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VanMoof encryption key exporter

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Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#201

Post by nerdbert »

greenpresident wrote: post #54
wiseowise wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Waiting 6 weeks for any kind of repair was also their unique selling point?

That’s a common waiting time at my local bike shops to be honest. The difference is that you can do most stuff on a normal bike yourself with off the shelf parts (supply chain woes permitting).

That sounds rough. Normally the guy at my corner does them for me within a few hours if it's something quick. If he's busy or on holiday I'll go to one of the other five or six bike shops within a few minutes' walk of the house.

Before moving to the Netherlands I did a lot of repairs myself but I've totally stopped now that it's so quick to have them done for me.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#202

Post by nerdbert »

clydethefrog wrote: post #104
dr_dshiv wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Van Moof bikes are EVERYWHERE in Amsterdam. They obviously shouldn’t have taken so much investment. But if you can capture a latent market need like that, there probably is a lot of opportunity at scale, too.

There is a lot of bikes in Amsterdam in general. Van Moof just stands out because of their 1 marketing, 2 annoying signature noise whenever people bump into them, 3 loud owners that general use it as a status symbol and 4 joke status due to national Dutch publications writing about all the shortcomings of owning this bike. I live in Groningen, a Dutch city that is even more suited for bikes, and I rarely spot any Van…

and (4) because they don't have a removable battery so people are always charging them in annoying places like common stairwells or with a cord through the mail slot of the front door.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#203

Post by dirtyid »

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/

Briefly a year ago, the tiny chain wheel looked silly but it's growing on on me. The ebike motor looks great though. I think this might be it.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#204

Post by verbify »

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.

People have different requirements. I had a commute that on an ebike took 50 minutes, and on a regular bike took me about 1:15 minutes each way. I couldn't do 2:30hrs of cycling every day, 5 days a week - it wasn't an option both in terms of time and effort. Maybe with a serious training program (and if I was older it would be even more difficult).

45 minutes of cycling on an electric bike was still plenty of exercise, and if I hadn't done that, I would've probably taken a train.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#205

Post by sudosysgen »

beardedwizard wrote: post #192
sudosysgen wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's really not true. Most European bikes use standard bottom bracket sizes and you can easily find dozens of compatible bottom brackets. Same goes for headsets, axles, brakes, etc... The big exception right now are thru-axles, yes, but the vast majority of bikes don't use thru-axles (and there's no reason a vanmoof commuter bike would need to use those), they use quick release axles, and those are completely stand…

this may be true for commuting bikes that are typically lower end, but absolutely not true for higher end bikes across the model line of all mfgs. In many cases they switch year over year.

I don't understand your last sentence. There is more than one standard for many bike parts/mounts, so even when they switch (from one standard to another), that doesn't mean it's not standard all of a sudden.

I've had very high end bikes where all but a couple components were standard, and those that weren't will probably become standard soon, too.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#206

Post by moogly »

Arnt wrote: post #148
michaelt wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Generally not. According to a newspaper that followed one of the trackers for a day, the tracker offered a choice: "Give me the bike now right now or I call the police, who will see my data, believe me and do have the authority, and I'll meet you at the door if you try to move the bike."

But would the police show up for a measly bike theft? Where I live, they probably would not, even if you caught them red-handed.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#207

Post by bicx »

madeofpalk wrote: post #125
bicx wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My VanMoof is currently dead, awaiting to be shipped off to the VanMoof shop to supposedly replace a battery that is erroring out. Now I’m concerned that I’ll never be able to use it again, or that I’ll lose the bike completely if I hand it over to them for repairs just as they are being shuttered.

Heh. I just shipped my S3 to vanmoof 2 weeks ago and it was just repaired this week for what sounds like the same battery issue. I'm... not sure if I'll get it back either. The website is telling me there's a charge for the shipping, but no way to pay it.

It’s a shame. Basically it’s e-waste without a battery due to the e-shifter. Can’t even use it as a normal bike.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#208

Post by nicbou »

dirtyid wrote: post #34
nicbou wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about it makes it so satisfying? If you're not into bikes, try a few of them. I find any properly tuned bike to be an absolute joy to use, although I never tried a Van Moof.

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…

Belt drive and gear hub is an awesome combo indeed. I'm spending a stupid amount of money to build a gravel bike with that setup, since it doesn't really exist.

I like a different aesthetic but to each their own. A bike you love is the best investment you can make.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#209

Post by arp242 »

Gasp0de wrote: post #131
arp242 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They spent a lot of money on expansion, opening stores in places like NYC and Tokyo. I'm also betting that since all the parts in their bikes are custom-produced for them, the production cost of their bikes is quite high as well (that is, they're not making that much money per bike).

Then why do they do it? What is the supposed gain from producing your own parts, when mass produced parts like Shimano are available all over the world? Is it to increase sales of their repair services after the warranty ends?

They want to "re-invent the bike". They do (or did) produce some pretty new/innovative designs; I haven't really followed them since they went electric because I'm not that keen on electric bikes, but the original (non-electric) had the lock roll up inside the frame for example, which is pretty nifty. Lots of people also like the design from an aesthetic point of view.

"Use standard stuff" has a lot of value, obviously, but it also limits you. This is true for everything: from bike parts to the POSIX API or POSIX shell.

Re: VanMoof encryption key exporter

#210

Post by mjhagen »

verbify wrote: post #204
estomagordo wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

People have different requirements. I had a commute that on an ebike took 50 minutes, and on a regular bike took me about 1:15 minutes each way. I couldn't do 2:30hrs of cycling every day, 5 days a week - it wasn't an option both in terms of time and effort. Maybe with a serious training program (and if I was older it would be even more difficult). 45 minutes of cycling on an electric bike was still plenty of exercis…

There are kids in Amsterdam getting children's e-bikes for a 5 minute ride to school. I'm still not seeing this as good development, at least not in most places in the Netherlands.
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