Low Is The New Regular

Calling all vehicles, calling all vehicles. Be looking out for an e-bike rider who ran a lightweight and fled police at excessive pace:

And right here he’s, placing a foot all the way down to do a high-speed tripod flip and all the things:

Maybe the Monmouth County police ought to come to the Bronx the place that is EVERY SINGLE RIDER ON AN EBIKE, as a result of I see that man twelve instances earlier than I even get to the nook.

In the meantime, in different e-bike information, Rad Energy is dealing with “vital monetary challenges:”

Awww…

I imply certain, that good household who participates of their native “bike bus” makes use of every person, however severely, what the hell are we even doing right here?

As the worldwide electrical bike market exploded, Rad took on one other $150 million in 2021 from big-name buyers equivalent to Counterpoint World (Morgan Stanley), Constancy Administration & Analysis Firm, The Rise Fund, the worldwide impression investing platform managed by TPG, and funds and accounts suggested by T. Rowe Value Associates.

Later that 12 months, as ridership surged, Rad raised one other $154 million.

In April 2022, the corporate started a collection a layoffs, slashing 100 jobs from its 725-person workforce as a part of what it described as a restructuring. One other 63 workers have been minimize in July, and extra adopted in December.

Are you kidding me?!? This isn’t the automotive trade. It’s BIKES! How are we even speaking about numbers like this?!? A motorbike ought to simply be some steel tubes welded collectively and a few pulleys, levers, and cables. THAT’S IT! It shouldn’t be potential to blow by way of over $300 million in 4 years when you’re one firm within the enterprise of promoting bicycles. High quality, I assume you want larger corporations to make stuff like derailleurs and shifters, and naturally the enterprise of getting steel out of the bottom within the first place and turning it into tubing is an entire different factor, however as soon as that’s achieved all you really want is a number of individuals to place the issues collectively, and then you definitely want a number of extra individuals to promote the issues. Actually, as soon as the uncooked supplies are refined and the parts cast and drawn and extruded or no matter else they do, the largest single entity in all of this must be the bike store, and that’s solely as a result of prospects are idiots and it’s arduous to clarify bikes to them and restore their bikes and work a register in an effort to lastly take their cash (whereas they complain about having to provide you cash) on the identical time, particularly on that first good spring weekend after they all drag their piece-of-crap bike out of the basement and anticipate you you to make it rideable for them, and so after all you want a employees of individuals with a highschool schooling to make this work.

However to blow by way of $300 million and don’t have anything to indicate for it? That requires somebody with actual enterprise expertise:

Although it seems like he bought out whereas the getting was good, which I suppose is the place the enterprise expertise comes into play.

Luckily I don’t have to fret about that stuff, with regards to bikes all I do is experience them and mouth off about them:

And with temperatures dipping into the 40s on the American Freedom Scale™ I’m now in search of shelter amongst the timber:

That’s after all the Platypus:

And it’s sporting an earlier prototype of the OM-1 derailleur:

As a result of course I used to be instrumental in its testing and growth:

I ponder what Rivendell may do with a funding spherical of $150 million…