Thought this was a great example of subtle design cues: . . . It's super effective!
Thought this was a great example of subtle design cues:
In 2015 we began shipping our bikes to the USA. The only problem was that a lot of them were arriving to their new customers damaged. Annoying for them and expensive for us. We couldn't say for certain, but US handlers didn’t seem to take as much care as we’d hoped.
. . .
That small tweak had an outsized impact. Overnight our shipping damages dropped by 70-80%. We sell 80% of our bicycles online, which means we still print TVs on our boxes. More than 60,000 of them have now been shipped directly to our riders worldwide.
I'm more shocked that shipping handlers even looked at the boxes long enough to notice they had a tv on them and should treat it nicer. Also I don't know why, but I've never even thought about...
I'm more shocked that shipping handlers even looked at the boxes long enough to notice they had a tv on them and should treat it nicer.
Also I don't know why, but I've never even thought about mail ordering a bike. Every bike I've ever bought I picked up from one of the local bike stores. Also as somebody who bikes casually for exercise, the idea of an electric bike goes against everything I believe in kinda. I understand why it would be useful if the bike is used for transportation and not recreation, but like your kinda loosing many of the benefits.
I live in a pretty bike friendly city (by US standards), so biking is a purely utilitarian thing for me. It's faster than walking and more convenient than public transit. The down-side is that I...
I live in a pretty bike friendly city (by US standards), so biking is a purely utilitarian thing for me. It's faster than walking and more convenient than public transit.
The down-side is that I live on top of an extremely steep hill. The elevation gain is literally the equivalent of a 5 story building over the span of a single city block. It is bikeable, but the thought of that slog being the last leg of my return trip home is one of the main reasons I don't bike as often as I'd like. E-assist just to get over that hill would make me WAY more likely to ride.
Also, if people want to use bikes for extremely long commutes in the morning it's also very helpful. Exertion isn't necessary a good thing if you expect to show up to work fresh and not sweaty. Back when I lived at the bottom of that same hill, I used to bike to and from work in a suit and tie.
The issue for me is that importing a good electric bicycle would be way more expensive than simply buying a motorcycle. We have makeshift and lower quality electrical bicycles here, though. But...
The issue for me is that importing a good electric bicycle would be way more expensive than simply buying a motorcycle.
We have makeshift and lower quality electrical bicycles here, though. But they’re still too expensive for a bicycle, better to just get a motorcycle. And my city’s infrastructure for bicycles is not good enough.
I guess for me electrification comes down to being able to wear destination-appropriate clothes and arrive places without sweating. Like you say, it has benefits when used specifically for...
I guess for me electrification comes down to being able to wear destination-appropriate clothes and arrive places without sweating. Like you say, it has benefits when used specifically for transportation instead of recreation. I'm a big fan of electric scooters, which I know are controversial, but they're just so convenient for trips of a couple miles or less in bike-friendly places.
I still totally understand riding for exercise, and I do have a bike specifically for that, but I don't go places on that bike anymore. Having the option of both means I can exert myself when I want to, and simply move myself between locations without exertion otherwise.
I'm not sure how bikes are damaged so badly in shipping, but I've certainly experienced the problem. My only guess is that the box shape is very unusual for shipping handlers to the point where...
I'm more shocked that shipping handlers even looked at the boxes long enough to notice they had a tv on them and should treat it nicer.
I'm not sure how bikes are damaged so badly in shipping, but I've certainly experienced the problem. My only guess is that the box shape is very unusual for shipping handlers to the point where they would notice large exterior markings, and that the shape is particularly prone to damage during shipping.
In my case, having a heavy steel bicycle shipped from Italy to the US, the damage done by the shippers was so extreme that I don't understand how any package could have survived it: the metal frame was entirely and irreparably bent. This was despite reputable shippers and high insurance. The company ended up having to make another bike.
I mostly agree with you vis-a-vis losing the benefits of biking, but recently my boss was saying that he wishes he could bike to work (I do), but he's 70 now so that would be too much, daily. I...
