This week saw Dutch ebike brandMokumonolaunch its latest two-wheeler, the Polder.
I spoke to co-founder, Tom Schiller, to find out more.
And the vast majority are includingCowboyandVanMoof.
Sure, theres nothing wrong with this per se.
You have experienced manufacturers with fully established factories with the necessary materials, molds, and equipment.
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They were, in fact, stuck on a ship waiting for unloading for almost a month.
Thatd piss anyone off.
Theyre not the only ones doing this.
The tide is turning, with Estonian ebike company Amplerdevelopingtheir frames and the electronic system fully in-house.
And its a smart move, done strategically; it provides a level of resilience against supply chain woes.
And missing this cross-vertical innovation that might be your companys biggest competitive downfall.
This process was developed with tech production partner Witte van Moort in Vriezenveen.
But if you have a clear idea, theyre more than willing to give it a go.
And who will get excited by the idea of a new product line and access to a new industry.
More profits without selling to a bike shop (which can potentially mean cheaper bikes for customers).
It also means it’s possible for you to get a good grip on consumer buying behavior.
Or, a COVID shutdown.
But D2C is challenging.
Thats potentially a lot of different audiences.
Modularity and brand-agnostic can extend the ebike lifecycle
Mokumonos latest bike has a frame with a twist.
The trunk can be opened.
This enables battery removal for charging, replacements, or upgrades using third-party batteries.
Its a pivot for Mokumono, with a reason.
Then the whole bike becomes obsolete.
Being open to third-party batteries means that an ebike expands its lifetime.
It will allow it to stay on the road potentially for decades.
Id love to see all manufacturers do this.
Further, when needing a repair a Mokumono technician comes to the client to fix the bike on location.
Mokumono is now taking pre-orders for the Polder atwww.mokumono.comat the introductory price of 2,590.
The bike comes in 40 different colors and deliveries start in September this year.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
