117%: this is the increase in bicycle sales between 2019 and 2020 in May-June according to the trade association Union Sport et Cycle. And who says more bicycles also means an increased need for repairs and maintenance. But getting on a bike is one thing, knowing how to repair a wheel, change a brake shoe or a derailleur, is another. Repair shops have therefore developed and in this area, as in many others, home service is now offered, particularly in large cities.
A service that meets a real need. In Rennes, where 5 bicycle repair companies were created in a few months, Christelle called on Happy-Cyclette. The repairman came to the foot of his building with a truck that contains all the necessary equipment to intervene on site. “I don’t know how to repair bikes, she admits. And putting my bike in the car, it’s not practical at all … I think it’s great that they come to my house to repair it “.
As for Alexis, employee of the company, he finds that these home repairs, “It’s more pleasant. Relational contact is more important”.
But what about areas far from downtown ? Are the repairers mobile enough to travel further afield? Yes if we believe Ronan Pessard, co-founder of Happy-Cyclette : “Our logic is to make tours that cover 45 to 50 km. So if you are not in large towns, we can share trips that are often on the way”.
If these mobile repair shops are a plus for users and for the environment (repairing helps extend lifespan; getting to people’s homes prevents them from taking their cars), they are also creators of activity and development. ‘jobs.
Created eighteen months ago by two friends, Happy-Cyclette now has 7 employees and has 5 trucks that run in Brittany.
Jérémy Delacour, he chose to go it alone. Three years ago, he founded his company Le mec à Vélo and walks the streets of Rennes with his cargo bike and 80 kilos of equipment. Every day, he repairs 5 to 7 bicycles. A rhythm that allows him to make a living from it. “It has really become a trendy profession, more and more sought after. There are more and more cyclists and more and more repairs. So we can make a living from it, the question no longer arises.”
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Despite this steadily increasing demand, it remains to be seen whether the bicycle repair market will not be saturated and all the offers – in physical stores or on the road – will be able to last for the long term.
Another pitfall: the shortage of spare parts affecting the sector and which according to professionals, should last until 2023.