Hi everybody:
My name is John Acres, I'm the founder of BiGHA. I write this because interest has been expressed
here about our company and I wanted to provide a way to get information directly. I understadn how
frustating it can be to attempt to understand what a company is about and why they're doing the
things they do.
If you want to ask me questions or offer comments, I'm happy to take them. I'll respond as best I
can. I won't always agree with you--and I'm certain you won't always agree with me. You still might
think our bike is the dumbest thing ever built and that I'm pretty stupid too.
We each have our own idea of what is good and what isn't. That's what makes the world go 'round.
Following is a response to a couple of questions raised. Let me know if you want responses to
other issues.
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Website
We spent a long time trying to decide what to do with our site. After much discussion, we chose to
do it in Flash because it is widely distributed--some say 80% of users have flash, others say
95%--and because it communicates the message we want to convey. We also believe that Flash will grow
ever more popular. As we evolve, we might well do an HTML version of the site. We started out with
that but coudn't accomplish our goals. For those that haven't seen it, our site isn't about a lot of
animations. There's a total of one so far and its prety simple. It also conveys the message of what
we hope to accomplish.
The issue of bandwidth was a big one for us. Our tests showed the site right now takes about two
minutes to download on the first visit. After that, it is supposed to be held in cache so it'll load
much, much more quickly. We're working to compress the site to a smaller size.
We tested the site using IE Explorer V5.2 and greater, and Netscape 6 and above. We also tested
Apple's Safari. We're scheduled to try Opera and possibly different Mozilla flavors. For better or
worse, we won't test with old versions of browsers. We figure people can get the newer versions for
free. Sorry.
Truth is, we jumped the gun on notifying people about the site. The plan was to get it up and have a
few dozen people review and comment. One of our guys got enthused when the site went live today and
emailed everyone that had requested information. Ouch!
Bike
For better or worse, our bike is meant to be different. Other bikes are sold as a conglomeration of
components. While that is fine for enthusiasts, it doesn't serve a large segment of consumers--the
segment we target. Many of us don't know who made the brakes or transmissions in our cars. We just
know they work. There's no attempt to hide who makes our components, we just don't emphasize it on
our site. We will include those specifications as we refine things. I understand you might disagree
and that we may be wrong. Time will tell. Here's what we use. Let me know if you have questions
about any component. I'll make sure you get the information. (you can tell by my terminology that
I'm not a bike specialist.):
Transmission: SRAM Dual-Drive Disc brakes: Avid Frame: BiGHA Electronics & software: BiGHA
Electronics
I can only imagine how silly this must seem. I'm the person that insisted on their implementation
and I firmly believe in what we offer. I can't expect you to concur--especially since you haven't
seen or tried the system. The goal is not to add a gadget. The goal is to enhance functionality. We
believe safety is critical so lights are built-in. Turn signals too. cars need all the help they
can get to see us on the road. After twice riding Cycle Oregon, I grew tired of saying "on your
left" all the time. So we added a horn. The security system is NOT meant to replace a lock. In
fact, we offer a lock option. But it can enhance the lock's performance. My family had two bikes
stolen that were locked up. Worst, we were nearby. The last time it happened, my son saw the guy
right after he'd cut the lock and was riding away. We chased him for a while--even got close enough
that he laughed at us befre he cut across a yard and rode away. Had there been a motion detector
that set off an alarm as he worked to break the lock, we could have gotten to him sooner. Besides,
the motion detector--a solid state accelerometer made by Analog Devices (ADXL202E) serves to
automatically turn off lights and drives the brake light too. There's one central set of batteries
and a minimum of switches for the rider to have to worry about.
Price $3,000 is a lot. I know it and you certainly do too. This bike costs well over half that much
to build--without beginning to amortize the millions of dollars spent on its development. The seat
alone cost over $500,000. I wish I could price the bike a lot lower. I can't. The market will judge
over the next couple of years if we've misspent.
I've taken too much of your time already so I'll stop now. I'll close by saying we're real and we're
really dedicated. We think we've got a worthwhile design and a lot of talented people have worked
hard to create it. If we're wrong, I'm out a lot of money and sixteen people will lose their jobs.
Worse things have happened and life without risk probably isn't worthwhile.
Anyway, thanks for listening. Your comments are invited and you're welcome to visit us at 4314
SW Research Way in Corvallis. We'd be happy to show you around. Bikes are expected to ship in
late March.
john