E-bike Tidbits with Coffee

Grab an overpriced coffee mug from our online store. Fill with fresh brew and enjoy it with a few of my tidbits.

The truth about Bicycle Seats (Saddles)

Look around your home, better yet, think about every home you've ever been invited into. There is always one commonality in most every home. I say most every, because there is always that "one" which stands ready to contradict anything you say. The one commonality I'm referring to is you will never be offered a place to sit down which resembles a bicycle seat. On its face, this is a silly observation because we all know bicycle seats are designed to accommodate up and down leg movement, and anyone siting in your house pretending to pedal a bike is going to quickly alter your opinion of them.

I mention all this because I want to make a point. The human body is not meant to sit comfortably on a bicycle seat. Bicycle seats are the antithesis of butt cheeks. Butt cheeks are the padded seat we are born with. Their width is designed to absorb the weight of our upper torso thus providing us a semblance of comfort when sitting.

For over a century, bicycle manufacturers have purposefully, and intentionally ignored butt cheeks. Obviously bicycle seat designers are young and skinny. Young and skinny people have not learned to appreciate the full benefit and usefulness of butt cheeks. Young and skinny people need to think longer-term, as someday they will become fat and old like myself.

So, if there are any fat and old bicycle seat designers out there, please design a seat shaped like a "T" with the top as wide as my cheeks. There are many cheeks waiting to say thank you.

How to get the best responses when asking for help

When using forums on the internet to solicit an answer to a question you might have, please avoid asking questions which require a question in response. The quality of the answer you get is dependent on the quality of your question. Example: "My wife and I are planning to purchase a couple of e-bikes in the spring. What do you recommend?"

Without providing the proper amount of information, you're going to get 100 people telling you what bike they bought, or the bike they wished they would have bought. How does that help you? Do some initial research to discover which style and features you need or prefer. Make sure your question includes, your body type, how you plan on using the bike (streets, flat gravel surfaces, hills, mountains etc.) and include the style and features you want or need. Asking questions in this manner will get you informed answers as well as advice on things you may not have thought about.

Two e-bike features semi-active seniors should insist on having

First and foremost, in my opinion, most semi-active seniors (notice I said semi-active. This refers to those of us who can barely raise our legs high enough to mount a bathroom scale or lack enough balance to stand in one place for 30 seconds without falling over) should buy a bike with a step-through frame and be equipped with a throttle. A step-through frame prevents you from having to lift a leg over the seat to mount the bike. A step-through frame also allows you to dismount quickly when you stop to avoid falling over or losing your balance. As we age, our physical limitations become more prevalent.

The two biggest problems seniors have is balance, and lack of confidence. If you haven't ridden a bike in decades, it's going to take a lot of practice to regain your confidence. Balance and confidence are just like peanut butter and jelly, they go together. Regular bike riders will tell you to adjust seat height to where the balls of your feet touch the ground. This gives you the proper leg extension to pedal the bike properly. However, if you haven't ridden a bike in decades, you will have to master balance to obtain confidence. Find a wide-open space like a parking lot or better yet, a large grassy field. To begin, keep the seat low enough to have both feet flat on the ground. Do not attempt to pedal. With both feet flat on the ground, use the throttle to propel yourself forward. Once you've acquired the natural balance which comes from forward motion, place your feet on the pedals and enjoy yourself. Remember to keep your turns wide and not sharp. Avoid running over objects which can cause tires to slide. Once you have mastered balance and regained your confidence, raise the seat for full leg extension, and use the pedals as often as you can to get the full benefits of e-biking.

Making a case for Bike Shops to semi-support on-line sales

Okay, this is where I dive off the table into the boiling water. This is a touchy subject for many people. In fact, it's not dissimilar to our national politics. There are two sides, and neither side is willing to cross over to the other side. Like politics, there just doesn't seem to be a reasonable middle ground for the two sides to come together. However, being a guy who isn't smart enough to not walk into a busy street against the lights, my ignorance on this topic enables me to try to bring the two sides together. I should emphasize more on my ignorance about this topic. I don't own a bike shop, nor have I ever owned a bike shop, nor would anyone want me to own a bike shop. But, having been a businessperson my entire life, with a keen sense for resolving issues, I feel qualified to embarrass myself here.

As I see it, these are the main issues which separate the two sides.

• Most bike shops offer higher prices, less selection, but offer accountability after the sale with virtually little, if any risk to the buyer.

• Online sales offer lower prices, more selection and a tremendous amount of risk as well as no accountability you can depend on.

As you can see, these issues are the polar opposite of one another. It's two completely different mindsets.

Here's where I jump into the boiling water. It's time for bike shops to embrace the customers of online sales. Now I understand there may be manufacturer agreements, or franchise agreements, or other legal issues which could prevent or hamper embracing online sales. But if a bike shop were to do this from a service perspective, and not a sales perspective, I believe they could avoid the legalese of their agreements.

To embrace online sales, bike shops could advertise/promote pre-arranged deliveries of online sales to the bike shops location as a service/repair promotion with the following advantages.

• Provides an opportunity to upsell a customer to an existing inventory item by demonstrating the advantages bike shops have to offer to customers who would never come in under normal circumstances.

• It would allow the bike shop to warn these customers of the pitfalls regarding parts replacement/availability concerns and warranty hardship issues.

• Provides an opportunity to charge a fee ($149-$199) to assemble and make pre-delivery adjustments.

• Sets the stage for future service/repairs/sales when/if their online purchase doesn't meet their expectations if that were to occur.

• Gives the ability to sell accessories at the point of delivery such as helmets, saddle bags, phone holders etc.

• Sets the stage to establish a trusting relationship where their word of mouth to friends and family could result in future sales/service.

Currently most bike shops avoid servicing online customers for a multitude of reasons, parts availability being one major reason. But in my opinion bike shops could use these same negative reasons to develop positive trusting relationships which could result in future sales/revenue to customers they would have never had to begin with.

But of course, this is just an opinion from a guy who sells over-priced coffee mugs and serves indigestible tidbits.