Upway launches online marketplace for refurbished e-bikes in US

Upway, the French startup that refurbishes and resells electric bikes across a range of brands, launched in the U.S. Tuesday. The company will focus its efforts on the Northeast region of the country, but its bikes will be available for shipping across the continental U.S.

Upway has already made a name for itself in Europe, where it has refurbished and certified more than 10,000 e-bikes throughout France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands since its launch in 2021. With the rise of e-bike sales in the U.S. that kicked off during the COVID-19 pandemic, a secondhand market is beginning to emerge.

It's not enough, however, to just buy a used e-bike on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace -- customers want to know that they're getting not just an affordable product, but also a safe one, particularly as the rate of fires caused by e-bike batteries increases.

“Our goal at Upway is to be at the forefront of not only providing the consumer with an extensive selection of certified electric bikes from leading brands, but also provide them comfort in knowing that every product carried in our warehouse has been officially certified from leading mechanics in the industry and will be ready to safely ride upon arrival," said Toussaint Wattinne, CEO and co-founder of Upway, in a statement.

Upway has the backing of institutional investors like Sequoia Capital, which led the startup's $25 million Series A last year. The company aims to make its platform a marketplace for the largest selection of e-bikes, from road and mountain bikes to cargo and foldable bikes -- and everything in between. Upway says customers can get up to 60% off the retail price of a high-quality, "like new" e-bike through its platform.

Upway already works with top European e-bike brands like VanMoof, Riese & Müller and Gazelle, but will expand its lineup to include American bike companies like Specialized, Cannondale and Rad Power Bikes, according to Wattinne.

The company typically sources e-bikes in three ways. The first is through individual owners who sell their bikes directly to Upway through the website. Upway says they provide sellers a quote within 24 hours.

The second way is via a wide network of retailers. Today, Upway has around 500 retailers in its European network and is working on building up U.S. partners.