The sophisticated bicycle has attracted fans in Europe and the U.S., but repairs under warranty have bled the company of money.

  • WhoRoger@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    the brand’s engineers made it next to impossible to open the frame that contains all the parts

    VanMoof’s creators fancied their company to be like Apple — creating unique products that would spawn its own ecosystem

    Well there we go, nothing to add that.

    • DarkThoughts@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Yep, this was a well known scheme. They tried to be this hip and overpriced designer brand that people flock to for the name, with a bunch of proprietary parts that requires their own service centers to maintain them. Complete garbage tier imo. One of the nice things about bicycles is that they’re so piss easy to maintain by yourself even. The majority of it doesn’t even require special tools and it is a fun experience to learn too. Imagine if brands like this became the norm and suddenly you could barely find bikes where you could do that? You’d always have to pay up to some corporate entity instead. Definitely good riddance.

      • lemmyvore@feddit.nl
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        1 year ago

        Bikes are mostly easy to maintain but there are some things like adjusting the spokes or the derailleur that a shop will get done much faster.

        I don’t agree that much about the tools, unless you consider Allen keys to be a normal tool and you exclude the drivetrain or the headset, which need all kinds of specialized ones. Brakes can also need some less common stuff.

        • HidingCat@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          Allan keys (hex wrenches) are absolutely a normal tool, heck, if you’ve bought IKEA furniture, you may even have one already!

              • lemmyvore@feddit.nl
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                1 year ago

                I’m seeing 4-5 different sizes at a glance on my bike.

                Even if there were only 3, my point was that you can’t rely on a random key you got from Ikea, and you’re not always going to run into the same 3 sizes on every bike. Sooner or later you’ll have to buy a full set with 6 or 7 sizes, plus a large key for the stand screw (if you have a stand).

                • crab@lemm.ee
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                  1 year ago

                  I looked on Amazon and you can get a set of 14 for £4. There’s no need to act like this is unobtainably complex.

        • aegis_sum@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I absolutely consider Allen keys a normal tool. One of the absolute must haves for any household.

          • lemmyvore@feddit.nl
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            1 year ago

            What do you guys use them for? I have never seen hex screws on anything other than Ikea furniture and bicycles.

            • cuacamole@feddit.de
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              1 year ago

              3D printers, furniture, sim racing setup, camera gear, electronics.

              Seriously, a set of allan keys and some torx bits are basic tools.