Illusion of Choice: How E-Bike Brands Are All Gunning for Your Money With Carbon Copies

Folks, let's be frank: we've all spotted countless e-bikes around our neighborhoods that just look alike. But, they bear different brand names, are sold for different prices, and, at best, include some minor insignificant changes. Well, in the spirit of helping you understand a bit about what's going on, what it means for you and me, and where to go from here, I've decided to dive in a bit deeper into what's going on, and it all starts from one of two sources: China and business. Or is that just one source? You be the judge by the end of this article.

Now, I'm not a business major, nor do any of us have time to access the thousands upon millions of pages of information this world has to offer, so this is all going to be a rough idea of what's going on, but nonetheless, a very real scenario.

First, take two of the bikes you've spotted around your neighborhood and place them side by side. Notice how the frames look the same, sometimes even drivetrains. Check the spec sheets and even compare the electronics. If any changes exist, be sure that it's just one way that a brand stands apart from the other, aside from just the name. Still, most often than not, just the name is different. Why?

Well, at the base of this issue sits China and its neverending production plants, and if you've ever ended up looking to buy something in bulk from sources the likes of Alibaba and several others, you may have noticed that an array of manufacturers not only offer price reductions on bulk purchases, but they'll also let you bring your own brand name to the game and throw on all the necessary stickers and color cues to give you your brand identity. Sure, this is a very rudimentary way of explaining what's happening, but the truth is that with just a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars and some shipping and import fees, I can start selling e-bikes branded "Curmei Cycles." It's really that easy.

Being so damn easy to start a brand and an apparent e-bike production wave to be ridden, it's difficult to resist the temptation of being the next most-talked-about e-bike brand, and this is where marketing and awareness come in.

With successful marketing and constant investment in this side of modern business, you can have the same bike as the other guy, but you're actually the only one with that design if no one is even aware of the other guy's existence, even if the other team's machine is better. Understand what I mean? As a result, the market has been flooded with e-bikes that all look alike and, quite often, are even from the same source. I'm not even going to get into some of the problems that arise due to a lack of regulations in China.

All this brings me to my next and final point: costs. Some of the e-bikes I've come across can cost as low as $400 if bought in bulk and directly from the manufacturer. With a tad more cash thrown in for that personalized branding job, we're looking at $500 per unit, if that.

So why are people like you and me paying double, sometimes even triple or quadruple that number? First, it's down to getting one of these units to you, which always incurs taxes and shipping fees, especially if they come from China. Second, you need to consider all the cash pumped into ad campaigns and publicity stunts; that stuff is not cheap, and the end user is always going to be paying for that.

So, what are we to do? Well, first and foremost, do the research! I can't stress that enough. I'm talking about educating ourselves because, in truth, it's no one's fault but our own if we end up buying some low-budget and cookie-cutter machine that doesn't stand up to the abuse cities can dish out; all the signs were there all along.

Furthermore, not only will you find the best deal and machines that are special and have the capability to stand up to day-to-day and even occasional wild nights of riding, but you'll also find the manufacturers that stand apart from the rest.

Heck, even consider going for an e-bike from a brand with a cycling history before this trend even took off. Most often than not, these timeless teams offer an array of incentives to buy from them, even going as far as offering lifetime warranties on machines or frames. Just a little something-something to be aware of in today's cookie-cutter world.