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The Lectric XP fats tire electrical bike from Lectric E-Bikes has developed a large fan base with practically 25,000 e-bikes offered. But barely greater than a yr in the past, nobody had ever heard of a Lectric XP.
So the place did the massively well-liked e-bike come from?
That is the Lectric XP origin story.
Based by lifelong mates Robby Deziel and Levi Conlow, Lectric E-Bikes first started as a quest to discover a extra inexpensive e-bike for Levi’s dad. He was out there for an electrical bike and had seen plenty of fancy $3,000+ e-bikes, however wished one thing rather more budget-friendly for his first experiment with an e-bike.
Robby and Levi noticed the chance out there and determined to mix the previous’s mechanical engineering background with the latter’s enterprise and entrepreneurism training.
They began by designing a easy, cheap commuter e-bike that obtained the job executed however didn’t include any fancy bells or whistles. Levi’s dad invested and the pair had quite a few samples constructed to begin testing gross sales. Issues have been wanting promising till they realized that they couldn’t discover any prospects. They tried to promote their new design on their web site, craigslist, flea markets, and anyplace they may. However nobody purchased it.
So that they began gathering suggestions from individuals who tried the bike. And the extra they heard, the extra they discovered.
Riders responded that they wished one thing that wasn’t as tall as a commuter bike. They wished one thing smaller that might be transported without having a motorcycle rack on the again of their automobile. They wished one thing extra snug.
Robby and Levi took that suggestions and returned to the drafting board. And after redesigning the bike, the Lectric XP popped out the opposite aspect as that bike we all know at the moment.
The Lectric XP featured a decrease top because of its 20″ wheels, but used fats tires to maintain it snug even with out suspension. It provided a folding mechanism so riders might transport the bike in a trunk as an alternative of on a automobile rack. It was quick, with a 28 mph (45 km/h) high pace. And most significantly, it was priced at a reasonable $899.
The one downside remaining was that that they had burnt by means of their preliminary mortgage on the primary design. They tried their luck yet one more time, As Levi defined to Electrek, “I had to return and ask, ‘Hey Dad, how would you wish to lose some more cash?’”
Now in the summertime of 2019 and with sufficient cash for 10 pattern bikes, Robby and Levi jumped again into the fireplace yet one more time. However this time, they took a distinct method. They despatched their 10 samples out to 10 totally different e-bike reviewers (of which I happened to be one of them, barely a year ago this month).
It was an enormous threat, as they have been out of money and virtually out of time. Robby was counting the times earlier than he ran out of lease cash and needed to transfer again house.
It was at that time when the primary evaluations have been posted. And this time the response was enormous. The gross sales instantly flowed in and rapidly grew to become a torrent as extra evaluations have been printed. The general public went nuts for a quick, highly effective fat-tire electrical bike for just $899.
In only a few weeks that they had already hit $1 million in pre-orders. At first the pair have been figuring out of their residence and storage, however as lots of of thousand of {dollars} in pre-sales started to pour in, it grew to become apparent that they have been going to wish to improve.
They quickly moved into an workplace complicated and added a warehouse. Subsequent got here time to construct the workforce.
Robby and Levi had been initially dealing with every little thing themselves, working 18-hour days and answering the telephones continuous. However quickly they discovered how vital it was to usher in the precise folks to construct out the workforce. And the primary main purpose was to construct up a great popularity for buyer assist.
As Robby defined, “We all know we are able to’t present the best possible e-bike for simply $899. However we are able to present the very best worth. And we are able to present the very best buyer assist.”
And in order that’s what they did. Because the gross sales continued to flood in, Lectric E-Bikes expanded their buyer assist workforce who typically work 12-hour days to reply telephones and emails. They began with 10 buyer assist reps however count on that quantity to triple by this time subsequent yr as they proceed to develop. The founders have additionally made positive to place their workers on their very own Lectric XP e-bikes to have firsthand expertise, and preserve loaners accessible in order that workers can take their mates on rides as properly.
Robby and Levy have additionally introduced in a brand new director of operations to usher in outdoors experience and expertise, who helped additional enhance the corporate within the midst of a massive run on e-bikes across the country.
As Levi defined:
At first it may be laborious to let go of operating issues your self, particularly when you may have a clean operation going. However bringing in our new director of operations has been an enormous profit. She obsesses over efficiency and particulars. We first instructed her about our opponents and the way they’ll have wait instances of days for emails and wait instances of hours for calls, and the way we thought we have been doing alright since we had telephone wait instances of round 20 minutes and possibly as much as a day for emails. However she got here in and stated ‘Nope, that’s not high-quality by me.’ She wished these numbers introduced right down to 97% of telephone calls being answered in underneath one minute and emails being handled extra like a buyer chat with fast responses. She wished to make us turn into essentially the most accessible electrical bike firm. And somebody with that kind of imaginative and prescient, it impressed all of us to get behind it. And now I’m assured in saying we’ve got top-of-the-line if not THE greatest buyer assist within the business now.
Whereas letting go of the duties of their firm has been troublesome for the founders, these sorts of experiences have proven them why it’s so essential to usher in new experience.
As Robby elaborated, “We used to put on about 20 hats every, and now we’re sporting extra like 10.”
Releasing up a few of their time has additionally helped Robby and Levi concentrate on constructing their group, which the pair defined has been essential to their success. Lectric E-Bikes spends virtually nothing on advertising and marketing, as an alternative counting on a group of happy prospects to unfold the phrase concerning the Lectric XP e-bike.
As Levi continued:
We promote an $899 e-bike, we are able to’t afford to spend a lot on buyer acquistition. As an alternative, we depend on our prospects sharing our story. We’ve created superb buyer advocates, and a giant a part of that’s the good buyer assist that we offer.
The group that we’re constructing is extremely particular and I’d say that one of the crucial rewarding issues proper now’s being out in public and seeing our bikes. We’ve near 25,000 bikes out in circulation and it’s simply so rewarding to see folks on the market using our bikes and listen to them spreading the phrase.
As Lectric E-Bikes seems towards the longer term, they’ve continued to concentrate on increasing their workforce and their choices.
The corporate not too long ago launched a new step-through version of the Lectric XP that makes the bike extra accessible to riders who’ve hassle swinging their leg over a motorcycle.
As the corporate continues its skyward trajectory, the place will they be a yr from now? We’re as excited as anybody else to search out out!
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