Van Moof Gone Bang..

Junior

It looks like Van Moof have run out of money and are insolvent

https://mastodon.notsobig.co/@phill/110701490478043590

heebusjeebus

Could be caused by the recent increases in interest rates.

Rad Bikes have just announced they are pulling out of Europe and focusing on just the US following recent issues and a recall of the rad wagon tryes.

ted1

disappointing, i was looking at getting one

iwillhtfu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120845568#Comment_120845568

I'd imagine it's more to do with their price point. Although the ridiculous prices seemed some what acceptable in an industry where prices are a farce. Every other week young lads in the club rolling up on €5k+ bikes it's eye watering the money some folks spend.

I think I've only seen one Van moof in the wild and the the marker hotel had a fleet of them for guests at one point.

Junior

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120845726#Comment_120845726

https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/12/23792143/vanmoof-e-bike-payment-suspension-bankruptcy-sale

There's more info there, but I think it's a combination of things, price point, unwilligness to use standard parts, having to warranty repair etc. It all seemed a bit we know better than everyone else..

cletus

Yeah, the comments in the link above seem to point to issues with repairs, proprietary parts etc.

the_amazing_raisin

Kinda reminds me of this article

https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2023/02/can-we-make-bicycles-sustainable-again.html

Long story short, expensive bikes aren't as good for the environment as they could be because they use a lot of unsustainable materials and are difficult to repair due to using non standard parts.

This is on top of being manufactured and shipped from China to Europe

To be clear, they're still way less polluting than cars and I don't think we're realistically going to go back to all steel bikes made in Europe

I think companies like VanMoof and Radpower are becoming victims of some of the decisions they've made. Using proprietary parts and charging the price of a car for a bike leads to a fairly narrow demographic of people willing to throw their money into one

The rest of us will probably be looking for something more budget friendly and that we can get parts for if/when they break without a 6 months backlog

mailforkev

I think it’s been coming for a while unfortunately, some poor decisions at the top have compounded existing issues around reliability of the earlier SX3 models and global financial and logistics issues. So many proprietary parts really didn’t help

It’s a pity if they disappear, both myself and wife have one. I had an early gearing issue with mine that they resolved quickly, wife’s has been perfect. Apart from that one issue, my S3 has been great over the last 2.5+years, best thing I bought in 2020 by a mile. Mind you, the pricing really crept up, ours were only €2k each new.

There’s plenty of them in Dublin. I know another couple with two and I see others in my locality and on my commute regularly enough.

CramCycle

I realise they have a certain aesthetic but whenever I look at them, all I can think is, that is a really good LC metalwork project. It has issues but it does the job. I do see a few on my commute though, funnily enough in the last week alone I passed several every morning.

Londonirish72

Sadly I have an S5 on order. No communication from the company. I guess I am a creditor but I'm also hoping that some sort of rescue will be arranged. I'll keep this thread updated if I hear anything and I would appreciate if others would do the same.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120849773#Comment_120849773

You're a creditor all right, but unfortunately you are an unsecured creditor.

Essentially Banks, investment companies, employees, tax revenue etc. are secured creditors, so they get their money back first.

As an unsecured creditor, you're at the bottom of the pile, and there's no guarantee that you'll get your money back.

I'd be starting whatever the application process is to get your money back early, rather than hoping that someone steps in and saves them.

Schorpio

I'm surprised to be honest. When I was in Amsterdam last year, they were everywhere.

Considered getting one when I was ebike shopping 18 months ago. I was close to pulling the trigger, but (as a home mechanic!) the amount of bespoke parts put me off, and in the end I went for something that was as 'standard' as possible.

Mr. Cats

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120849773#Comment_120849773

sorry to hear that. If you’ve used your credit card for the order it might be worthwhile checking with visa/Mastercard asap in case they can block payment.

Londonirish72

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120849895#Comment_120849895

Thanks for the advice but VM took the payment early this year and the delivery date has slipped and slipped...

Feel a mug for not investigating more but they seem to be everywhere so that was enough confirmation for me.

Mr. Cats

It’s worth a try anyway. If you paid with credit card I think you have some level of insurance included.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120850123#Comment_120850123

Should be able to start a chargeback and get it started ASAP

cletus

Deleted post

Londonirish72

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120850208#Comment_120850208

Decent advice. I have started the process with my credit card company and, initially at least, they are taking it seriously.

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120851338#Comment_120851338

They will take it seriously as it's a credit card which means it's technically their money, not yours. Debit card you would have more trouble.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120849848#Comment_120849848

If it’s on the credit card it’s an easy reversal

Thelonious Monk

They're all over Paris and London too. I looked into buying one but they seemed overly complicated to me. You need phone apps etc. to work the things I think. F*ck that. V happy with the Decathlon one I got, no frills, 5000km on it since last year and no problems at all.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120851532#Comment_120851532

Yep, and thankfully it seems it is for this poster

tomasrojo

I've seen a few around Dublin. I quite like the ready-to-go integrated lights. Proprietary parts are best avoided though, as the second thing I thought about the lights, after how convenient they looked, was: I wonder how easy to replace those are. I do own a Brompton, it has to be said, but they have a compelling reason for all the proprietary parts.

iwillhtfu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120853720#Comment_120853720

Unfortunately the front light which does look neat integrated into the frame was never a great design. The direction of the light doesn't follow the steering so basically you could find yourself going around a bend with the light illuminating the ditch. 🙈

tomasrojo

Ah, of course. I have similar on my bakfiets. I added a light fixture to the box and there's the original light on the fork crown, and the two beams diverge when I'm turning corners.

the_amazing_raisin

Looks like some of the competitors are stepping in with trade in offers or ways to unlock the bikes without the app

https://electrek.co/2023/07/14/rival-e-bike-brands-find-creative-solutions-for-vanmoof-e-bikes/

CantGetNoSleep

I'd say that is in part trying to avoid a domino-effect. If one of these brands were to end up as junk for example if an app stopped working, you would imagine that many people would reconsider purchasing such a bike with a lot of non-standard parts and connected features. At the moment it is hard to see how you would keep these bikes on the road if the company were to go broke. You wouldn't say the same about a bike with Shimano or SRAM components and a motor from one of the big brands

magicbastarder

The notion of buying a bike whose use is tied to an app is a little alien to me.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120858824#Comment_120858824

I'd disagree, I think it is just clever marketing and a nice sideline for the business. If VM do tank, Blurby have a load of bikes to back engineer parts and provide service for a load of bikes that very few others will touch. Even if they don't tank (they most likely will), Blurby have a load of free advertising, establishing themselves as a positive, we will look after you brand. It is a win win, a load of potential VM buyers will go for them on that alone.

A quick glance at Blurby, if they fold, a quick glance says they are still a serviceable bike that will be usable even if they do fail.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120853720#Comment_120853720

You shouldn’t have to replace LED lights

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120858917#Comment_120858917

Yeah I get the convenience factor, but there really needs to be a backup option.

Like maybe a key, or is that too last century?