Decent spec mid drive on run out.
https://www.99bikes.com.au/velectrix-ascent-pulse-29-electri…
https://www.99bikes.com.au/velectrix-ascent-pulse-electric-h…
just keep in mind 99bikes is parting ways with velectrix. The stock they have on sale is the stock their trying to liquidate, their not buying anymore stock from the supplier. Hence the heavy discounts.
They have had a number of problems with them, when i was shopping for my ebike the big problem that all 99bikes stores were consistently saying is the nutt brakes are terrible, but some store reps mentioned other things.
Now with them parting ways with velectrix, i'm sure their still required to offer warranty per ACCC requirements. However as we know sometimes that can be a challenge. You may experience issues with after sales support (i.e. servicing), part availability or warranty concerns.
IF you can afford it, and you want your local 99bikes to service and maintain your bike for you, i would recommend purchasing a brand that they are going to supply and support for an ongoing basis.
Is there other options around a similar price point at 99 bikes that you might recommend? There is a heap of e-bikes on sale at the moment on their site but there is an overwhelming amount of choice…
It's good that you mentioned the lynx 3. The two options i was tossing up between was the lynx3 and the falcon (step through models, not the one you have shown). Should note that although i liked the colour and look of the lynx 3 over the falcon, i still went with the falcon.
Reasoning: The luggage rack on the lynx 3 step through was only rated to like 10 or 15 kg's (somewhere in that range), which is weird because it's luggage rack looks more robust than the falcons…..meanwhile the falcon's luggage rack was rated to 25kg. This was a key decision maker for me as i wanted to take the little one on the back with a baby seat.
I ended up getting the Pedal Falcon. I had 1 issue with it which they resolved immediately. been using it for 4 months now daily, i also have 2 luggage bags for it to carry work stuff and then on the weekend i throw a baby seat on the back to take the little one for a ride. It gets plenty of use and works well.
The issue i encountered: After putting the battery on charge the battery stopped turning on. Apparently this was a problem with the batch, a bad batch of BMS's. 99bikes replaced the battery in an instant with a newer batch that didn't have the problem….This is a prime example of why i would prefer to purchase a brand that the company is going to support long term, as if they encountered the problem with velectrix they would probably try to redirect you to speak to velectrix directly if they can't supply you an immediate replacement.
Keep in mind that the Pedal brand is actually owned by 99bikes. Take that as you will. it does mean they are likely going to sell and support that brand for the life of either business. it also means they may have a bias to sell you that brand over other brands.
Also i should note i'm not saying Pedal is the best brand, i'm just saying at that price point it makes a great product, when i need to get a new bike (hopefully a long time away) i may increase my budget and get something like the Merida's, right now i wanted to keep my budget small as i wasn't sure how much i would use it.
hey thanks for sharing. Do you know if they are staying in the Australian market and moving to another retail channel partner or exiting Australia entirely? This is just in case for anyone considering purchasing one due to the pricing, but having 'some' local support is different to none
Yes they are being sold/distributed directly by Velectrix now, I believe there was a pay? dispute between 99 Bikes and them
good question. I don't know the answer to this. I remember speaking to someone a velectrix rep when i was doing my research (now 4-5 months old info), and all they would tell me is their no longer selling to/through 99bikes.
Might be worthwhile reaching out to them directly to find if their staying here in aus and selling through another company or if they are switching to online only, or leaving australia entirely.
They are sticking around, being sold directly through dealers. Can be ordered online but not direct to customer, has to be through a store
@whitepuma: I doubt 99 bikes would, if you buy from velectrix website/stores they mostly have Shimano MT200 which are a $50 each end set of brakes.
Worst case you could buy a set of MT200 for $100 and then probably cost you $40-$80 to have them installed (shorten hose as required, install new barb and olive, bleed)
@Brick50: yeah i remember discussing this with the 99bikes rep, they said that if i do end up buying the velectrix, and they do have the dreaded nutt brake issue, they are obligated to replace/repair that nutt brake, if it's within their warranty period they are required to do that for free, after the warranty period they don't need to and won't do it free, they evenly said that if the problem happens outside of warranty they will likely refuse to repair/replace the existing brake system with the same nutt system.
They did also say that MOST people buying these velectrix that are then bringing them in for repair for this nutt issue are paying to upgrade the brakes to a more reputable brand, makes sense as you don't really want to have a brake issue when you need it most. This upgrade is of course an additional cost (even if during warranty), which people may not recognise when making their initial purchase of the bike.
@whitepuma: Very poor attitude for them to have considering they are basically selling defective bikes, shouldn't have to pay to upgrade components that are known to be faulty. I would be taking the Sheppard cycles Nutt recall in there and arguing that why is it safe to use them on a Velectrix but not other branded bikes.
We had to physically destroy any Nutt brake systems so they cannot be used, it's unlikely they "fail" but they just feel and perform bad
Worth noting that Sheppard Cycles officially recalled all their bikes that had Nutt brakes fitted, that’s how bad they are.
We ended up fitting Tektros to all our stock, and all new bikes that arrive come without brakes fitted then we fit supplied Tektro brakes.
bikes bikes bikes
That's only 3bikes.
Velectrix is trying to move to a 'click and collect' model. Customers order and pay for their bike from their website and nominate a pickup dealership. Bike gets delivered to dealer who then assembles. Dealer receives flat fee which is far less than traditional mark ups.
Dealers only carry demo stock. Appears the push back has been sizeable.
Many pure online sellers suffer from customers bad assembly experiences and consequently high support time, effort and difficulty replacing parts and warranty. The idea of this hybrid sales model is to fix the latter while trying to achieve higher margin at the wholesale level.
Reid Cycles closed all their stores and went online. (They too don't specify Nutt brakes any more… funny that).
Buyers without experience and knowledge should purchase from a retail store who will provide ongoing support with your mechanical friend. That is why their margins are higher and maybe the Velectrix business model might not work…
Similar business model is flowing through car stealerships and all they do is wash the car and add the plates $$$$$
Bafang make great motors, can vouch for them.