VanMoof, a Dutch e-bike specialist, has been on headlines of the bicycle industry several times in recent months, and not exactly for a good reason. You can read the story about the brand’s bankruptcy in several of our previous articles, but in essence, the brand’s highly proprietary technology resulted in a lot, and I mean a lot, of bikes breaking down. Due to the sheer number of unrepaired bikes, the company was forced to close its doors.
Back in September 2023, it was announced that VanMoof was to be given a second lease on life. This was provided by Lavoie, McLaren’s subsidiary devoted to electric mobility. Now, the company has stated that the first batch of revived VanMoof bikes are set to roll out soon – pointing to a possible bright future for the Dutch e-bike brand. Of course, the resurgence of a problem-laden brand will not come without major restructuring, and indeed, this is what Lavoie has in store for VanMoof.
As part of the reset, VanMoof is expected to undergo a thorough reorg, consisting of internal restructuring in the hopes of delivering a sustainable and reliable product to its end-users. Lavoie is anticipated to roll out revisions to VanMoof’s design and production, emphasizing quality over quantity, as well as revamping the company’s points of sale and authorized repair shops.
It’s in terms of service that VanMoof hopes to redeem itself. An article by German publication E-Bike News states that Lavoie is eyeing a shift in strategy for VanMoof, focusing on service improvements, enhanced availability of spare parts, as well as, and possibly most importantly, the partnership with third-party service providers to cater to a wider user base.
Now, while all these anticipated changes are indeed promising, the report states that previous warranty claims under the former management may not be resolved under the restructuring. Of course, this raises concerns for recent customers of the brand, who had hoped for some resolution following Lavoie’s claim of VanMoof. Nevertheless, production restarts are reportedly in the pipeline, and the upcoming models are said to be enhanced with improved technology. Will VanMoof be able to redeem itself in the e-bike world? We’ll have to wait for the new batch of bikes to hit the road to find out for certain.
