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The Dutch startup of Bike Vanmoof bike is back two years after bankruptcy with its first model designed under new leadership. And despite the past criticisms according to which the excessive deliberation of Vanmoof on personalized parts led to the fall of the company, the S6 sticks to the tailor -made design of the brand’s brand.
Today, Vanmoof bets that better quality personalized parts, alongside a more robust service network, will allow it to remain faithful to its core for design and rich in technology, while avoiding the repair and maintenance of traps which have emerged from the scaling of a specialized product too quickly.
“I do not think there is a reason for Vanmoof to exist if we want to use standard parts like everyone else,” the CO-PDG Elliot Wertheimer told Techcrunch behind the scenes of micromobility Europe in Brussels this week. “We are here to push the design, to have a bicycle which, if you have never mounted an electric bike in your life, you go there and it’s intuitive. Easy, like an iPhone.”
Vanmoof previously raised more than $ 200 million in venture capital and have won a following cult For its minimalist electric bikes, equipped with lights, batteries and integrated engines.
Vanmoof’s unique sales argument has become its greater responsibility. Like many material companies supported by companies, the company has grown too quickly to operate in a sustainable manner. When bikes broke, customers have remained blocked by an underdeveloped repair network and a limited offer – a consequence of the company’s decision to use personalized parts instead of standard components.
The startup took stock in July 2023. A month later, it was recovered by Maker e-scooter LavoieA commercial division of McLaren applied, which was itself part of the McLaren group which builds parts for the McLaren F1.
Wertheimer said that with the support of McLaren Applied Formula 1 expertise, Vanmoof was able to rethink each component that had caused problems in past models, using performance data to create more reliable personalized parts. Many of these parts are designed with large manufacturers, which not only ensures quality, but also the availability of parts if something happens again in Vanmoof, according to Wertheimer.
In certain areas of the company, Vanmoof has sold a more standard approach to industry. The company’s batteries, for example, are now designed and manufactured by Panasonic; Vanmoof only provides mechanical and software integration. Previously, Vanmoof had led on the design of the battery.
The real critical piece, however, is an improved support network, according to Wertheimer.
“We have corrected all of the activities, the unit economy, logistics and after-sales service,” said Wertheimer. “We couldn’t go out with something new before setting up the infrastructure to do so.”
Vanmoof has built a network of 250 repair centers and 130 sales partners, and concentrates sales on markets such as Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
“We have built a technological suite to [our repair partners] In terms of the place where they can buy components, a diagnostic application, an appropriate monitoring system that follows the parts that took place where, and this will facilitate guarantee complaints, “said Wertheimer, adding that Vanmoof has set up an online training course for mechanical partners.” It is super well set up and that we increase the network quickly. We add 10 stores per week. »»
Vanmoof also hopes to be launched in the United States by the end of 2025. However, Wertheimer said that these plans were blocked when the company is waiting to see how President Trump’s prices policy is taking place.
The company has already started making reservations for the S6 in its current active markets and plans to deliver the first thousand vehicles at the beginning of August.
The Vanmoof S6: A New Hope
Customers were already complained of slow repair time before Vanmoof’s letter stopping In 2023. When he went bankrupt, some customers were blocked with broken bikes; Other deposits for new bikes were hundreds of dollars. Confidence in the brand has dropped.
Although some may never forgive Vanmoof for its failures, the new S6 could well help customers remember why they loved the brand in the first place.
I gave a quick rotation to the S6 this week in Brussels and I was delighted to finally understand why so many runners had become Gaga for Vanmoof.
It’s a sexy bike. The S6 has an emblematic Vanmoof setting, made even more elegant without visible welding. It also presents itself in several matte colors, including an “electric blue” which looked more like lilac, and a pearl mint which wertheimer called “changes in the light” from white to green.
“We spent a lot of time on colors,” he said.
Technological features are also impressive. Wertheimer said that the company had redesigned the electronic suite with the help of Applied McLaren to ensure longevity even after the bicycle has passed its rhythms in the rain, cold, heat and other conditions.
The S6 platform offers other features than Vanmoof fans will recognize, such as the halo ring which replaces a traditional display and shines in different colors to hold the runners informed of the life and the speed of the battery. The halo on the S6 is much brighter, treating complaints of models from it being too low in direct sunlight.
The new technological features include integrated navigation which associates the bicycle with a mobile application that accompanies it, providing rotating directions via Halo lights and sounds. There is also a new sound ecosystem, which includes a sweet, but firm sound and similar to a cricket, that a rider can use in place of a bell to alert other road users to their presence.
The anti-theft features came standard on almost all Vanmoof E-Bike models, but Wertheimer says that the S6 is even better.
“We have a new monitoring system that is much more precise,” he said, noting that the system is based on the triangulation of the cell tower, the GPS signal, WiFi and Bluetooth to determine the location of the vehicle within 2 meters.
Wertheimer also said that Vanmoof would soon introduce accident detection and other security features.
As for the pipe itself, the S6 improved mechanical shift system is removed from the factory and automatically adjusts depending on the speed, allowing a more fluid moment. It also works in tandem with the four levels of pedal assistance of the bicycle. The front wheel engine, co-developed with “a large Japanese manufacturer”, contributes to a more natural and intuitive driving experience. And the new suspension seatpost manages the bumps on the road well. For a bike that weighs only 51 pounds, it is surprisingly robust.
And, of course, the emblematic Boost button adds this little punch, which means that the runners feel like just driving on a mushroom at Mario Kart.
“When we resumed Vanmoof, we inherited an excellent design and an impressive product ecosystem,” said Wertheimer. “We have spent two years rebuilding our business and our brand to reach this launch … We are ready to show the world what we can do again. This is what we see in the S6, our vehicle which can hold 11 years of promises. ”
