VanMoof was once considered a major player in the electric bicycle industry, and one of the most promising manufacturers when it came to active urban mobility. Unfortunately, things haven’t been going too smoothly for the Dutch company, and it had to resort to filing for bankruptcy and ceasing operations in its home country of the Netherlands. We talked about this in more detail in a previous article, and back then it already seemed pretty bad.
A recent report from Electrek seems to suggest that things have taken a turn for the worse even still. VanMoof reportedly put up a sign on the door of its flagship store in Amsterdam reading “We’re Closed,” with fine print at the bottom instructing customers to pick their bikes up between August 16 to 18, 2023. This means that folks who had previously left their bikes in for repairs and servicing would now have to pick up their bikes – presumably in an unrepaired state – before the August 18 deadline.
Electrek’s article doesn’t mention what will happen to unclaimed bikes after August 18, but it does mention that customers are becoming more and more disgruntled with the brand, and understandably so. In fact, the report states that riders rushed to the VanMoof store to pick up their bikes following the brand’s bankruptcy announcement, only to be met with locked doors. This led to riders reporting the company for bike theft, and Dutch police had to issue a statement to ask riders to stop reporting thefts against the company.
We can assume that since the announcement of bankruptcy, VanMoof has not repaired or serviced any of the bikes left with them, so customers will have to find their own way to repair the bikes. Naturally, this is frustrating and worrisome for VanMoof riders who rely on their bikes for their daily mobility. That being said, all hope is not lost, as alternative service and repair options have recently sprung up. For example, De Broers Fietesen in Amersfoort is a VanMoof-certified workshop – back when VanMoof was still operating. Despite VanMoof’s closure, the workshop continues accepting repair and maintenance jobs for the e-bikes.
In an article by NL Times, De Broers Fietesen (translating to “The Bicycle Brothers” in English) owner Tamor Hartogs stated, “We can indeed repair the bicycles without being dependent on VanMoof products. So we don’t need them anymore.” Hartogs explains that his workshop not only maintains and repairs bikes, but makes them more durable and future-proof. “That sounds harsh, but it’s the truth. And I even dare say that the bicycles have become a lot more future-proof this way. They now last longer,” he concluded.
On top of this, Upway, a French company specializing in the repair and refurbishing of e-bikes, recently announced that it was opening its doors to VanMoof customers to help repair and service their bikes. In fact, an article by Bicycle Retailer highlights that Upway has announced a repair program for VanMoof bikes in New York, with an initial 500 repair slots for $99 USD plus parts allocated. The fee includes transportation to Upway’s warehouse in Brooklyn, as well as delivery back to the owner within a four-week timeframe.
