I don’t get why the Tern is 10.000$.
Probably because someone is convinced that people will pay that prize. And enough seem to do.
That said, we own a Riese Müller Load 60 which was maybe even higher priced (I only know the prize in Euros). And after owning it for three years, I would deem it excellent value, even though it was a lot of money.
I do have to compare cost, usability and quality of life to the car it mostly substituted. And as a mountain biking family it enabled my wife and me to spend shared riding time even with a very young child. We use this bike practically every day and can say it improved our quality of life, because it opens up so many possibilities in our every day life.
It has been reliable and running costs are absolutely small.
Of course, the European city we live in has rather good infrastructure for cycling and commuting. But since owning this bike, I’d be fine with not owning a car, instead renting one for holidays or other occasions.
And I always loved cars and driving, always owned one from the day I first got my driving license.
So - if the Tern is as practical and durable as our Load 60 10.000$ isn’t an unreasonable ask - long term.
I agree on the idea of making e-bikes standardized motor-wise to future-proof them. I would expect to get 15 years of use out of my Load.
That said - Bosch motors are so common over here, I bet there’ll be some aftermarket replacements available in the future.
Otherwise we’ll have A LOT of unusable bikes in a couple of years.
Nov. 25, 2024, 11:20 a.m. - Znarf
I don’t get why the Tern is 10.000$. Probably because someone is convinced that people will pay that prize. And enough seem to do. That said, we own a Riese Müller Load 60 which was maybe even higher priced (I only know the prize in Euros). And after owning it for three years, I would deem it excellent value, even though it was a lot of money. I do have to compare cost, usability and quality of life to the car it mostly substituted. And as a mountain biking family it enabled my wife and me to spend shared riding time even with a very young child. We use this bike practically every day and can say it improved our quality of life, because it opens up so many possibilities in our every day life. It has been reliable and running costs are absolutely small. Of course, the European city we live in has rather good infrastructure for cycling and commuting. But since owning this bike, I’d be fine with not owning a car, instead renting one for holidays or other occasions. And I always loved cars and driving, always owned one from the day I first got my driving license. So - if the Tern is as practical and durable as our Load 60 10.000$ isn’t an unreasonable ask - long term. I agree on the idea of making e-bikes standardized motor-wise to future-proof them. I would expect to get 15 years of use out of my Load. That said - Bosch motors are so common over here, I bet there’ll be some aftermarket replacements available in the future. Otherwise we’ll have A LOT of unusable bikes in a couple of years.