What's up with Bigha?

Anyone here own one? How well their sales are going? Anyone can feed any kind of informations..?

I've got two of them here for testing right now. Initial impression is that they are heavy but very
well made and the electronics are more fun than I thought they'd be. The performance isn't
record-breaking but it's tolerable. Very easy to ride. The seat is different. Not the most
comfortable by any means but okay...

Felix Audet said:

Anyone here own one? How well their sales are going? Anyone can feed any kind of informations..?

Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

Will you pay $3000.00 to keep one of them?

BentRider said:

I've got two of them here for testing right now. Initial impression is that they are heavy but
very well made and the electronics are more fun than I thought they'd be. The performance isn't
record-breaking but it's tolerable. Very easy to ride. The seat is different. Not the most
comfortable by any means but okay...

Felix Audet said:

Anyone here own one? How well their sales are going? Anyone can feed any kind of informations..?

Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

That's not how it usually works for me. I rarely keep any test bikes for more than a few months.

If you're asking if I think the bike is WORTH $3000, the jury is still out. It probably is. There
are certainly a lot of recumbents out there that cost a lot more and aren't nearly as well made or
as well designed.

However, do we need a super high-end CLWB? Is this bike really even a CLWB? Does it matter that it
weighs so much? All questions that I haven't answered yet and ones that most buyers will have to
answer individually.

Lorenzo L. Love said:

Will you pay $3000.00 to keep one of them?

BentRider said:

I've got two of them here for testing right now. Initial impression is that they are heavy but
very well made and the electronics are more fun than I thought they'd be. The performance isn't
record-breaking but it's tolerable. Very easy to ride. The seat is different. Not the most
comfortable by any means but okay...

Felix Audet said:

Anyone here own one? How well their sales are going? Anyone can feed any kind of informations..?

Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

"'BentRider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Re: Bigha Cost/Value <snip>

Quoted message said:

There are certainly a lot of recumbents out there that cost a lot more and aren't nearly as well
made or as well designed.

Interesting statement. Of course I'm wondering exactly which recumbents you had in mind. I'll
venture a guess. Were you thinking about a lot of R-84's?

skip

Are you going to fork out $3000.00 for a Bigha? If not, it is not worth the price to you. I have
heard a lot of glowing reviews of Bigha from people who didn't have to pay for them, but not a
single person who said they would pay $3000.00 to keep the bike. If you are not willing to pay for
it, you obviously think it isn't worth it's cost. Can't you just say so?

Lorenzo L. Love home.thegrid.net~llloveOpen ↗

Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand

BentRider said:

That's not how it usually works for me. I rarely keep any test bikes for more than a few months.

If you're asking if I think the bike is WORTH $3000, the jury is still out. It probably is. There
are certainly a lot of recumbents out there that cost a lot more and aren't nearly as well made or
as well designed.

However, do we need a super high-end CLWB? Is this bike really even a CLWB? Does it matter that it
weighs so much? All questions that I haven't answered yet and ones that most buyers will have to
answer individually.

Lorenzo L. Love said:

Will you pay $3000.00 to keep one of them?

BentRider said:

I've got two of them here for testing right now. Initial impression is that they are heavy but
very well made and the electronics are more fun than I thought they'd be. The performance isn't
record-breaking but it's tolerable. Very easy to ride. The seat is different. Not the most
comfortable by any means but okay...

On Wed, 6 Aug 2003 19:44:35 -0400, "Felix Audet" <[email hidden]> wrote:

>Anyone here own one? How well their sales are going? Anyone can feed any kind of informations..?
>
>
>
>

Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

Quoted message said:

Interesting statement. Of course I'm wondering exactly which recumbents you had in mind. I'll
venture a guess. Were you thinking about a lot of R-84's?

skip

Interesting statement as in "I doubt it?". If you look around it won't be hard to agree with Bryan.
Angletech Cycles sell bikes that are typically in the $4000 to $6500 range and while they are
probably very nice, they may not compare in quality, fit, finish, design, etc. with the BiGHa. A
Mountain Drive equipted Kett Weisel routinely sells for well over $3,000. You already mentioned the
R-84 and the list goes on so I do not in fact find Bryan's statement "interesting". I do find it
realistic to say the least.

Edward Wong Orlando, FL

P.S. I do want to clarify that my statements are in no way a slam against Angletech Cycles, Hase or
Lightning. They are all fine companies and was merely trying to compare dollar for value of
one bike against another.

