MICROMOBILITY
“They have the best brakes in the market that you can have on a cargo bike, for example. Both models also use high-quality cable steering, which allows for more manoeuvrability and with the fork separate to the head tube, you can create different angles to promote stability but also comfort. “And for us, all of that just really appealed.
We felt that for the UK market, obviously we’re not as far yet within the adoption of cargo bikes in the country, but we feel like in the UK some people do like to leapfrog and go straight away to the best they can get.”
Marketing mix
“I think that was Eurobike 2018 or 2019,” continued Sophie. “Arnold said he looked around and saw all the cargo bikes but felt they were almost dangerous, all these wooden boxes were not safe for children. So he wanted to manufacture a cargo bike box that outperformed everybody else’s.
“The principle behind the safety is not just the child themselves in the box, but it’s also the rider and then also other people involved in traffic. So let’s say there was an incident, a passenger or somebody walking past gets hit, the box and bike is designed with no sharp angles, no hard corners on the outside.
“It’s all cushioned and has a crumple zone in the box. It’s been put under automotive crash testing as well and the child survived it. So they’re just really high on safety performance.” Safety is often something that might be overlooked by a consumer, but if you’re looking to carry precious cargo around then why shouldn’t it be a priority, as is the reason so many people choose heavily protected cars. Safety isn’t, however, the only thing boosting Ca Go’s position. “The performance in the other sectors is also very high.
www.bikebiz.com
While some consumers like to pick and choose and start out on lower cost models, there is certainly a market for higher end electric bikes, as so many are bought on finance rather than paid for outright. Sophie explained what will initially be offered for the UK market. “So for the CS model we will offer everything, but, for example, aftermarket products we will ask those to be fitted by retailers in the UK rather than doing that in Germany. In the UK, we’re focusing more on the key model and then the retailers can add a few things if the customer wants it. “With the FS box model, we will also only offer the higher end models, which already have the added bits included, so it’s more like a package price. At the end of the day, people will likely get all these accessories anyway, so there are a few options. But, if people do want a real stripped down model, they can have that on request.” So what will AlsoBikes’ role be as sole UK distributor? “We don’t work like a traditional distributor,” said Sophie. “We don’t hold a lot of stock, and we don’t hold any stock
of bikes, just some accessories. Bikes will have to be ordered, and then if they need to reorder things, it will take a little bit of time until it’s with the retailers then the customers. This because we are a relatively young business and we don’t have the capacity and the cash flow to hold a lot of stock.”
Sophie and AlsoBikes will be looking to develop relationships with an expanding range of retailers throughout the UK over the coming months as they launch the Ca Go bikes. To start with, Ca Go bikes will be available through the Flying Dutchman in London, and the brand will be working with BikeFlex on leasing options to make the cost of a cargo bike more affordable.
If you would like to get in touch with Sophie to become a retailer, drop her an email on
sophie@advancedbikes.uk.
November 2023 | 33
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
