If you look at the streets of Paris

@ericcrackschina

100.3K followers · usually 6.0K views a post

Views

56.1K

Likes

4.1K

Comments

103

659

SoundTikTok sound · original sound - ericcrackschina

Why it worked

The video likely performed well due to its contrarian take on the e-bike industry, exposing the hidden supply chain mechanics and offering a provocative perspective on Western startups. The 'plug-and-play' aspect and the direct advice to founders likely resonated with entrepreneurs and investors interested in the mobility sector.

Summary

The video argues that the Western e-bike boom is an illusion, with startups relying on Chinese manufacturing hubs like Wuxi for components. It highlights how Wuxi's established ecosystem allows for rapid, low-cost production, making Western startups' R&D efforts redundant. The speaker advises founders to leverage this existing infrastructure rather than reinventing the wheel.

Structure

1Introduction to the e-bike boom and Western startups' approach
2The reality: dependence on Wuxi, China's manufacturing hub
3How Wuxi's ecosystem enables 'plug-and-play' e-bike production
4The low barrier to entry and advice for founders
5Call to action: leverage Wuxi's ecosystem and contact the speaker

Product placement

The video discusses the manufacturing of e-bikes, showing factories and components in China (specifically Wuxi). It contrasts this with Western startups' approach to e-bike design and production, implying that Western companies are essentially assembling components sourced from China.

Call to action

Send me a message, let's talk about sourcing from Wuxi cluster.

Original caption

The Mobility Myth- Why Your $3,000 E-Bike is Just a "Wuxi Lego Set" How a Chinese motorcycle hub pivoted to electric components and turned Western mobility startups into nothing more than overseas assembly and marketing agencies. Discover why the E-bike boom is just a massive supply chain arbitrage. Build the audience, not the motor. Send me a message, let's talk about sourcing from Wuxi cluster. #EricOnChina #EricSourcing #SourcingChina #SourcingExpert #SourcingAgent #ChinaSourcing #GlobalBusiness #SupplyChain #BuyerInsights #Wuxi #EBike #Mobility #TechStartups #TechCEO #ElectricBikes

More from @ericcrackschina

On-screen text

If you look at the streets of Paris London or New York E-bikes are taking over Western startups are raising hundreds of millions of dollars in VC money They charge $3,000 a bike and they call themselves 'Tech Companies' But as a supply chain expert I'm here to tell you that the Western E-bike boom is an illusion Those startups aren't inventing anything They are completely dependent on a gritty former motorcycle manufacturing town in China called Wuxi Today I'm going to show you why Western mobility startups are just overseas assembly plants for the Chinese ecosystem Here is the absurd reality of the mobility industry Western founders hire expensive engineers to 'design a new e-bike' They spend 18 months trying to optimize the motor and the battery management system Meanwhile, in Wuxi the factories that used to build millions of gas motorcycles have completely pivoted They didn't just build factories they built a Syndicate The motors the lithium cells the controllers and the aluminum frames are already standardized To a factory boss in Wuxi a $3000 Western E-bike is just a 'Lego set' They perfected the R&D five years ago Why is this so disruptive? Because the Hidden Logic of the EV supply chain is 'Plug-and-Play' If you want to build an E-bike brand you don't need a lab You literally walk into the Wuxi cluster pick a Tier-1 motor from one catalog a high-density battery from another and slap your custom- designed frame around it They are just buying off-the- shelf components from a Chinese ecosystem that is lightyears ahead of them Here is my strategic advice for every mobility founder and VC in 2026 The barrier to entry for building a smart vehicle has dropped to zero Do not waste your funding trying to reinvent a motor that Wuxi already mass- produces for $60 if you want to win in the E- bike market you take the Wuxi ODM ecosystem as your baseline You spend your capital on Software Branding and Local Distribution You don't build the tech you build the audience Stop pretending to be a hardware engineer Plug into the syndicate that actually owns the road I'm Eric Think of me as your buyer office in China If you are a founder ready to launch your brand using the Wuxi ecosystem send me a message Let's get you to market See you

Transcript

If you look at the streets of Paris, London or New York, E-bikes are taking over. Western startups are raising hundreds of millions of dollars in VC money. They charge $3,000 a bike and they call themselves 'Tech Companies'. But as a supply chain expert, I'm here to tell you that the Western E-bike boom is an illusion. Those startups aren't inventing anything. They are completely dependent on a gritty, former motorcycle manufacturing town in China called Wuxi. Today, I'm going to show you why Western mobility startups are just overseas assembly plants for the Chinese ecosystem. Here is the absurd reality of the mobility industry. Western founders hire expensive engineers to 'design a new e-bike'. They spend 18 months trying to optimize the motor and the battery management system. Meanwhile, in Wuxi, the factories that used to build millions of gas motorcycles have completely pivoted. They didn't just build factories, they built a syndicate. The motors, the lithium cells, the controllers, and the aluminum frames are already standardized. To a factory boss in Wuxi, a $3,000 Western E-bike is just a 'Lego set'. They perfected the R&D five years ago. Why is this so disruptive? Because the hidden logic of the EV supply chain is 'Plug-and-Play'. If you want to build an E-bike brand, you don't need a lab. You literally walk into the Wuxi cluster, pick a Tier-1 motor from one catalog, a high-density battery from another, and slap your custom-designed frame around it. They are just buying off-the-shelf components from a Chinese ecosystem that is lightyears ahead of them. Here is my strategic advice for every mobility founder and VC in 2026: The barrier to entry for building a smart vehicle has dropped to zero. Do not waste your funding trying to reinvent a motor that Wuxi already mass-produces for $60. If you want to win in the E-bike market, you take the Wuxi ODM ecosystem as your baseline. You spend your capital on Software, Branding and Local Distribution. You don't build the tech, you build the audience. Stop pretending to be a hardware engineer. Plug into the syndicate that actually owns the road. I'm Eric. Think of me as your buyer office in China. If you are a founder ready to launch your brand using the Wuxi ecosystem, send me a message. Let's get you to market. See you.