DaKineDatFolds

Thanks.

Well at least the laser cutting is happening, albeit remotely.

MrFlamey

Any news? I can't believe I have to ask this question on an internet forum as a paying customer I guess I knew what I was in for when I signed up

Oh, the second/final payment still hasn't been billed, so I'm guessing there has been a delay on the planned schedule for pre-orders too. Are bikes getting built on-site yet?

jur

Update happening this coming weekend.

Last update showed welding tests but also that the final welding torch was still not delivered. So at that update, no frames have yet been built using production equipment, which is the aim for submitting frames for testing. Since then, the laser cutter should have been delivered, and training and programming taken place. We'll see if that has happened in a few days. Hopefully also the final welding torch will have been delivered.

Also in the last update, automatic tooling for the CNC machine arrived, and programming and optimising was completed.

So I expect the biggest change from 2 weeks ago to be the laser cutter arrival and commissioning, and some more serious welding tests or even test frame welding.

MrFlamey

Cool. Thanks for the info again, Jur. It definitely helps put my mind at ease to know what's going on. I wonder when the first bike will ship. I'm guessing September Still in doubt mine will arrive this year, but would love to be proven wrong.

DaKineDatFolds

Thanks for your continuing info, jur. Looking forward to your weekend update. For the pre-order people (I'm in that category), have you received any updates that have trickled your direction yet? I never received the one for June.

jur

No further info on the pre-orders. I think Helix ought to keep you informed about changed delivery schedules.

Welding torch has arrived but no welding done with it yet. Laser cutter arrived but not commissioned yet. Seems like a very small incremental change, but we don't have info about all the stuff happening behind the scenes. Anyway, test frames not welded yet. Maybe the North American holiday season is to blame for the slowness? Hardly anybody at work?

DaKineDatFolds

By the time you posted, it was probably 2am in Canada. Last Canadian holiday was Canada Day, July 1st.

DaKineDatFolds

This was forwarded to me from other pre-order customers (I never received my update)...

Estimated completion time of standards compliance testing: end of July.

“We apologize for the delay in sending this update; we know that you have been anxiously waiting since mid June. The most difficult tasks are now behind us and moving forward we are on a clear path to delivering your Helix. As it stands the expected delivery dates have shifted by approximately 3 months and orders that were expected to ship in July will now be delivered in October. We are making amends to increase our production capacity and we will be adding an extra shift to help minimize the delay. We anticipate that all orders will be delivered by the end of the year. We have placed orders for all the longest lead time materials and components. The remaining orders will have to be placed by August 15th. We will send you an update regarding the balance payment then. If you wish to change your drivetrain or other components, you will be able to do so when the balance payment is due.”

MrFlamey

DaKineDatFolds: I didn't get that update either, so thanks for posting it here!

DaKineDatFolds

You're welcome, MrFlamey. When was the last time you received an update? Also, when did you pre-order your Helix? I think I pre-ordered at the end of January, earlier this year.

BassNotBass

You people are real troopers for hanging in there. Is there anyone here who's been waiting 2 years now?

berlinonaut

Hard to imagine as the campaign on Kickstarter started only on Sept. 1st 2015 which is less than two years ago (at least a bit ). On the other hand it ended on Oct. 1st. 2015, so basically every backer of the Helix has been waiting for 21 months now and some forum-members have outed themselves as backers of the Helix.

Mtroup

If those helical hinges are as advertised (the only question mark I have about the bike), it should be well worth the wait. I'm by nature not an early adopter of anything, but I'll definitely be watching to see how people feel about their rides. The fold is really spectacular for a 24" bike. I hope they're as great as they seem.

BassNotBass

So the KickStarter began in Sept 2015? I figured with their Feb 2015 promo video stating that the bike was "coming soon" that the ball would have gotten rolling sooner. I thought the first bikes were projected to be delivered spring of 2016. Man, I thought that a 1.5 year wait for a custom boutique bass was a long time.

berlinonaut

Always a good idea to check facts before posting... Start and end of the campaign are visible in the updates section of the campaign page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...g-bike/updates

But the initial planned delivery date that the campaign claimed was indeed March 2016. Pretty ambitious and way too ambitious with the success of the campaign and all the changes to the bike and the production process after the campaign ended.

BassNotBass

because < 1.5 months made all the difference in the world during a 24 month time span. So some people have been waiting only a little over 22.5 months... not a whole 2 years!

blakcloud

Yes some forum members like to play the "exact game" to prove how right they are. What a shame. I get your post as did most people. It has been a long time coming and it must be frustrating to those who have ordered their bikes. Progress seems to be happening so hopefully for the backers, before 2018.

I found this joke funny the first time I saw it and find it just as funny know. I can't wait for the response "but I put a smiley face with a thumbs up".

Mtroup

I suspect that the long waits will be quickly forgotten after these bikes are delivered.

linberl

My kickstarter e-bike all in one wheel is 2 months late, shipping. I come here to this thread to remind me to be patient. I will be very interested in reading the reviews once you guys get your bikes; it's an amazing design.

BruceMetras

And of course, there is the seemingly endless wait for the ShareRoller V4 backers ..

2_i 

Statistically the first-time products from manufacturers with no prior experience turn out with various wrinkles reflecting the learning experience, even when the principal design is decent. Over time these can be ironed out. In any case, that is the problem for those who invested - I have no interest in the particular design even w/o any of such wrinkles.

jur

Yep I am in the basket of those who are waiting for both.

BruceMetras

Jur, It'll all be good!

berlinonaut

It is not at all about "being right". It is about avoiding an "alternative-facts"-scenario. Somebody is posting "they've been waiting for more than two years" w/o checking if this is true, someone else will read it and it and quote it somewhere else and quickly it will build up momentum to "this guy has been late for more than three, four, five years". Boom, there you are. This mechanism is leading to forum-posts not to be considered trustworthy - which is a problem. Not a huge problem in this special case but one in general. Can in this case easily be avoided w/o any huge research by just looking at the campaign page before posting wrong timelines - takes less than 30s. For me worth the effort - a question of respect towards other forum members as well as towards the creator of the bike.

linberl

Oh, wow, I gave up on that one. It was perfect for what I wanted, but they even stopped answering messages.