy to send some across from State side at $700 *comic font for those on mobile devices*

LOL. Dude, it's actually just how the 1st world works - regardless of how big / populous the country is. Case in point: booked driving exam day before, took learner test hour before exam, passed, processed, took driving test, passed, card arrived in post two days later. (Temporary card printed on site at the time). USA - population/area of a couple states exceed SA population and area....

Rubio Monocoat for the win. Or Bona Craft oil (essentially the same thing - different brand). You can then leave as is or apply a seal coat for a little more protection...

To everyone thinking about not doing the event because it is just not the same: If I was in a position to ride it, this is exactly the reason I would be jumping at it. This will probably (hopefully) be the only chance you ever get to ride these altered start times. It will be a completely different ride. Everyone saying this will be my sixth or 7th ride and it just won't be the same - well, this one will be like none of the others! Do it! Support Ecobound now so they are in a position to support you in 2022 and beyond.... Just think of the stories you can tell ---- "I remember, back in 2021 I had to get up at 2am in the morning..." (In all honesty, I would rather get up at 2am than have to ride until 2am...)

This right here... Reading through comments, a lot of the suggestions rely on 'The System' to fix things. Tougher laws, more cops, reduced speeds etc etc. All valid points. But in my opinion the change starts with us (not just cyclists - all of us). If you are going to drive, just don't drink. If you can't do this, arrange for someone else to drive or rely on commercial services. If we go out, have a few drinks and then drive, we are setting precedents for ourselves and everyone around us - especially the youth. They see everyone having 'a few drinks' and then get in a car - subconsciously this makes it normal and acceptable. There is not much else we can do. But this one step is within our remit. Try it. Get someone else to try it. Its a start... Make it the norm. Society has to change as I doubt laws will have any meaningful impact.