"Edward Wong"

Quoted message said:

Interesting statement as in "I doubt it?". If you look around it won't be hard to agree with
Bryan. Angletech Cycles sell bikes that are typically in the $4000 to $6500 range and while they
are probably very nice, they may not compare in quality, fit, finish, design, etc. with the BiGHa.
A Mountain Drive equipted Kett Weisel routinely sells for well over $3,000. You already mentioned
the R-84 and the list goes on so I do not in fact find Bryan's statement "interesting". I do find
it realistic to say the least.

While I agree I must point out that comparing a european bent's price to an american is comparing
apples and oranges. A Kett would be a lot cheaper in Europe while a Bigha would sell for a mere
4500 usd. ;-)

I'd certanly buy a Bigha before one of those SWBs costing 5-6000.

Mikael

That's exactly what I said.

I said that the final decision is a very personal one. The quality of the bike is easily worth the
$3000 when compared to other recumbents. As you said... whether it's worth it to YOU is your
decision. The bike isn't fast and never will be. Most of the other bikes in this price range are
performance bikes. There's never really been a bike like this in this price range before. Hard to
tell if anyone will buy them or not.

As to whether I'll BUY it or not... That's not the way it works. I don't usually pay for bikes in
the conventional sense. I usually get them through ad trades or something like that. Occasionally I
do buy bikes for personal use but usually not at retail. This shouldn't be a shock to anyone.

The more appropriate question is if I'll keep it when I'm done. The answer to that is not yet
decided but I might keep one of them around. I do like the bike quite a bit.

Lorenzo L. Love said:

Are you going to fork out $3000.00 for a Bigha? If not, it is not worth the price to you. I have
heard a lot of glowing reviews of Bigha from people who didn't have to pay for them, but not a
single person who said they would pay $3000.00 to keep the bike. If you are not willing to pay for
it, you obviously think it isn't worth it's cost. Can't you just say so?

Lorenzo L. Love home.thegrid.net~llloveOpen ↗

Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand

BentRider said:

That's not how it usually works for me. I rarely keep any test bikes for more than a few months.

If you're asking if I think the bike is WORTH $3000, the jury is still out. It probably is. There
are certainly a lot of recumbents out there that cost a lot more and aren't nearly as well made
or as well designed.

However, do we need a super high-end CLWB? Is this bike really even a CLWB? Does it matter that
it weighs so much? All questions that I haven't answered yet and ones that most buyers will have
to answer individually.

Lorenzo L. Love said:

Will you pay $3000.00 to keep one of them?

'BentRider wrote:

>I've got two of them here for testing right now. Initial impression is that they are heavy but
>very well made and the electronics are more fun than I thought they'd be. The performance isn't
>record-breaking but it's tolerable. Very easy to ride. The seat is different. Not the most
>comfortable by any means but okay...
>
>
>On Wed, 6 Aug 2003 19:44:35 -0400, "Felix Audet" <[email hidden]> wrote:
>
>
>
>>Anyone here own one? How well their sales are going? Anyone can feed any kind of
>>informations..?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

I'm wondering this: how do people can order a 3000$ bike without a test ride? cause they only sell
online I think. How many companies sell ONLY on the internet except Bigha and ActionBent? Buying a
800$ bike on the net without tring it is okay, but I'm not sure I'd pay 3000$ for a bike that I've
never riden.. My 2Ç.

Felix

But you obviously don't like it enough to actually pay for it. I would like a Rolex watch too, but
not enough to actually pay for one. They aren't worth it.

Are there any experienced recument riders that are paying $3000.00 for a Bigha? The way the bike is
being marketed is to avoid experienced riders and target people new to recumbents, maybe new to
biking all together, who don't know any better then to pay this kind of price for a low performance
bike, no matter how nice the finish.

When someone pays full price and says it's well worth it, that will be a review that I can believe.
Otherwise, getting a free bike by giving it a good review is pretty meaningless.

Lorenzo L. Love home.thegrid.net~llloveOpen ↗

Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand

BentRider said:

That's exactly what I said.

I said that the final decision is a very personal one. The quality of the bike is easily worth the
$3000 when compared to other recumbents. As you said... whether it's worth it to YOU is your
decision. The bike isn't fast and never will be. Most of the other bikes in this price range are
performance bikes. There's never really been a bike like this in this price range before. Hard to
tell if anyone will buy them or not.

As to whether I'll BUY it or not... That's not the way it works. I don't usually pay for bikes in
the conventional sense. I usually get them through ad trades or something like that. Occasionally
I do buy bikes for personal use but usually not at retail. This shouldn't be a shock to anyone.

The more appropriate question is if I'll keep it when I'm done. The answer to that is not yet
decided but I might keep one of them around. I do like the bike quite a bit.

