Internet Direct bikes
Be wary of too good to be true deals on crowd funded projects as we have seen many of these companies go out of business quickly and the customer is left with a bike they cannot source parts for after the first year.
If you're considering a larger internet direct purchase (such as Juiced, Rad, or Ariel), consider giving us a chance to source a comparable bike for you. Many bikes will boast powerful motors and great deals, but have lower quality components on things that matter in the long run.
Many of these companies designs are just re-branded from Chinese factories, and we can source similar (if not downright identical) bikes at very similar prices.
Some Harsh Realities of buying from an Internet Direct Company
Most of these companies will charge you 20% of the purchase price to cancel your order, even if it hasn't shipped!IF you dare try and return a bike that you've literally just opened and are not happy with, good luck. minimum 20% stocking fee plus $175 shipping, and they will not accept any bike that is not in it's original, sealed packaging.
Customer pays to ship both ways for warranty exchanges. So if you get a bike with a problem covered under warranty, they will still charge you around $350 to fix that issue..
What happens at our store? Try the bike before you make this decision, make sure you're happy with it, and enjoy 3 months of free labor for anything that could go wrong (besides Evel Knievel style stunting, no one warranties that!).We have spent countless hours researching, riding, testing, and working on bikes from each brand we carry, so if we have it on our sales floor, you can be pretty darn sure we're proud to carry it.
What do you get from us?
1Build Quality
Our bikes are professionally built and safety checked, with 3 months of complimentary adjustments.
All our bikes come with top quality battery cells from Panasonic, LG, and Samsung. Do you know where your internet bike batteries come from? Battery cell quality can be the difference between a 1 year and a 5 year battery.
Nothing is missing and you don't have to call a "1-800-no-answer" number.
2Service
Our workshop lead/Partner, Mike has over 20 years as an industrial electrician and longer as a Journeyman Machinist.
All e-bikes come with 3 months free labor.
Bikes bought in-store receive discounted labor charges throughout their lifetime.
Flexible pickup and drop-off options.
3Parts
The warranty process for internet bike companies can be tiresome and repetitive. Often requiring many days of back and forth to even qualify for warranty repairs.
Our bikes are repaired right here in Eugene. No shipping or hassle for you. Ask about our loaner e-bikes, pick up, and delivery services for projects that do require waiting!
4Selection
No sales pressure - but we encourage everyone to take a free test ride, it will give you as much information as the internet, in about the same time frame!
We firmly believe you won't know the right bike for you until you ride it. We have a broad selection of bike styles/power to choose from, and we will make sure you are happy on your bike BEFORE you make a financial commitment.
Regenerative Braking
"Direct Drive hubs with regenerative braking"
Customers ask us all the time: "Do you have bikes with regenerative braking?"
No. We don't feel it's efficient or practical on an electric bike. For an average 30 miles per charge on a ride, 5% recapture of that is 1.5 miles. Is it really worth the additional weight and the resistance of pedaling a Direct Drive Motor to gain just a mile and a half? We don't think so.
What a drag!
Regenerative brakes require a heavy, physically larger (not so stealthy!) direct drive motor. This is going to have an effect on your battery range. Also, direct drive motors don’t offer a freewheeling mechanism that insulates the rider from the motor. That’s okay if your battery has a charge, but if it runs out not only do you need to move yourself and the bike, but you also need to push against the resistance of the motor. Get ready for some hard pedaling!
Torque Matters
Direct drive motors also lack in starting torque. Torque is how hard a motor can turn, and motor power can be deceptive. A properly geared hub motor (like the Magnum DAS-Kit motors or the BH Hub motors) will produce 65Nm of Torque @ 500watts at a standstill, and up to 90Nm when they are moving. Where as a 750Watt direct drive motor will engage with less than 45Nm of torque at a standstill.
Motors that are installed as mid-drives (the motor is placed in the bottom bracket, where the pedals go!) can take advantage of the bikes gearing system, and a small 250w motor from Bosch or Shimano will produce 55-75nm of Torque at a standstill (in 1st gear)
What does this all mean?
Motor power, measured in watts, is not the only indicator of a good ebike motor. A motor that cannot efficiently use its power (watts) is just turning that power into heat, and that heat eventually leads to problems.Higher quality motors may not have the same power rating, but the performance you get from them will be noticeably different. If you'd like to get an idea of what this actually feels like, stop by and take a test ride, we have multiple motors made my different companies, and you can try them all :)
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