Upway, a marketplace for reconditioned e-bikes, has launched the VanMoof Revival Program, offering owners of the Dutch brand’s e-bikes the opportunity to register online and have their bike repaired if needed.
Starting from September 1, Upway will open 500 repair slots spanning the next 12 months available to VanMoof bike owners in order of registration. Riders are encouraged to register now as the number of slots is limited due to the availability of certain spare parts.
The programme is being offered to owners of VanMoof bikes located in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and New York.
The development follows VanMoof being declared bankrupt last month, leaving many riders worried about the future of their e-bikes as any repairs need to be made at a shop with VanMoof-specific parts. Since then, second-hand listings have also started appearing on websites such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
Those who do own a VanMoof bike and want it repaired by Upway must register via an online form, and will be added to the waiting list. Riders will be emailed when the booking slots open and will then be asked to enter information including model and year of the bike, and the type of problem encountered.
The cost of the service will include a $99 fee that covers the bike’s collection, inspection, and return. The quote will also include the cost of the spare parts necessary to repair the bike. Upway’s mechanics will complete the repairs and return the bike with an estimated four week turnaround time.
If the bike is not repairable, Upway says it can either offer the owner a buyout offer to recover the spare parts, or it will return the bike free of charge.
> Upway raises another €23m as investors eye sharp growth in second-hand e-bike market
An Amsterdam judge declared Dutch entities VanMoof Global Holding BV, VanMoof BV and Van Moof Global Support BV bankrupt on July 17. Micromobility.com then submitted a non-binding bid to acquire the e-bike brand, but CEO Salvatore Palella recently announced that this has been rejected by trustees, also tweeting rumours that VanMoof founders, the Carlier brothers, may be bidding to take control via a shell company.
The Verge has also listed KKR, a US-based investment group that also owns Dutch bike conglomerate Accell Group, as a potential bidder, as well as bike giants like Trek and Giant - although Giant has since denied interest.
