I struggle to understand those who think something like that could be a good idea.
Isn't it obvious that an app will not be around for as long as a bike can last?
I have a bike from the early 90s, that's over 30 years. Does anyone think an app will be around even for 10 years, let alone 30+?
That's the softwarization of everything, with its in-built early obsolesce: they clearly expect you to start replacing your bike as frequently as you replace your phone, irrelevant of how long the hardware itself is still functional.
People under 25 don't know better, they genuenly haven't experienced anything else than Chinese made self destructing Bluetooth enabled plastic gadgets
Bikes are made of aluminium these days instead of steel, which gives them a lifespan of about 10 years, certainly not 30.
If you buy an ebike, you must be prepared for maintenance and replacement of parts. That's the state of the market right now.
I agree that making an app mandatory for a bike is a bad idea, and I would never buy such a solution. However this is an urban city design bike, aimed at a specific group of customers who do value these kind of innovations.
Absolute bullshit, especially for a city bike.
Stress cycle is an issue but city bikes are over engineered and don't see a lot of stress compared to every other type of bikes.
I've used alu bikes over 30 years old daily and I had no issues whatsoever, that's how I went to school everyday for 3 years, and that was a race bike that actually had been use for racing in the past
Online posts make it sound like alu bikes self destruct at 5 years and a day...
Yes, aluminium can survive a long time. But in general steel has a better chance to survive. The category of city bikes are low cost bikes, and the frames are as well. They are not so over engineered as you think as it is a very competitive market. The first generation VanMoof frames for instance, were prone to breaking.
While it is possible for a aluminium frame to reach 30 years lifespan, in practice the lifespan is shorter. This is because steel is more forgiving, it can handle dents and scratches where aluminium is more prone to breaking. Also the frames are usually hand welded and this can too be a weak point as it is hard to perfectly weld aluminum. It doesn't mean you can't ride a 30 year old aluminium bike or that it will auto destruct. It does mean that the bike is unlikely to reach that age.
Do you know what the median lifespan is of an aluminium frame? I guess it depends on how often its crashed?
The website is telling me there's a charge for the shipping, but no way to pay it.
Going with a small/exotic brand will always carry a risk of brand disappearing, no aftermarket options, hard to get spare parts, etc... And e-bike business is especially competitive these days so I wouldn't bet on some random hipster brand having any chance to survive in the battle against established brands.
I don't want a non-e-bike. I want a bike with pedal assist.
Could he refurb the titanium frames for newer parts? Maybe. At some point racing tech moves on and you need a newer frame for the latest and greatest stuff to fit.
You can find parts for nearly any kind of old/obsolete bike technology ever made in volume, even tires for odd wheel sizes that have been mostly abandonned can still be found.
Sure, but that's utterly irrelevant to daily commuter / city bikes, which Van Moof are.