I mostly agree with you vis-a-vis losing the benefits of biking, but recently my boss was saying that he wishes he could bike to work (I do), but he's 70 now so that would be too much, daily. I see a lot of older people riding e-assist bikes on my commute, I think especially if you have knee trouble they can be a bit of a godsend for building up strength without stress.
I also have a large hill at the end of a 9km commute, and there are times when I wish I could push a little less hard at the end. I'm always huffing and puffing and needing to disrobe to cool down when I get home, and thank heavens my commute to work is the opposite direction, because it's be quite a state to arrive at the office in!
I'd also love an ebike because they come with all the cool stuff like integrated headlights and tail lights, gps tracking, and the ability to lock them safely without me carrying around a 5 pound bar of steel in my purse! I probably wouldn't use the assist much, but I'd love all the perks that come with, also I find this particular bike to look very cool!
Thought this was a great example of subtle design cues:
. . .
It's super effective!
I'm more shocked that shipping handlers even looked at the boxes long enough to notice they had a tv on them and should treat it nicer.
Also I don't know why, but I've never even thought about mail ordering a bike. Every bike I've ever bought I picked up from one of the local bike stores. Also as somebody who bikes casually for exercise, the idea of an electric bike goes against everything I believe in kinda. I understand why it would be useful if the bike is used for transportation and not recreation, but like your kinda loosing many of the benefits.
I live in a pretty bike friendly city (by US standards), so biking is a purely utilitarian thing for me. It's faster than walking and more convenient than public transit.
The down-side is that I live on top of an extremely steep hill. The elevation gain is literally the equivalent of a 5 story building over the span of a single city block. It is bikeable, but the thought of that slog being the last leg of my return trip home is one of the main reasons I don't bike as often as I'd like. E-assist just to get over that hill would make me WAY more likely to ride.
Also, if people want to use bikes for extremely long commutes in the morning it's also very helpful. Exertion isn't necessary a good thing if you expect to show up to work fresh and not sweaty. Back when I lived at the bottom of that same hill, I used to bike to and from work in a suit and tie.
The issue for me is that importing a good electric bicycle would be way more expensive than simply buying a motorcycle.
We have makeshift and lower quality electrical bicycles here, though. But they’re still too expensive for a bicycle, better to just get a motorcycle. And my city’s infrastructure for bicycles is not good enough.
I guess for me electrification comes down to being able to wear destination-appropriate clothes and arrive places without sweating. Like you say, it has benefits when used specifically for transportation instead of recreation. I'm a big fan of electric scooters, which I know are controversial, but they're just so convenient for trips of a couple miles or less in bike-friendly places.
I still totally understand riding for exercise, and I do have a bike specifically for that, but I don't go places on that bike anymore. Having the option of both means I can exert myself when I want to, and simply move myself between locations without exertion otherwise.
I'm not sure how bikes are damaged so badly in shipping, but I've certainly experienced the problem. My only guess is that the box shape is very unusual for shipping handlers to the point where they would notice large exterior markings, and that the shape is particularly prone to damage during shipping.
In my case, having a heavy steel bicycle shipped from Italy to the US, the damage done by the shippers was so extreme that I don't understand how any package could have survived it: the metal frame was entirely and irreparably bent. This was despite reputable shippers and high insurance. The company ended up having to make another bike.
I mostly agree with you vis-a-vis losing the benefits of biking, but recently my boss was saying that he wishes he could bike to work (I do), but he's 70 now so that would be too much, daily. I see a lot of older people riding e-assist bikes on my commute, I think especially if you have knee trouble they can be a bit of a godsend for building up strength without stress.
I also have a large hill at the end of a 9km commute, and there are times when I wish I could push a little less hard at the end. I'm always huffing and puffing and needing to disrobe to cool down when I get home, and thank heavens my commute to work is the opposite direction, because it's be quite a state to arrive at the office in!
I'd also love an ebike because they come with all the cool stuff like integrated headlights and tail lights, gps tracking, and the ability to lock them safely without me carrying around a 5 pound bar of steel in my purse! I probably wouldn't use the assist much, but I'd love all the perks that come with, also I find this particular bike to look very cool!
What makes American delivery systems so shitty?