Lorenzo L. Love said:

Are you going to fork out $3000.00 for a Bigha? If not, it is not worth the price to you. I have
heard a lot of glowing reviews of Bigha from people who didn't have to pay for them, but not a
single person who said they would pay $3000.00 to keep the bike. If you are not willing to pay for
it, you obviously think it isn't worth it's cost. Can't you just say so?

Lorenzo L. Love home.thegrid.net~llloveOpen ↗

Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand

BentRider said:

That's not how it usually works for me. I rarely keep any test bikes for more than a few months.

If you're asking if I think the bike is WORTH $3000, the jury is still out. It probably is. There
are certainly a lot of recumbents out there that cost a lot more and aren't nearly as well made
or as well designed.

However, do we need a super high-end CLWB? Is this bike really even a CLWB? Does it matter that
it weighs so much? All questions that I haven't answered yet and ones that most buyers will have
to answer individually.

On Fri, 08 Aug 2003 19:22:09 GMT, "Lorenzo L. Love" <[email hidden]> wrote:

>Will you pay $3000.00 to keep one of them?
>
>
>'BentRider wrote:
>
>
>>I've got two of them here for testing right now. Initial impression is that they are heavy but
>>very well made and the electronics are more fun than I thought they'd be. The performance isn't
>>record-breaking but it's tolerable. Very easy to ride. The seat is different. Not the most
>>comfortable by any means but okay...
>>
>>
>>On Wed, 6 Aug 2003 19:44:35 -0400, "Felix Audet" <[email hidden]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>Anyone here own one? How well their sales are going? Anyone can feed any kind of
>>>informations..?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com
>
>
Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

Bryan J. Ball Editor/Publisher www.bentrideronline.com

"Edward Wong" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Interesting statement as in "I doubt it?". If you look around it won't be hard to agree with
Bryan. Angletech Cycles sell bikes that are typically in the $4000 to $6500 range and while they
are probably very nice, they may not compare in quality, fit, finish, design, etc. with the BiGHa.
A Mountain Drive equipted Kett Weisel routinely sells for well over $3,000. You already mentioned
the R-84 and the list goes on so I do not in fact find Bryan's statement "interesting". I do find
it realistic to say the least.

Edward Wong Orlando, FL

P.S. I do want to clarify that my statements are in no way a slam against Angletech Cycles, Hase
or Lightning. They are all fine companies and was merely trying to compare dollar for value
of one bike against another.

OK OK Bigha may have the market cornered on what Bentrider describes as a heavy but well made
$3000.00 CLWB bike offering tolerable performance, okay comfort, and fun electronics. Slow enough
perhaps to allow time to play with the electronics as you plod along.

I'll take Ed Wong's suggestion under advisement that Bighas may offer better quality and better
design than Angletech's bikes or Kett Weisels, whatever they are (for all I know that could mean
"baby weasels" in German).

For me, I'll take a Tailwind thank you. Good night Bob Cardone where ever you are.

skip

skip

Quoted message said:

better quality and better design than Angletech's bikes or Kett Weisels, whatever they are (for
all I know that could mean "baby weasels" in German).

For me, I'll take a Tailwind thank you. Good night Bob Cardone where ever you are.

skip

skip

Actually it means "chain weasel".

How about Mother's Cut-Rate Recumbent [trike] at...

motherearthnews.comgoto.aspOpen ↗

For the DIY type who can work with various metals. The original design utilized EMT but is probably
too flimsy for my 230 lb. bod. I'd have to go with exhaust pipe despite the weight penalty.

Lorenzo L. Love said:

But you obviously don't like it enough to actually pay for it. I would like a Rolex watch too, but
not enough to actually pay for one. They aren't worth it.

Are there any experienced recument riders that are paying $3000.00 for a Bigha? The way the bike
is being marketed is to avoid experienced riders and target people new to recumbents, maybe new to
biking all together, who don't know any better then to pay this kind of price for a low
performance bike, no matter how nice the finish.

When someone pays full price and says it's well worth it, that will be a review that I can
believe. Otherwise, getting a free bike by giving it a good review is pretty meaningless.

