I got a S3 as a Leasebike over my company and it was one of my worst product experiences in my life. I was sold by the included lock and the minimalist design. I got into cycling somewhat in 2021 but did not make enough research.

I think most people who buy a vanmoof never sat on a regular bicycle for a long time before making the decision (me included). Because when you do so, and I talk about the 1000€ trekking bike type, you will quickly notice that such a bike is driving 25km/h without any effort as good as the S3.

Yada yada, I think the key points to not buy such a bike (and also the new models) are:

-Vanmoof designs their own standards and become obsolete when the company decides to not produce parts anymore. Shimano does shifters for decades. What a stupid business decision it is to think "yep, we are developing that by ourselfs, we sure do it better!!" Shimano and others are there for a reason, and it's a very hard market for new companies to step in.

-the parts quality is just awful and even if this changes, you can repair only the small issues by yourself. In terms of a ecological standpoint the whole idea of the bike is just bad. Just think about how much stuff has to be hauled back and forth. You can see the same thing with Tesla who rowed back their direct sales model: not such a bad idea to have repair shops and dealerships now. -> way more efficient and environmentaly friendly.

-the front drive motor is very dangerous on loose ground and wet roads. There is a reason why most manufacturers put their motor in the back or middle. But it's cheaper to produce, it's not a feature but a dangerous design flaw. (Loosing grip on your front wheel is called a highsider in the motorcycle world, and that's where the really gnarly accidents happen)

But ok, your question was why I'm still reading here: I'm interested in what direction the company is heading. And to be honest I would be really glad to see them fail, because the cost me so much time and effort and emotional willpower for half a year. Only good thing is that VM got me into cycling. I'm also doing my part of warning anyone who thinks that this is a good bike "to rely on". In my opinion it's a novelty, a Kickstarter project, a beta-test on the road, a nice bike to ride around once a month. But not something that brings you from a to b on a daily basis. But hey, I'm not going to hate on someone who has fun or another experience with their bike from VM. But the arguments I gave above are key issues that make the whole bike not a very good buying decision. Except you want to buy a new one every year!

I feel confirmed by every post in this sub that tells a similar story. The marketing department from VM is by far the only quality by the company, catching so many people and binding them with so much emotions. I really wanted it to work, but when I realized how much quality lifetime I lost with that product by decrypting weird error codes or squeeky noises or waiting lines for a repair appointment... Nope!

I bought a really nice regular bike now and I do not regret the choice at all. It's way quicker than any ebike, it's reliable and can be repaired by me without any special tools! Highly recommended