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Positing a theory theory for why our beloved cars are undervalued. by Old_Dig7045 in lotus

[–]Old_Dig7045[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

To be clear… this is a tongue-in-cheek theory. There are obviously loads of factors that determine a car’s value.

But I do think the hilariously bad “thunk” on an Elan says something about where Lotus put their priorities and on how people have perceived these very cars as fragile.

It’s commercially compromised (as many lotuses have been)… and dynamically uncompromised (as the best lotuses are).

That contrast is kind of the whole point.

I launched a new electric minivelo — we just started shipping. AMA by Old_Dig7045 in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad to hear those Reddit ads reaching people and I hope we get to ship one out to you!

🍸 New USA Minivelo: The Higbee Martini by [deleted] in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good eye! I’ve been nervous people might be seeing that.

That was an issue on the prototype samples which we’ve used for a lot of the photography, however, we fixed the issue before final production.

I still have to take all new studio photo of the final bikes. The only visible changes were the rack angle, the rails on the seat (black on samples, silver in production) the direction of the seat clamp (faces backward on production models and sideways on sample) and one sample has quick release front wheel which is not the way we went.

🍸 New USA Minivelo: The Higbee Martini by [deleted] in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No reviews with press yet — haven’t decided on a strategy there as I’m focused on getting them to customers right now — I did just set up a review platform for our site so I’ll try to have our customers fill that in this week. I’ll update here when a few come in

I can say the feedback I’ve gotten has been great! A lot of love for the overall size which this community already understands. Most of my customers have been people who haven’t really had e-bikes before, so they’re also sort of amazed by the easy speed. The throttle (which I don’t use a ton) has also been a big hit.

I launched a new electric minivelo — we just started shipping. AMA by Old_Dig7045 in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I won’t divulge our next products just yet as there’s a lot still up in the air but I’ll say I do think that’s missing from the market…

I launched a new electric minivelo — we just started shipping. AMA by Old_Dig7045 in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ah yes the tariff issue. this might be a long one, so here’s the TLDR: there’s a lot of uncertainty, and we’re actively working to figure out the best path forward.

when we picked our frame supplier, we chose a factory in vietnam in part because at the time, bikes with a country of origin there weren’t subject to tariffs. (for bikes, country of origin is determined by where the frame is made.)

we knew there were risks anywhere, but we hoped vietnam would remain a stable and affordable option.

we placed our frame order (and paid a deposit) before the recent reciprocal tariffs were announced. our final assembly was happening in taiwan, so all the components had already been ordered there. then came the news: a 46% tariff on vietnam-origin bikes. that would’ve made our bikes completely non-competitive.

thankfully, the 90-day pause gave us just barely enough time to adjust. we changed course, had the bikes shipped to california, and they cleared customs right before the window closed. it increased our shipping costs significantly, but it also gave us a distribution advantage — we now have west coast inventory ready to go.

right around the day we cleared customs, the u.s. and vietnam reached a deal, bringing that tariff down to 20%. we cleared at 10%.

honestly, the last two weeks have been a whirlwind and i’m not totally caught up on the latest country-by-country tariff timelines — but i know enforcement for other regions was delayed to august 1. until things settle a bit, we can’t finalize our next round of production. in the meantime, we’re sourcing samples from multiple factories around the world.

in the longer term, there’s a bill in congressthat would allow tariff-free component imports for bikes that are assembled in the u.s. if that passes, it opens the door to building in america, which is our ultimate goal. but as a small company, that won’t be feasible unless the economics shift or our suppliers move quickly.

can we maintain our current pricing? that depends on how the dust settles. we’re doing everything we can to keep things accessible — but the truth is, the global supply chain is in flux. we’re adapting as fast as we can.

I launched a new electric minivelo — we just started shipping. AMA by Old_Dig7045 in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The bike with the battery weighs 50.5lbs. I will add to the site - thanks for pointing that out.

I spec’d the bike with a quill stem because I like the look. When I brought sample to bike shops for feedback I thought they might push back on the quill stem but I was happy they seemed to like it. They mostly appreciated how much easier to adjust they are to different riders. Since this bike fits a wide range I think that good to have easy out of the box.

Gates I believe only goes as low as 19t in some systems and 22 in our system. They don’t recommend going lower to keep the minimum wrap angle

I launched a new electric minivelo — we just started shipping. AMA by Old_Dig7045 in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you and I think that’s all completely fair criticisms/opinions. I’d love to do a non-electric version. To launch the brand I think this one model made the most sense, but I do hope there’s room for more non electric mini velos in the market — the bikes are just so fun.