Lorenzo L. Love home.thegrid.net~llloveOpen ↗

Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand

Bikes are not given to magazines in exchange for good reviews. At least, I am not aware of such
arrangements between any of the bike companies and the magazines. Can you provide us with
detailed information to the contrary? Bikes are loaned to magazines for review purposes. The
reviews are written after the bike is tested, not before. Again, if you can provide information
to the contrary, I'm sure we'd all be glad to see it. But I can see your point: if a manufacturer
were to give a bike to a reviewer, I would be suspicious of a good review. But in this case,
since not only has the review not been written, and the bike was not given to the reviewer, then
your last statement is meaningless or at least is not applicable in this instance.
--
Larry Varney Cold Spring, KY home.fuse.netlarryvarneyOpen ↗

I'm wondering what percentage of bikes are sold on the internet.. Seems to me that the internet
crowd of recumbent cyclists are more attracted by performance recumbents than the overall population
of bent cyclists. I think that selling only on the internet is possible, but one would have more
success with performance oriented products than entry-level-bikeE type of bents. One big issue
remains, is how would a customer be convinced of buying a product without actually trying it. And
I'm wondering how Bigha is dealing with this situation. I think they are travelling troughout the
country, with promotion team and are offering test rides. However, I doubt that it is sufficient to
attract potential customers.

In other words, to buy on the internet without a test ride, you have to know exactly what you want
and what you're buying, and have general knowledge of bents. All above is only IMHO, And I'd be more
than happy to have yours too!

Felix Audet

"Lorenzo L. Love" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

<snip>

Quoted message said:

When someone pays full price and says it's well worth it, that will be a review that I can
believe. Otherwise, getting a free bike by giving it a good review is pretty meaningless.

I've found if someone has just paid full price for an item they they will always say it was well
worth it - otherwise they would appear to be foolish. Maybe the true test is to see if they the bike
up for sale three months later with 200 miles on it. That's a review of sorts. Or ask them a year
later what they think.

Generally I think I have a pretty good take on whether a review is a ringer or not. For example, I
would not bother to read one of Martin (cant think of his last name) reviews because they seem to be
nothing more than shuck and jive for his latest sponsor neatly interwoven into some cross country
ride infomercial. I think I can tell when a reviewer really likes a bike, doesn't like one, or is
just puffing. I trust the reviews on Bentrider on Line and Recumbent Cyclist News to reflect the
true opinions of their reveiwers. I know Bob Bryant has written on this subject on several occasions
and has been very forthright in presenting his thoughts on the matter.

skip

Felix Audet said:

I'm wondering what percentage of bikes are sold on the internet.. Seems to me that the internet
crowd of recumbent cyclists are more attracted by performance recumbents than the overall
population of bent cyclists. I think that selling only on the internet is possible, but one would
have more success with performance oriented products than entry-level-bikeE type of bents. One big
issue remains, is how would a customer be convinced of buying a product without actually trying it.

I wasn't that long ago that you couldn't "try before your buy" unless you lived near a small, select
number of cities (at least in the U.S.) or were willing to travel. I don't know what the count is on
the number of shops selling recumbents these days but I bet it's still hard to find one in many
parts of the U.S.

I described my P-38 purchase as a "leap of faith!"

Dave Clary/Corpus Christi, Tx EZ-1SC Pilot (Texas P-38 Squadron Retired) Home:
home.stx.rr.comdclaryOpen ↗ P-38 Stuff: geocities.comtexasp38.htmlOpen ↗ Never
Forget: politicsandprotest.orgpoliticsandprotest.orgOpen ↗

Larry Varney said:

Lorenzo L. Love said:

But you obviously don't like it enough to actually pay for it. I would like a Rolex watch too,
but not enough to actually pay for one. They aren't worth it.

Are there any experienced recument riders that are paying $3000.00 for a Bigha? The way the bike
is being marketed is to avoid experienced riders and target people new to recumbents, maybe new
to biking all together, who don't know any better then to pay this kind of price for a low
performance bike, no matter how nice the finish.

When someone pays full price and says it's well worth it, that will be a review that I can
believe. Otherwise, getting a free bike by giving it a good review is pretty meaningless.

Lorenzo L. Love home.thegrid.net~llloveOpen ↗

Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand

Bikes are not given to magazines in exchange for good reviews. At least, I am not aware of such
arrangements between any of the bike companies and the magazines. Can you provide us with
detailed information to the contrary? Bikes are loaned to magazines for review purposes. The
reviews are written after the bike is tested, not before. Again, if you can provide information
to the contrary, I'm sure we'd all be glad to see it. But I can see your point: if a
manufacturer were to give a bike to a reviewer, I would be suspicious of a good review. But in
this case, since not only has the review not been written, and the bike was not given to the
reviewer, then your last statement is meaningless or at least is not applicable in this
instance.

'BentRider wrote: "I usually get them through ad trades or something like that. Occasionally I do
buy bikes for personal use but usually not at retail. This shouldn't be a shock to anyone."

No shock that someone who writes a favorable review and gives away ad space can get a bike for free
or below cost.

Where are the experienced recumbent riders that are paying $3000.00 for a Bigha?

Lorenzo L. Love home.thegrid.net~llloveOpen ↗

Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand