This is a bit of an interesting strategy. Efneo, a company based in Poland that is operated by a father / sons team, has created an aftermarket 3 speed front bicycle gearbox. The gears are enclosed so the hardware is pretty sleek looking. This is a perfect upgrade for you single speed, city cruiser.
The Sondors eBike now stands at over $3.9 million with more than 7300 backers. This means Sondors has sold lots of eBikes. After countering some questions about the campaign, Sondors has powered onward with demos and updates and is on track to be the most successful campaign of its type ever.
Now the Sondors’ campaign originally set out to raise “just” $75k. Having crushed that number, Sondors is now polling backers to see what type of additional accessories they would like and, you guessed it, number one (as it stands now) is a multi-gear option.
Enter Efneo. This campaign is now using Indiegogo’s InDemand forever funding option (having fully funded @ 145%). Having seen the success of Sondor’s bike – Efneo has created a special “gearbox for Sondors” perk.
According to an Efneo representative:
“Not only does installing a rear derailleur on a fat bike with wide tires prove to be difficult, it adds weight to a rear wheel that is already heavy with an engine. On the other side, the front derailleur is something that most cyclists simply hate. The best option is the internal gear system. The Efneo Gearbox provides just that and is another innovation that’s had success fundraising on Indiegogo…The Efneo Gearbox is the best option for an eBike to make it both more comfortable and energy savvy… Efneo is now offering a special “Gearbox for Sondors bike” perk!”
Explaining the benefits of having a multi-gear system, Efneo states that having a gearbox makes the bike easier to ride when the battery dies and can help extend the bikes range (as it is easier for the rider to peddle more. Of course adding the aftermarket gearbox from Efneo will boost the total cost of the bike considerably because the perk is priced at $245 for a bike now on sale for $649. I wonder if Sondor’s will get a cut of the action for any custom gearboxes sold for his bike?
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