Words Alex Stevens
Images Supplied

Kim is the son of the founder of Avanti Bikes and joined parent company, Sheppard Industries, in 1996, working his way up from a job in the warehouse to country manager. It was here that he met Stephen James who joined Sheppard Industries in 2002, having also learnt his trade in bicycle retail with his family business through the early 1990s.

With a shared love of cycling and a mission to, “make biking more accessible, affordable and enjoyable for more people” Kim and Stephen joined forces in 2019 and founded Sinch electric bikes. Focusing on quality and innovation, they’re committed to revolutionising the way people commute and explore their surroundings.

We sat down with Kim and Stephen for a Q&A to find out more about what drives them and how, in just a few years, Sinch has been gaining traction in the market.

What sets Sinch apart from other eBike manufacturers in the market?

We are Kiwis designing eBikes for local NZ conditions. As we are local, we can adapt to local feedback and tailor our bikes to meet the specifications suited to NZ conditions. Other brands get a catalogue to pick from and a lot of their bikes are not necessarily suited to NZ conditions. Also, being a tight team, we can make decisions quickly as we don’t need to go through corporate levels to make decisions.

Quality, innovation, and environmental stewardship seem to stand out as core values for Sinch. Could you talk about how you manage and prioritise these?

We pride ourselves as market leaders in bringing in new innovation early – a lot quicker than the competition. Being a tight team also means decisions are made really quickly to deliver these early in the market. We listen to local feedback and also try to deliver what the market wants.

A recent example of this is the Force EZ family – there was a need for a step-thru dual suspension and last year we delivered what the market was asking for. Our goal is to offer Kiwis a New Zealand-designed product that offers the best value for money in the marketplace.

Quality is always a top priority – we hand- select components that deliver our riders a safe and confidence-inspiring ride. We are continuously working on our sustainability programme and working with suppliers to reduce our carbon footprint.

Could you tell us about the move to Bosch eBike Systems? Why did you decide to make that shift and does it play a key part in Sinch’s future?

We recently launched a new family of bikes under the ‘Force’ family using Bosch eBike Systems. We thought this would be a good opportunity to partner with Bosch and strengthen our brand with the introduction of our E Dual Suspension bikes.

As a new partner to Bosch, they have supported us through the development phase and especially helped us with testing of the Force EZ Belt which has market-leading technology integrating the Enviolo stepless automatic technology with the Bosch smart system.

It’s appreciated to have this local support and backup during the development of technical products. We feel this (having local support and backup) is a critical factor for riders when buying an eBike.

The eBike market is really diverse – do you think there are key models or types of riding here in New Zealand that have led to product innovations or how you build a model around it?

Each market is different and we have the advantage of being a New Zealand brand where we design bikes for New Zealand conditions. Being local and in touch with riders, we are getting feedback which we consider for future production. We have the ability to change quickly if needed in order to keep improving and providing our riders with better and better bikes.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in promoting eBiking in New Zealand and how have you overcome them?

Several challenges come to mind, the first being riders often think buying a cheaper eBike, due to the price, is a better option. We are trying to educate riders that you need to buy quality and have local backup and support. There are a lot of cheap eBikes out there that are not reliable and saving money short term will come back and hurt you in the long term.

Always look for branded drive units you are aware of. The second challenge we have is educating riders how to ride an eBike efficiently. You need to ride an eBike like a normal bike and use the assist modes to help you when needed.

The third is people still think they are not getting exercise when riding an eBike. An eBike has different levels of assist modes so you can choose the level of assistance you get. You can even turn this off and ride your eBike like a normal bike with no assistance.

How do you envision the future of urban mobility, and what role do you see Sinch playing in that future?

As cycle infrastructure improves cycling will become an important of transportation. As this market grows we will need to design bikes that suit urban mobility.

What are some of the most exciting developments or upcoming projects we can expect from Sinch?

To date, the most exciting and most challenging was developing the Force EZ. This was a market- led designed product and we designed this directly from market feedback. The engineering designing the frame was a two year project and what we have delivered is amazing. A step thru dual suspension has so many different forces than a normal dual suspension – we are stoked with the ride quality we have achieved.

How do you ensure the quality and reliability of Sinch bikes, and what kind of support do you offer customers?

We set very high quality standards across our range. We start with very strict frame testing standards – ISO International standards. We then hand-select components that are suited to each individual bike with the rider’s intentions in mind. Another key factor of this is making sure we have local backup and support in New Zealand. We only sell our bikes through the independent bicycle dealer network, where we have partnered with 30+ dealers throughout New Zealand. We also have close contact with a lot of riders where they can contact us directly if needed.

Lastly, what advice would you give to someone considering purchasing their first electric bike from Sinch Bikes NZ?

Our advice would be to make sure you buy a quality eBike and buy a bra An eBikended motor that you have heard of and is backed up and supported locally. Don’t try and save money by buying a cheaper eBike. Talk to one of our Sinch Experience centres – you can find these on our website. We also offer a ‘book a call’ where you can talk to us and we can help you with any questions. We look forward to having you on a Sinch Bike soon – support local!