So-called ‘peace of mind’ packages – ongoing anti-theft and maintenance subscriptions – have proven major draws for many VanMoof e-bike owners. The firm has now announced a partnership that will see Dutch users able to schedule servicing at KwikFit locations via the VanMoof app.
VanMoof’s maintenance package costs €298 (£278 in the UK) for three years of cover. If you sign up, the VanMoof app tracks how far you ride and then invites you to get your bike serviced by the firm’s ‘Bike Doctors’ at certain intervals.
It’s a popular service – not least because proprietary tech makes DIY repairs on VanMoof bikes incredibly difficult. (As we highlighted in our review of the VanMoof S3, you can't even change a tyre without a specific tool to remove the security bolts on each wheel.)
This does of course mean that the firm is heavily reliant on the scale and capacity of its service network and thus this new partnership could be quite significant. KwikFit’s e-bike repair service is now pretty well established in the Netherlands and it’s recently been launched here in the UK too.
Cycling Industry News reports that the collaboration has already been trialled in Amsterdam for a couple of months and will now be introduced in the Hague and Utrecht.
All of KwikFit’s e-bike staff will receive special training from VanMoof and will also be supplied with all the specific tools necessary for working on VanMoof e-bikes.
Taco Carlier, the co-founder of VanMoof, commented: “Expanding our service network is the highest priority for VanMoof. In the past two years, we have grown from eight service points to 56 and that should be 80 by the end of the year. KwikFit offers volume, recognisability and quality, so this collaboration is a wonderful and logical step in our ambition.”
Pieter Bikker, E-mobility Director at KwikFit, added: “We look forward to further joining forces with VanMoof. Thanks to this collaboration, we are further expanding the number of brands and types of transport we service for our customers. We want to be an important player in e-mobility in the broadest sense of the word and this collaboration is another important step in this strategy.”
In January, we reported that VanMoof had received further funding to keep its business afloat after auditors refused to sign its financial statements in December.
At the time, the firm said there were doubts about its ability “to continue its activities beyond the first quarter of 2023” unless further investment were secured.
As for the cause of those ills – servicing has been a major cost. Dutch financial newspaper FD has previously reported that one in 10 VanMoof e-bikes was returned to the shop within a year – in large part due to the proprietary tech and resultant issues performing DIY repairs. Its report showed that VanMoof earmarked £7m for warranties and repairs in 2021.
