And about technology that requires manufacturers' servers in general. I didn't recognise the name but I recognise the bike, and I recall thinking at the time I read about it that it's barking mad. I wouldn't buy an 'ordinary' e-Bike because they have too many proprietory parts, let alone one with connections to the internet & smart phones. (The problem being that once enough sheep buy this sort of stuff the rest of us get no choice any more, like trying to find a shop that stocks road bikes in a world where everyone buys mountain bikes to ride on the road.)
There seems to be a general move in all sectors to break customers' independence, and keep them tied to the product and dependent on the manufacturer. BMWs that cost £8000 a year subscription to keep the acessories working, Microsoft Office that's subscription based, printer ink that costs £30 a go is tantamount to a subscription too, and for ages now most technology has had custom batteries that cost megabucks instead of industry standards.
This in spades. I fret a little about support for my 5yr old cycling computer being discontinued; to have total reliance on such tech in something so large, expensive and important seems absolutely ridiculous.
I understand that these are not "normal" bikes and as such their electric nature and clean design requires some sort of discrete electronic control, however it seems the way this has been implemented (purely through the use of a phone app) has the potential (and indeed has turned out) to be highly problematic.
This bike is a perfect example of why I avoid "smart" devices like the plague. Best case the manufacturers are going to withdraw support at some point because of "legitimate" business reasons; worst case the'll use their control as leverage to force obsolescene, gouge you on price or as we've seen here - go bust leaving all their owners in the sh*t. Why willingly surrender your agency in handing such control over your possessions to a third party?
It seems these bikes are often used for utility so this development has doubtless left many people high and dry, suddently with no ability to use a mode of transport they'd come to rely on, through no fault of their own.
What an absurd, ridiculous world we find ourselves in - where something as fundamentally mechanical and basic as a bicycle becomes an inert brick because it will no longer communicate with your bloody smart phone.
I think I'll be treating my faithful, reliable, independent dumb steel bikes to some extra care and appreciation this weekend...
