YAMAHA POWER ASSIST BICYCLES
It has two wheels, a motor, and it’s a Yamaha. What’s not to love?
Yamaha launched the world’s first electrically power assisted bicycle in 1993. Since then Yamaha has led the way, constantly innovating the most natural feeling power assist bicycles – to empower millions worldwide. Now, Yamaha’s legendary product performance, innovative design, quality and reliability is available to bicycle riders in the U.S.
GearShift teamed up with Yamaha to introduce this all-new full line of Yamaha Power Assist Bicycles to the US market. Despite having been around for approximately 25 years, e-bikes have just begun taking off here in the US. As one can guess, these unique products come with a special set of market challenges.
It’s a known fact: city living comes with the burden of heavy traffic, which leaves many searching for alternative forms of travel. E-bikes being a great option. Not only are they practical, but they’re addictively fun to ride (just like Yamaha motorcycles are). With e-bikes, you no longer need to fight for parking spaces or pay for gas when commuting. E-bikes are steadfastly becoming more popular as recreational options for street and off-road as well. For years, e-bikes have been rented by tourist while on travel excursions. That introduction had led consumers to seek purchasing one of their own upon their return home.
Naturally, however, there are some challenges. One of which has been winning over traditional cyclists. That’s where we came in – to help traditional cyclists re-imagine their electric-powered riding peers as redeemed drivers, rather than fallen athletes. Additionally, there is an important transportation and recreational void these new bicycles fill.
Here’s a quick breakdown of Yamaha’s 4 e-bikes:
The “Urban Rush”: for commuting and hardcore road cyclists, its mantra is to “Conquer Every Day.” As the name insinuates, this bike instills confidence; it’s quick, with the perfect blend of power, style, and speed to fit your needs.
“Cross Connect,” which was engineered for commuting and exploration. Designed to help you expand your world in comfort, Cross Connect invites you to get outside and get lost. It’s you, redefined.
“Live Generation Go.” A Cross Core e-bike, it allows you to go in style, go beyond, and go your way. Ride to work, jet around town, or discover a new workout.
Lastly, the e-bike to entice mountain bikers and adventure seekers – the YDX-Torc “Power to Explore.” Engineered for more adventure, more trails, and more hills and distance than you ever imagined, this bike speaks to mountain bikers and adrenaline junkies. One ride and you’ll leave with more energy to tackle whatever life adventure is next on your list.
As e-bike enthusiasts ourselves, GearShift was proud to lead this 360-degree marketing effort. From full branding, including strategy, logos, colors, brand look-and-feel, to video production, digital, tradeshow and retail POP, we completely entrenched ourselves in the lifestyle.
Fun facts about e-bikes.
E-bikes turn people into daily riders. 55 percent of e-bikers rode their standard bike weekly or daily before the purchase. After the purchase, weekly or daily biking rose to 93 percent. Even the few (6%) who had never ridden bikes as an adult were now riding weekly or daily. Twenty-eight percent of the survey respondents said they bought an e-bike specifically to replace car trips.
Consider, too, that more than half of all driving trips are shorter than 10 miles, with some surveys reporting that the average single-trip distance is just 5.95 miles. That’s a no-brainer trip to take by e-bike. In fact, the e-bike survey found that owners replaced 46 percent of their car commutes and 30 percent of their driving errands with e-bike rides. All you need is a great commuter bag to carry your stuff, and you’re set.
This is just the beginning for the Power Assist Bicycle division at Yamaha. We are closely collaborating with the Yamaha team on future endeavors.
