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VanMoof encryption key exporter

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Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#161

Post by oblio »

haspok wrote: post #141
wjnc wrote: post #3

Don’t buy products made by VC funded firms! Especially not if it’s a real product and you value repairability and service. VanMoof made losses the size of their revenue. They made bikes… where’s the natural monopoly to be chased there?

Just look at their homepage, it is clear where the VC money went. Instead of making really good quality bikes they spent all the money on web design. They thought they can do what Canyon can do, but Canyon is a much, much bigger company.

Is there some place where I could check out the "big" bike companies? Especially electric commuter bikes that deliver to Europe?

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#162

Post by vr46 »

midoridensha wrote: post #93
jillesvangurp wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The appeal is that thieves need to do the same thing. Which limits the value of the bike for them because it makes it easy to track them down. It's part of the theft protection. Which, if you've ever had your bike stolen is a big selling point for these bikes. Theft is a reason why I've never bothered with premium bikes. Because you can't take them anywhere and expect them to not get stolen. Van Moof changed that. Th…

>Theft is a reason why I've never bothered with premium bikes. Because you can't take them anywhere and expect them to not get stolen. Maybe where you live. Here in Tokyo, bike theft isn't a big problem, and there's lots of reasonably expensive bikes (and e-bikes) parked on the sidewalk with just a lock through the wheel spokes.

Bike theft is rampant in London, but I never had any worries with the X2, combination of inbuilt-lock and an Almax chain saw to that.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#163

Post by tinus_hn »

michaelt wrote: post #142
tinus_hn wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Recovering the bike and thus not promoting theft is also a value.

Maybe, maybe not. I mean, even if a stolen bike has a working tracker and you're able to trace it to a particular house, do VanMoof's recovery team have the legal authority to bust the door down to reclaim it?

If you consistently locate stolen bikes, you might have a bigger chance of the police backing you up.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#164

Post by oblio »

sorenjan wrote: post #64
dirtyid wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, it's just nice/satisfying using a aesthetically designed piece of kit, even if not top of the line performance. Which is issue for bikes, since a well tuned bike makes a huge difference. I don't like looking at all the bits of gear drive system, I like aesthetics of single speed, but riding one PIA. Ended up with a slick belt drive + internal hub setup. Van Moof (which I was considering buying) was basically…

Have you looked at bikes with the Pinion gear box? They recently launched an e-bike version too. https://pinion.eu/bike-selection/

From what I see those bikes are crazy expensive.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#165

Post by oezi »

estomagordo wrote: post #65
mattio wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure why everyone thinks they are expensive. Just the bike is about 2000 euro. There are eBikes costing 4000 euro. My van moof was about 2800 because I bought the 2 packages taking care of theft and repairs. Because of their image I never have to lock the bike besides their amazing kick lock bike, so getting on and off the bike with locking and unlocking it is a matter of seconds. This is not expensive at al…

> This is not expensive at all. I mean, you can get a regular bike for €300, €700 if you want to splurge. But of course, the downside of that would be that you'd get more exercise.

You can get a cheap bike for 300 where every part except the frame fails within a year.

Otherwise 500-700 is the low end for quality bikes.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#166

Post by reacharavindh »

RamblingCTO wrote: post #95
Cthulhu_ wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note that when they first came out, they were actually pretty affordable; since then, competition and mass production spun up and you can get an e-bike for <€1K now, and they'll be less custom made, more generally available parts too. The brand's USP then became that they look and are pretty unique, which is cool on one hand, but they weren't able to make it financially viable. Probably because they relied on VC mone…

Any recommendations for an ebike < 1k? You also seem to be EU based :)

I have this - Tenways C600 for EUR 1400. My work subsidised it by EUR 500, so it was a EUR 900 e-bike for me. It is almost perfect for my commuting needs. https://www.tenways.com/products/cgo600

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#167

Post by oezi »

oblio wrote: post #153
Cthulhu_ wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note that when they first came out, they were actually pretty affordable; since then, competition and mass production spun up and you can get an e-bike for <€1K now, and they'll be less custom made, more generally available parts too. The brand's USP then became that they look and are pretty unique, which is cool on one hand, but they weren't able to make it financially viable. Probably because they relied on VC mone…

My problem, especially with electric bikes is: What are the decent, mass market brands??? I'm in Europe, I don't want to buy a Mercedes S Class. Who sells the Volkswagen Golf of electric bikes? I just want decent build quality, decent comfort, decent features, good repairability and easy maintenance. The electric bike market seems immature to me. I want 20-30 big bike brands that I can compare, just like the car bran…

I mean there are the big brands incl. KTM, Decathlon (elops), Fischer, Bergamont, Cube, Haibike, Stevens...

But the comparability requires you first to pick a type of bike.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#168

Post by NoLinkToMe »

sjaak wrote: post #83
xyst wrote: post #36

Wow - I was really looking forward to the VanMoof V. Shame to see them struggling financially. It was supposed to be delivered in December 2022. But it was eventually pushed back to end of this year (2023). Contemplating canceling my pre-order ($20-30?) now.

If you want one there are MANY second hand (cheap!) ones for sale on marktplaats.nl as we speak -- for reasons that don't need explaining :)

He's talking about the V, which is not out yet. Not the S5 or A5, which indeed your post applies to.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#169

Post by usrusr »

holoduke wrote: post #76
mattio wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not sure why everyone thinks they are expensive. Just the bike is about 2000 euro. There are eBikes costing 4000 euro. My van moof was about 2800 because I bought the 2 packages taking care of theft and repairs. Because of their image I never have to lock the bike besides their amazing kick lock bike, so getting on and off the bike with locking and unlocking it is a matter of seconds. This is not expensive at al…

They are expensive. All parts are cheap chinese crap components. I had to dismantle the main motor because some slip ring got worn out. Turned out to be a cheap motor you can find in parts on Alibaba/expess. The brakes are bad. The electronics are bad. They almost always fail after a while. The only thing what is good about VanMoof are the looks. Everything else is just shit.

Well, unless you think they are ugly (I very much do)

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#170

Post by usrusr »

Arnt wrote: post #60
mjhagen wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is not expensive at all. > If they can’t find it you get a new one. Can't figure out why they weren't profitable.

Seriously: They bought a lot of expensive machinery to build things, rented and furnished a lot of shops, and hired a lot of people to staff those, and sales didn't grow to to use their production capacity, sales area and staff time. Their prices for that trace-or-replace service were quite a bit higher than what my insurance agency charges me for my theft insurance. That operation may have lost money, but that's not…

In their defense: if the trace efforts succeed in disencouraging thieves (big if), I'd consider it far more valuable than insurance. I'd rather have the bike not stolen than stolen and replaced.
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