BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Two new brands in the electric bicycle sector are seeking dealers and distribution in the cycle trade.
Beat Bikes, launched this year at the London Bike Show, is growing its range and looking for stockists while Eden Bikes is in the process of creating its first range, set to launch in 2013.
Beat Bikes enters market
Beat Bikes showcased its light lightweight folding electric bike – pitched at the commuter and leisure markets – at January’s London Bike Show and is now doubling the size of its range with a folding electric mountain bike, due for release this summer alongside other products and accessories later in the year.
In the meantime the brand is looking to bring its sub-£500 folding commuter and/or leisure bike to a wider audience through further trade relationships.
The bike sports a 12-mile range, a top speed of 12mph and, the brand said, it can be folded in just ten seconds to around the size of a golf bag.
Tapping into what appears to be an increasingly prevalent electric bike trend, Beat Bikes’ 24v Lithium Ion 6ah battery is hidden within the frame.
The battery fully charges from the mains in under three hours.
Beat Bikes operations manager Harry Newton told BikeBiz: “At the moment we are online direct sales only, but we are looking for outlets, so if there any bike shops or distributors like the look of our folding electric bikes, we would like to hear from them.
“The commuter is one of our target markets but we also feel that our bike is a good option for anyone in the leisure sector. Due to the small size of the bike when folded, it can easily be stored in a boat, caravan or boot of a car, making it a good option for leisure use. For commuter we see the Beat Bike as an ‘each end’ solution to travel so cyclists can ride from home to the rail or bus station, then from the station to work, or for people who wish to park ‘out of town’ they can park and really ride.”
The bike comes with charger, carry bag, tool kit and instruction manual as well as a one-year guarantee and free delivery to the mainland UK.
Technical specifications can be found on www.beatbikes.com and the brand told BikeBiz it can make no obligation visits by appointment to anyone interested in stocking or selling the bikes.
@ twitter.com/beatbikeswww.beatbikes.com
Eden to grow innovative electric bike range
New brand Eden Bikes is creating its first electric bike, for shipment in Q1 2013.
The NE:0 – New Electric: One – is a step-through unisex frame to be followed up with a diamond frame version later.
The NE:0 is to boast three innovations: wireless smart key display, 42v twin battery and a 350W hi-torque motor with integrated roller brake (capped at 250W to meet Epac). The bike will be ‘consumer led’ with a simple ‘plug-and-play’ user interface, despite a high-tech backend.
The firm is seeking a distribution partner, ideally well connected to serious IBDs and understanding after-sales, Eden told BikeBiz.
“We like to work on setting-up exclusive distributorships per country and the bike is targeted at quality IBDs as all e-bikes require good after-sales service points,” said Eden’s Ravi Hingorani. “We aren’t looking for big volumes, it’s more of a showcase brand for theOEM systems we are developing.”
The bike has been designed as a fully integrated e-bike from the ground-up and not just off the shelf assembly.
Hingorani believes the future of the e-bike in the UK is set to follow upward trends displayed on the continent.
“Living in Holland I’ve had the opportunity to see the pedelec market develop from humble beginnings of the Yamaha PAS ten years ago to today’s market share of almost 40 per cent in revenues. To me, Holland is pretty much the benchmark for how the pedelec market would roll out in other EU markets. Germany is already following the Dutch trend, and Denmark, Austria and Switzerland are also showing very strong growth. These markets have traditionally already had a utilitarian approach to bikes but with all the low emission zones, car-free city centres, high cost of running a car and discomfort of public transport, as soon as the general public cottons on to the ease and low cost of the e-bike for short commutes, pedelec use should take off in the UK as well.”
www.eden-bicycles.com
ravi@atc-company.com
+31-651-822 611
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