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In this INSIDER newsletter:
40 weeks Alinker classes - Designed for determination
ZOOM webinar - Saturday 17th
Michael Sigler - out and about
BE's hive - curiosity versus judgement - price increase
Availability - last of this inventory
Kevin shows Alinker - in and out of car
and useful links
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Our gift to you - 1 free class per week
Designed for your determination
Over the next 40 weeks we will share 1 Alinker class per week with you. 40 different Alinker classes were specifically developed for the Alinker, for new users to get used to it, and experienced users to build muscle and activate the brain more actively.
Our share for you: Strength workout with partner (can be done without partner)
We are going to share them each week in a completely random order. They range from 10 minute to 30 minute classes, have range of motion, strength building, stretching, gait, dance and yoga classes.
If you are a new user, it might be best to start with the short instruction videos. Here is the playlist of 80 Alinker specific instruction videos.
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Tomorrow - Alinker Technical Webinar - LIVE
Saturday July 17th, 2021 at 9 AM PST - 12 PM EST
Register HERE in advance for this webinar
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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Michael Sigler is out and about again
Michael lives in Seattle and has had his Alinker since April 2019. Since he uses the Alinker he is out and about again and loves to share his suggestions for taking it on a bus, streetcar or ferries generously with people in the Alinker Family group on Facebook. When you want to join this group of more than 500 Alinker users from all over the world, be sure to answer the 4 questions so we can admit you. Then you can see everything Michael (and many other Alinker users) shares.
Here are a couple of his shares:
"I posted separate series of photos riding around Seattle on public transit. One for bus, monorail, Washington state ferry, light rail and for street cars. So you will have to scroll down for each separate postings. Hope this will help you to consider public transit with your Alinker. I can use my transit card in Six counties while living in Seattle."
This photo shows the Alinker on a streetcar. We have 2 lines one is called the S.L.U.T South Lake Union Trolley ( the mayor of the time wasn't thinking (lol). The one pictured is the Capital Hill line in Seattle. You have 2 options on parking the Alinker. One is in the designated wheelchair spot or the one in the picture in the Bicycle parking spot. I normally use this spot and sitting on my Alinker.
Here I am on the bus as you can see. I board the bus riding my Alinker and fold it up to spin it around to face the front of the bus then unfold it. I am sitting behind the driver on this trip you will notice in one of the photos I shot is showing the other side I prefer to sit on that side easier to see my stop.
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BE's hive
Why do we increase our prices? Are you curious?
Recently we announced that we need to increase the price of the Alinkers. That announcement triggered a flurry of angry emails from people, most of them again with not very kind language, accusing us of taking advantage, being greedy, expressing how disappointed they are in us, how dare we, and things I will not share here.
When I read notes like that, I often wonder what the world would be like, if we would be willing to approach each other with curiosity, rather than judgment based on assumptions.
If you don't like others to assume things about you, don't make assumptions and allegations to others without knowing what the motivations are. Can I invite us all to be more curious instead of judge?
A few weeks ago a woman called me and blasted out: "I just want to tell you that I think it is appalling how you rip off handicapped people" (end quote). I answered: "Wow, it must feel awful to feel ripped off." She responded quit startled: "What did you say?" I said: " I hear you have a lot of experience with being ripped off, tell me about it, that must be horrible." The whole conversation changed, because it was for the first time in years, that someone listened to her, acknowledged her.
You know, I get it, people are mad, are often ripped off, not treated with kindness and discarded by a system that makes money over our sick backs. I get it. So what I do is listen and acknowledge the detrimental consequences this society has on us. Showing up in kindness, understanding what someone might experience, not taking their anger personal, does not cost anything, it is a practice.
In the meantime, let me give you some insights in why the price of the Alinkers needs to go up, and then, I would like to be completely transparent about what we do with our sales margin, how we spend our funds.
Effect of pandemic on bike industry
Since the pandemic the demand for bicycles has gone up dramatically, putting pressure on Taiwan. There is more demand than supply, which creates scarcity, and scarcity drives the prices up. After an increase of just over 20% since 2019, retail prices of bikes will go up another 10-25%.
Exchange rates are up by 9%, Material costs are up from cardboard 10%, aluminum 15%, steel 20-30% and rubber 50%. Labour shortages in Taiwan limit the factories to increase production, and labour cost passed on to the bike factories. Ocean freight increased and added $15-$25 per bike. This data is from BRAIN, read the full article here. LINK
What is a sales margin
Retail prices of bikes are generally 3 to 8 times the cost of goods (i.e it costs $100, it is sold for $300-$800), and for mobility devices paid for by insurances, can be up to 20 times the cost of goods. (i.e it costs $100 to make, it retails for up to $2000)
We sell the Alinker at less than 2,5 times the cost, and with the price increases as mentioned above, the cost of goods has increased, and now we are selling at just over 2 times the cost. The lowest margin in the world. So, if we want to be able to have a business, get people who want to on Alinkers, and use our business as a vehicle for change, we need to increase the prices.
On what do we spend our funds?
Well, we don't pay a big CEO salary, instead we all have a living wage, including me. We do not contribute to a sick medical system, in which the Alinker would cost 2.5 times as much, not benefitting the people who need one, instead we make Alinkers accessible through a 0% rent to won and our integrated crowdfunding platform that already supported 180 campaigns to complete - this equates to some 10% of Alinkers sold in the last couple of years. We make sure that all the people in our supply chain are treated well, we check that all our manufacturers have air and water treatment and protective gear for their people, and pay more than minimum wages. We have a negative carbon footprint, we are more than carbon neutral, having planted 42,096 trees. Half of our Alinker team, plus 5 of our 7 distributors are Alinker users who used to be unemployed who are respected as a whole human being, rather than discarded as a body with a problem. We created the Alinker Academy, the Alinker Family Farm in Kentucky where we launched our cradle2cradle program and have built the Alinker Family where people are seen and heard, plus we are a certified BCorp, using our business as a force for good.
Together we can move differently, together... |
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These are the last Alinkers for this price
In Canada - the Smalls have sold out
and there are only a few Mediums left
The US inventory will run out in August
next shipment to Canada will be March 2022 (tbc)
next shipment to USA will be September 2021 (tbc)
Get yours now
BUT
Please do not get an Alinker if you are not determined to try it out for 30 days.
Rent to own does not have a 30 day return possibility
Getting used to the Alinker might take a few weeks of adjusting
It requires an understanding that growth happens by moving through discomfort
Please measure your inseam well and talk to us, we have a lot of suggestions and knowledge
On your doorstep in 2 - 3 weeks in Canada and USA
(except the Small in Canada)
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In and out the car
Kevin worked from 5 minutes a day to now doing 90 minutes run every day. Kevin shared, reflecting on the pandemic period: "I hesitate to think where I would be if I hadn’t had my Alinker which was delivered just as Covid shut everything down. I quickly realized how valuable a tool it is for maintaining one’s health both physical and emotional."
He loves to share how he takes the Alinker out of the car, and how to put it back in. You can find Kevin as one of our active members on Alinker Family
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Useful links
Who to contact in your country
Before contacting us directly, please review our FAQs
Czech Rep, Poland, Slovakia: EMAIL
Switzerland, Germany, Austria: EMAIL
For all international inquiries outside our distribution regions email here
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