Those of us who ride bikes most likely have some sort of relationship with our LBS–be it good or bad. But sometimes that shop doesn’t have the part you need, can’t get to fixing your bike for a few days, or perhaps even mocks you for not knowing how to true your own wheels. Silicon Valley company Beeline Bikes hopes to change your tenuous relationship with bike mechanics and shops by bringing the complete bike shop experience directly to you.
Beeline Bikes delivers a friendly, certified, and background-checked mechanic to your door for all your biking needs. It doesn’t matter what type of bike you own or what type of service you need–they can fix a flat, perform a tune-up, install a component, accessory, or even build that new bike you purchased online. Prices range from $9.99-$129.99 depending on the type of service required, with a minimum $29.99 call out fee.
Founded by a team of tech and bike industry vets, Beeline developed the technology platform, support infrastructure, and comprehensive supply chain to enable independent mechanic franchisees to run their own mobile bike shop to give direct service to customers–kind of like the Uber of bike mechanics. All you need to do is schedule a visit online and a Beeline van will come to your home or office and service your bike on the spot.
Yesterday, Beeline Bikes announced a $2.6M Series A financing round led by Backcountry.com, LLC. Why Backcountry you might ask? According to Pete Small, Director of Marketing & Programs, “Our vision is to partner with Backcountry to provide the most convenient bike-buying experience, where customers can buy a bike online and choose a time and location for delivery. Then an expert Beeline Bikes mechanic would arrive with a fully assembled bike and a complement of accessories. This would also connect the customer and mechanic for an ongoing service relationship.”
I can definitely understand the appeal as I recently ordered a custom build mountain bike from Competitive Cyclist using their “Configure Bike” feature. While customer service was awesome at helping me pick just the right component setup, the final bike understandably shows up at your door as parts. Thankfully, I have a resident bike mechanic to help me build the bike up but think of how great it would be if your bike shows up in a Beeline Bikes van all ready to ride.
Right now Beeline Bikes service covers pretty much all of the Bay Area but with this new investment, you can expect to see their franchise expand all across the country.
Oh and this concept has been available in the bay area for 28 years, offered by Thebikedoctor.net. a mobile bike repair shop that beeline bikes and velofix was modeled after.