4.8 ***** - gladly again: Buycycle wants to make buying second-hand bikes safe

8254 used bikes in total, 4655 road bikes and 3599 MTBs, some at temptingly low prices. The range on offer at Buycycle, a relatively new platform for used bikes, is certainly large. And it has grown rapidly since just over a year ago, co-founder Florian Senoner was pleased to report in our interview that they already had 760 racing bikes on offer.

In fact, the Munich-based start-up has taken things to the next level - and not just in terms of the number of used bikes on offer. Following its foundation in spring 2021 and the Launch of the website in the summer of this year, Buycycle has now significantly expanded its range. On the one hand, there are now all kinds of used MTBs - finally. There are now also various searchable sub-categories such as cross-country MTBs or gravel bikes. There are now also so-called Refurbished bikes on the Buycycle website - i.e. MTB or racing bikes that are overhauled in the in-house workshop, repaired if necessary and sold with a two-year warranty.

In this context, Buycycle is planning a subscription model for the refurbished bikes for the coming summer, which is also known from other providers. For 3, 6 or 12 months, you will be able to buy a 6000 euro high-end bike at a comparatively affordable price. And after that, it won't sit unused in the cellar over winter.

Buy a used bike: Buycycle wants to handle everything safely

However, Buycycle's main business is the secure handling of used bicycles. They started out with this claim, as Theo Golditchuk explains to us in an interview. He is the second co-founder and is responsible for marketing and supply at the bike platform. Florian, he and Jonas Jäger founded Buycycle based on their own experience that a lot can go wrong when buying second-hand bikes. Just a few examples that everyone knows if they have ever bought something via eBay, classified adverts or similar: poor pictures, "purchase only against collection", payment only in cash or in advance, goods arrive defective, goods don't arrive at all - seller disappears...

Not so with Buycycle - the online marketplace takes over the entire process that takes place between seller and buyer and offers the security that the money only changes hands when the buyer is satisfied and gives their OK. The logistics are even more practical. No matter where the used dream bike comes from, Buycycle takes care of the transaction. And increasingly throughout Europe. "This opens up a huge search area," explains Theo from Buycycle. "Norwegians buy bikes from Portugal from us without any problems." In fact, the used bike portal now generates half of its turnover outside the DACH region. The transport costs vary greatly: within Germany, 75 euros are added to the purchase price; across the EU, it can be as much as 250 euros. "However, we are working on making transport cheaper for customers," adds Theo. And if necessary, Buycycle also handles returns. There is a two-week right of return for refurbished bikes and 24 hours after receipt of the goods for second-hand purchases.

Where do the bikes on Buycycle come from?

There are basically three ways in which a second-hand bike changes hands at Buycycle. The majority - currently around two thirds - are sales from private sellers to private buyers. The seller offers their bike on the platform. The team checks the details, the pictures and the proposed price. Buycycle also takes action if the asking price is too high or too low, advises the seller and makes a price proposal at the end. In the near future, a "Buyers Guide" will also be available to make it easier to buy the right bike.

A third of the offers come from dealers who want to sell shopkeepers, test bikes or remaining stock at a lower price. The purchase process is then the same. What has so far been kept on a low flame for capacity reasons are the purchases of bikes that are then sold as refurbished bikes. The warehouse is small but full, as we see when we visit the new Buycycle home base. "We actually still tend to buy road bikes because none of us three founders are mountain bikers," laughs marketing man Theo. "But we want to expand this area soon with a view to the bike subscription models."

Refurbished bikes: as good as new?

The first difference with refurbished bikes compared to used bikes is that they come with a two-year warranty - much longer than the Statutory warranty many manufacturers do not offer on their new bikes, apart from the frame. However, the price is significantly lower. Two mountain bikes from the range as examples:

Santa Cruz Hightower R Carbon 2021

• new: 4749 Euro
• refurbished: 3849 Euro
• Savings: 900 euros

Cube Stereo 120 HPC 2021

• new: 2849 Euro
• refurbished: 2100 Euro
• Savings: 749 Euro

In order to be able to honour the warranty, the bikes go through various stages at Buycycle. In addition to the wash station and the technical inspection to check whether the gears, bearings and the like are OK, the technicians in Munich also use an ultrasound to examine carbon frames. While suspicious dents or chipped paint on aluminium frames quickly reveal damage, this is not so easy with carbon fibre. The paint may simply be damaged by a stone chip - or the sensitive fibres may have been damaged and there is a risk of breakage. The technicians use the ultrasound device to measure the material thickness. Any abnormalities are shown on the display.

Wearing parts are also checked and replaced if necessary. The Buycycle website also provides colour coding for bicycles on offer (second-hand and refurbished) to indicate defective (red) or replaced parts (yellow).

The result is a used bike that works like new - the usually very high-resolution images will point out any minor flaws. Another point that Buycycle would like to improve in the near future: Every refurbished bike is to receive a 360-degree image/video with high resolution so that the bike can be viewed online from all sides. Some of this is already happening in the company's own photo studio. This means that dimly lit mobile phone pictures from musty cellar sheds, as can be found thousands of times in the classified ads on the internet, no longer stand a chance on the market.

Plans for Buycycle in the near future

Buycycle wouldn't be a start-up if it didn't have big plans. Theo Golditchuk looks around the two-storey office and laughs: "We've only just moved in here, but it's already too small again." The three founders have now grown to more than 25 employees. The warehouse for the bikes that the company itself sells on its marketplace is full to the brim. And interested parties from all over Europe visit the online portal.

In addition to the aforementioned subscription rental model for bikes, there is more in the pipeline: "Next, we want to open up the entire EU for the sale of bikes," says Theo. Switzerland was only recently added to the customer base - the UK, on the other hand, is not initially planned due to legal and logistical hurdles. Currently, customers can choose between German and 13 other languages. There are plans to add even more - and the same applies to currencies other than the euro. A further step in the near future, according to the Head of Marketing, will be to include components and accessories in the range. "We are also focussing on the idea of sustainability. We want to extend the lifespan of used bikes by selling them. This should also apply to wheels, sat navs and roller trainers."

He continues: "But because our name 'buycycle' is so close to the search query 'buy cycle' in the English search engines, we are also considering trying it on the US market in the future." And the website is constantly being improved anyway. Didn't they have a different logo last week?