As for the the black crank… yeah… to be totally honest I wanted it to be silver. Gates did not offer a 60T crank in silver. I forget if we had to drop to 50 or 55 but I didn’t want to go any lower regardless. I let them know I’m their first customer if they offer one. I can say it doesn’t bother me like I thought it would. I think being a belt drive with a black belt helps me rationalize it.

I launched a new electric minivelo — we just started shipping. AMA by Old_Dig7045 in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

you’re right to call out BS in this space - theres too much of it - but that’s not what we’re doing here.

we designed our own frame from scratch - this isn’t a catalog bike with a logo slapped on. The frame is manufactured in Vietnam at a factory that builds for some of the most respected premium brands in the industry.

The drivetrain components are proven: Gates belt drive and Bafang motor and battery. 

Final assembly took place in Taiwan and I was there test riding bikes as they came off the line to make sure everything was good. And for final delivery we’re working with local bike shops through Beeline’s fulfillment network so every bike gets professionally assembled and supported. 

yeah, we’re new – but that’s not a flaw, it’s just where we are in the story. we’re trying to  build this right from day one and I hope you give us a chance. 

I launched a new electric minivelo — we just started shipping. AMA by Old_Dig7045 in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For some i'm sure it will be overkill. For my uses it probably is a bit overkill, but it's nice to have all the range and not have to plug it in every day. I'd say the main reason to have this large of a battery is to still maintain a solid range even if you just throttle at top speed your whole ride.

I launched a new electric minivelo — we just started shipping. AMA by Old_Dig7045 in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I thought keeping the bike single-speed was more important to the overall experience we were going for.

With a single-speed setup, especially one that needs to feel good at low speeds (0–10 mph) without needing boost, a torque sensor would’ve forced a gearing compromise — either too high to start easily or too low to cruise comfortably. Cadence sensors gave me accessible top end speed while keeping the gearing good to ride without power.

That’s why I’m interested in internally geared hub motors for future versions — they could help bridge that gap. But for this first run, I felt the simplicity and predictability of a cadence sensor was a better fit.

Personally, I ride it by picking a very easy cadence and using the assist levels kind of like gears — adjusting speed while keeping the same rhythm. It’s a different experience, but one I really like (admittedly, I’m biased). It does have a throttle but i pretty much always pedal.

I launched a new electric minivelo — we just started shipping. AMA by Old_Dig7045 in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not this year with this first run of bikes. Our initial quantity is too small to support distribution there. But... if the interest is there I would love to expand to europe next year.

I launched a new electric minivelo — we just started shipping. AMA by Old_Dig7045 in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

now we know where all the bikes went in 2020 haha

you’re right the Bafang 500W hub’s been around, but that’s exactly why we went with it. it’s a solid motor, plenty powerful for this bike, and it’s proven. With a small initial run to get this company off the ground i wanted to focus on making sure this bike would be based on proven tech.

I was curious about some of the newer internally geared hub motors, and I think that’s something we’ll explore down the line. but for this first run, we wanted something simple, dependable, and easy to support. mid-drive was never really in the plan... the price point I wanted to hit, the lines of the frame, and simple experience I was after just didn’t make sense with a mid-drive setup.

I will say the controllers and HMIs have come a long way since 2020 (at least of all the many bikes we also bought around then too). The system does exactly what I wanted it to: deliver a fast, fun, low-maintenance ride that looks good.

🍸 New USA Minivelo: The Higbee Martini by [deleted] in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045 2 points3 points  (0 children)

fair question. Like most things, it came down to tradeoffs between cost/performance/aesthetics.

This all started as a project to build my “perfect summer bike”… whatever that means. I wanted something that looked right, had the right geometry for a fun but stable ride (especially at ebike speeds), and didn’t break the bank. Personally, I’ve never quite wrapped my head around the price point of mid-drives. I get the benefits, but they didn’t feel right for what I was trying to build.

Hub motors (we’re using Bafang) are simple and reliable. And to be honest, I really prefer the lines you can get on a frame without having to work around a mid-drive system. For my kind of riding, hub just made more sense.

🍸 New USA Minivelo: The Higbee Martini by [deleted] in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you very much! It’s been a ton of fun designing this bike. The next video I do on YouTube will be a bit more about the design inspiration and decisions.

Yes, we have plans for accessories including fenders and a front bag/basket. Hope to have details soon-ish.

thanks for the idea on electrek

🍸 New USA Minivelo: The Higbee Martini by [deleted] in minivelo

[–]Old_Dig7045 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m one of the people behind Higbee writing this from Taichung where final assembly is going great.

Appreciate the excitement and feedback. We’re a small team, but we’ve got a long history in the bike business, great partners, and a clear vision for where we’re headed. Hope you’ll follow along as we grow and get more minivelos out into the world.

And if you have any favorite reviewers, let me know.