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IBD Still Not on Board with E-Bikes

by Jason Norman

Posted: October 23, 2009

Ray Keener passed along a (in progress) QBP survey to me a few days back, and the numbers (after 267 votes) clearly illustrate that the IBD majority still hasn't bought into carrying electric bikes. More than 40 percent of retailers, in fact, said they weren't interested or that it wasn't in their business model to carry electric bikes. However, just under 20 percent said they're waiting a bit longer before giving them go. Maybe that's bluster, or just maybe that's positive news for e-bike manufacturers like Currie Technologies.

Whatever the case may be, these recent survey findings hardly surprise Currie's Larry Pizzi. In fact, he said, they're pretty much spot on with Currie's assessment of the IBD channel when it comes to carrying e-bikes.

He said specialty retailers that are excusive to the category are the ones that are doing the best job and selling the most units. He said that if e-bikes hit the mainstream in the U.S., like they have in many European countries, IBDs may be more apt to get on board—which would be welcome news to Pizzi and all e-bike manufacturers alike.

31 Comments for: IBD Still Not on Board with E-Bikes

Jason E-BikeKit.com says
October 24, 2009 at 5:29 am

Local bike shops are coming around to the idea of offering electric bikes at an increasing pace. Even the purest of IBD's are now at least considering electric bikes as part of their offering since some well-respected bike makers have recently introduced electric models. TREK in particular has opened the eyes of many smaller shops with the release of the Trek E-Bike. The greatest hurdle for most local bike shops is pricing and the unfamiliarity of the technology. They see wires connectors and batteries and their bike techs are not trained to deal with them. The second hurdle is they still can't wrap their heads around the idea that bicycles are for commuting as well as exercise. Regardless as more companies like Trek prop the door open wider these local bike shop owners will warm up to e-bikes and hopefully realize there is a great opportunity here for them to satisfy their customers' wants and make a profit.
Don Pedego.com says
October 24, 2009 at 7:10 am

I agree with Jason but another contributing factor to many IBDs not carrying electric bikes is the history of cheap poor quality being sold at mass merchandisers that eventually end up at IBDs for service. SLA (lead acid batteries)which are standard on any electric bicycle undr $1000 are a detriment to the environment as well as the the electric bicycle business because of their short life and dissappointing performance. Also many electric bicycles being offered are grossly underpowered adding further to consumer dissapointment which the IBDs experience firsthand. Lastly the smart IBD will not carry brands also available at Walmart. As better products become available and consumers experience good quality bikes at reasonable prices the market will take off here as it did in Europe. Smart IBDs are seeing this and finding the right suppliers to provide them with quality electric bicycles styled to consumer tastes. Repairing them is easy as long as their supplier stocks repair parts which has been a problem in the past. As with any new thing early adopters are typically the smarter business people and the industry leaders and will eventually be followed by the rest. Consumers when exposed to THE RIGHT Electric Bicycle - LOVE THEM!
Vince Amodeo says
October 26, 2009 at 9:29 am

There are also no industry safety standards for the battery and electric portion of e-bikes.
Nolan Brown says
October 27, 2009 at 5:27 am

Don is incorrect about SLA (sealed lead acid) batteries. Yes they have lower energy density but they are also about 1/5th the price of lithium batteries. That is why the vast majority of the ebikes on the world market are powered with SLA. And regarding the environment they are the only type of battery that every component can be 100% recycled so they are actually more environmently friendly then lithium which are shreadded and sent to the landfill. Don also seems to miss the overall point of the conclusive data provided by a statisticly accurate poll. Most IBD's are still waiting to see how the ebike market develops before accepting them as a viable category.
sean carter says
October 29, 2009 at 5:59 am

here in calgary alberta we already have 2 specialty e-bike stores with one of them being in business for 4-5 years now. they jumped in early and have established themselves as the leader in the market - so much so that many IBD's in town routinely send people to them who are looking for e-bikes and e-assist. i believe that e-bikes (and e-upgrades) are going to continue to grow and become a viable part of the bike indusrty landscape over the next few years. one thing to consider - why dont mechanic training companies like Barnetts or UBI etc get ahead of the curve here and begin offering courses on servicing this emerging technology? my feeling is that IBD's are not jumping into the market in a bigger way because they are not educated on the systems/issues surrounding e-bikes and would consider doing more with this emerging market if they could get their staff educated. fear of the unknown is keeping this cool technology on the fringes for now.
Dan O says
October 31, 2009 at 12:10 pm

Electric bikes live in a gray area. "Real cyclists" tend to think they're not needed - and a little goofy. The people I see riding electric bikes tend to be "normal" folks looking for a cheap or green solution for transportation. Most IBDs don't have the interest or knowledge to push the electric bike agenda - giving speciality shops a chance to create their own scene. From the speciality shops I've notcied no one really has this down yet. There's room for opportunity and new ideas. The electric bikes themselves are still early in development. They need more speed and range. Every one I see seems to be limping along at 12 mph with the person pedaling as well. Quite painful to watch as I easily cruise past at 15 - 20 mph with my own power. Still I'm not one to laugh at electric bikes. There's big potential here especially if gas jumps back up to $5 a gallon. With some of the better models (and future ones) sold and supported the right way - could be a cool solution to many issues. I'm not sure if IBDs are the right place for this however.
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