Demonstrating a bike

Before demonstrating a MeloYelo ebike it is important to have:

• Asked the customer some questions
  • How will you be using the bike? Around town only? On trails only? A combination?
  • Do you have any steep hills? (Generally will require a larger battery).
  • What is the maximum distance you would expect to ride in a day?
    • Note that if they are going to be riding on some of the great NZ trails, they will be needing a bike that can do 50kms.
  • What style of bike do you prefer? Mountain bike style or stepthrough?
  • Do they already have a strong preference for a mid drive versus a rear hub drive?
    • Rear hub drives are less expensive and are perfectly fine for most trail riding. However, all bike shops strongly push mid drives as the only way to go and hence some people have a bias towards mid drives.
• A good feel for how tall the rider is. If they are 5’11” or above, then they may need a longer seat post and may also need a stem riser to lift the handlebars up. Both of these can be fitted by the agent/franchisee as required. (There is an extra cost for these items.)

Armed with information gathered above, you can narrow down the range of models shown to the prospect. Bear in mind that it is wise to give them at least 2 options to consider, but also bear in mind that more choices leads to more confusion and procrastination, so try and keep things simple.

You are now ready to start showing MeloYelo bikes. A few things to point out initially are:

• The quality of finish.
  • Excellent paintwork
  • Smooth welding around some of the most visible joints gives a superior quality finish and feel to our bikes
• The derailleur guard
  • A thoughtful extra that prevents the derailleur from damage if the bike falls over on that side
• The fact that it comes standard with lights, mudguards and rack, which many competitive models do not
• The Bafang motor and electric system
  • Bafang was the only Chinese motor reviewed by Consumer reports NZ (the other motors reviewed were Bosch, Brose, Shimano, Yamaha). See https://www.consumer.org.nz/articles/electric-bike-motors-tested
  • Bafang was one of only 2 motors that had no cons in the review.
  • Good points:

• Responsive to when you start and stop pedalling
• Excellent hill-climbing torque and power
• Smooth gear changes
• Pedalling is very easy when the system is off (or the maximum assistance speed has been exceeded) – this is an important differentiator according to our agents who sell other brands of ebikes
• Most other ebikes in our price range have less reputable Chinese motors
• The quality of our componentry. Shimano gears; Tektro brakes; Suntour; suspension. We only use name brand suppliers
• The fact that MeloYelo supports the EVolocity electric vehicle programme in NZ schools
  • The founder of MeloYelo was also the founder of EVolocity. EVolocity gives kiwi youth hands on education in engineering and educates them about the advantages of electric vehicles.
• Our service network throughout NZ
• The fact that we maintain an inventory of spare parts in Taupo and in the event of a problem, our aim is to resolve that problem as fast as possible
• Two year warranty on the electric system; 12 months on mechanical parts.
• Our sprung memory foam saddle – much more comfortable than gel saddles, especially on long trail rides