London e-bike dealer Electrip Bikes has been accused of running a misleading crowdfunding campaign for its upcoming Three Phase One bike. The brand’s Indiegogo page indicates it has raised over £400,000 for a bike it claims to have designed – but many believe the same bike was already available elsewhere under a different name.
“We didn’t design this bike just to be ridden,” reads Electrip’s campaign copy. “We designed it to be seen, taking our time to create the perfect blend of Dutch design and exceptional engineering.”
Further down the page, the firm states that an initial concept was, “realised after many hours of 3D modelling,” in 2019.
However, on the Shitty Kickstarters Reddit, one user says that Electrip simply, “slapped their name on a cheap e-bike, made a slick video and erased the actual name of the product – one that has been sold around the world for years.”
The Reddit user then links to a Petrigo 700 e-bike on global wholesale trade website Alibaba.com and also highlights the image used alongside a recent Electrip Indiegogo update, which appears to have been posted to the Petrigo Facebook page in 2019.
Indiegogo funding appears to have been issued to Electrip, which has since been posting production updates – for example, sourcing alternate Shimano parts after failing to secure enough Tektro disc brakes.
Electrip have been contacted for comment.
Earlier this year, our sister site road.cc reported how a number of backers had been left underwhelmed by the Indiegogo campaign for the Superstrata 3D printed bike.
At the time of writing, many were still awaiting delivery, while the bikes that had been sent out seemed a long way from the sleek prototype originally shown.
