Van Moof Gone Bang..

disappointing, i was looking at getting one

Kinda reminds me of this article

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

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.

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.

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

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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.

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.

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.

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

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?

So these bikes are totally locked without some interaction with an app?

I had to replace the LED headlight on my bakfiets. It took over six years of constant use, but it went eventually.

Just on the problem with bespoke parts (not a bespoke part, but a very particular part in this case). Brompton had a major crisis early on when the manufacturer of Sturmey-Archer hubs looked as if it was going under (can't remember whether it was S-A itself, or an Asian manufacturer that had taken over production), and they started trucking in as may of the hubs as they could find and hoarding them. It must have seemed an unlikely problem when they started, as those hubs had been ubiquitous in England for most of the 20th century.

Think the app is now live for iPhones with an Android version in the works.

Separately, my cc company has come good and has refunded me the full cost of the Van Moof that I no longer expect to receive.

I can't believe that I am asking this but any views on Cowboy bikes?

That's great news.

I know noting about cowboy bikes but looking at the clips on their website none of those riding the bike look comfortable on it. 🤣

They all look to be following a similar design model so I'd imagine more or less the same as VM. Must be the hipster in me but I think they'd look cool with a set of mag wheels 🤷‍♂️🤣

Its a wonder they didnt go bust quicker.

Leaving aside their proprietary parts and issues with servicing, it seems that the motor was not terribly powerful so for anywhere with hills (so, places where a motor would be of use) you'd be better off with a proper electric bike with a bosch or similar motor.

And leaving that aside, how do you charge it ? The vast majority of city dwellers in Europe live in an apartment and you cannot simply bring a lump of a bike up the stairs into your gaff. You park it outside or if you are lucky in a bike cellar - neither of which have power available.

And leaving that aside, the cool looking version of the bike is FAR to flippin big, and the others look quite ugly.

So, if you own a house, and are 6foot or over, and dont have too many hills, and are prepared to over 3grand for a bike thats not as powerful as other options at the price point - you'd be the target market for a van moov - which was never a long term business case.

Battery is in the crossbar and is not removable for charging. Not an issue for me but when I was in Amsterdam recently there were dozens of VanMoofs locked up outside appt blocks and houses. I guess people charge them at work...

I know a few owners. I has a spin on one. You don't really need a lot of power\torque if you are only commuting around the city.