L'USINE A VELO

What L'USINE A VELO does

L'Usine à Vélo is a French industrial cooperative (Société coopérative d'intérêt collectif, or SCIC) specializing in multi-brand contract assembly of bicycles, intermediate vehicles, and wheels. It operates from a 2,000m² facility in Villeurbanne (Rhône) with a team of 10 qualified technicians, applying an artisanal 'one assembler = one bike' accountability protocol. The company serves approximately 10 bicycle brands across 18+ model variants — including muscle bikes, e-bikes, folding bikes, tricycles, and quadricycles — with a stated production capacity of up to 15,000 bicycles per year. Customers range from startup brands (AddBike, B2ebike, Cyclik, A Fond Gaston, Vépli, REF bike, Second Cycle, Tuttut, Acticycle) and mid-market players (Beringer, VEFA) to enterprise clients (JCDecaux for public bicycle-sharing systems).

Core technical capabilities rest on three pillars: (i) flexible industrial assembly of diverse bike formats, (ii) wheel assembly using the latest-generation Mach 1 Bikebotix equipment sourced from Annecy, and (iii) supply chain coordination managed through an Odoo ERP system covering component reception, storage, inventory management, and unit or bulk shipping. The cooperative was founded by five beneficiary brands — AddBike, A Fond Gaston, B2ebike, Cyclik, and Vépli — that share strategic decision-making with employees and partners; profits are reinvested into the structure rather than distributed.

The business model is B2B contract manufacturing on a per-unit fee basis, with pricing quoted project-by-project rather than publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led direct engagement with bicycle brands seeking outsourced assembly without capital investment in their own production infrastructure. Marketing is conducted through a LinkedIn company page, a blog with client testimonials, and participation in industry events, supported by regional government backing from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Geographic scope is currently domestic France, with no global footprint claims.

Name

L'USINE A VELO

Legal name

L'Usine à vélo

Website

https://lusineavelo.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

L'Usine à Vélo is a French SCIC cooperative that provides contract multi-brand bicycle, intermediate vehicle, and wheel assembly services from a Villeurbanne facility, serving approximately 10 brands across 18+ model variants with up to 15,000-bike annual capacity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bicycle Contract Manufacturing

NAICS

Motorcycle, Bicycle, and Parts Manufacturing (336991)

SIC

Motorcycles, Bicycles & Parts (3751)

akta.pro primary industry

E-bikes & E-cargo Bikes Manufacturing (IMACAOAA)

Keywords

• Contract bicycle assembly
• Multi-brand bike manufacturing
• Wheel assembly services
• Bicycle supply chain coordination
• Industrial bike assembly

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Bicycle and Vehicle Assembly Services: Contract manufacturing services for bicycle brands including multi-brand assembly of bikes, intermediate vehicles, and wheels. Services include industrialization, supply chain coordination, painting, assembly, quality control, packaging, and shipping. Revenue generated through per-unit manufacturing fees based on production volume.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

L'Usine à vélo is a French industrial cooperative (SCIC) that provides contract multi-brand assembly of bicycles, intermediate vehicles, and wheels for bicycle brands. Operating from a 2,000m² facility in Villeurbanne, the company delivers end-to-end industrial services including industrialization, supply chain coordination, painting, assembly, unit quality control, packaging, and shipping, with capacity up to 15,000 bikes per year across 18+ model variants. Assembly is executed on a one-technician-per-bike principle using Mach 1 Bikebotix wheel equipment and Odoo ERP for supply chain management.

Product overview

L'Usine à Vélo is an industrial assembly service provider rather than a software product company. It offers three integrated service modules: (1) cycle and intermediate vehicle assembly, (2) wheel assembly, and (3) supply chain coordination. The company operates from a 2000m² facility in Villeurbanne with 10 technicians, assembling over 18 different models for approximately 10 brands with a capacity of up to 15,000 bicycles per year. Services include industrialization, supply chain management, painting, assembly, unit quality control, packaging, and shipping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Multi-brand bicycle and intermediate vehicle assembly Contract assembly service for muscle bikes, electric bikes, folding bikes, tricycles, and quadricycles. Provides flexible industrial organization adapted to client constraints and requirements, with each bicycle assembled by a single dedicated technician under the 'one bike = one monteur' principle. Targets bicycle brands seeking outsourced assembly with production volumes from hundreds to thousands of units.
• Wheel assembly service Expert wheel assembly service covering design support and complete wheel supply, performed using the latest generation of Mach 1 Bikebotix machines developed in Annecy (74), France. Targets bicycle brands requiring high-quality wheel building operations.
• Supply chain coordination End-to-end supply chain coordination including component reception or furnishing, storage, inventory management, and unit or bulk shipping of finished products. Managed through Odoo ERP aligned with production planning. Targets bicycle brands needing integrated logistics coordination.

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mach 1 BikebotixcoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment supplier for wheel assembly operations. L'Usine à vélo uses the latest generation of Mach 1 Bikebotix machines developed in Annecy (74), ensuring quality and performance standards for wheel building operations.
• OdoocoreTechnology or IntegrationEnterprise resource planning software provider used for supply chain management, component reception, storage, inventory management, and unit or bulk shipping coordination aligned with production planning.
• MILC IndustryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization, representing the industrial ecosystem and collaborative network around L'Usine à vélo.
• Grand PlateauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization, representing the industrial ecosystem and collaborative network around L'Usine à vélo.
• CaraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization in the cycling industry ecosystem, representing collaborative network around L'Usine à vélo.
• WeArePartsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization in the cycling industry ecosystem, representing collaborative network around L'Usine à vélo.
• Region Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesminorOthersRegional government body providing support and backing to L'Usine à vélo as part of regional industrial development initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Origine Cycles: French direct-to-consumer bicycle brand that relies on outsourced assembly; comparable as a buyer archetype of L'Usine à vélo's services rather than a competing assembler.
• Manufacture d'Histoires (Maison Tamboite): French custom/limited-series bicycle manufacturer in Paris with on-site assembly; comparable as a French boutique bicycle assembly operation.

Broad incumbents

• Cycleurope Group: European bicycle group owning multiple brands (e.g., Gitane, BH) with multi-brand manufacturing footprint; comparable as a multi-brand bicycle assembler across European markets.
• LOOK Cycle: French premium bicycle and cycling component manufacturer with in-house assembly; comparable as a French brand with vertically integrated manufacturing capability.
• Giant Manufacturing Co. World's largest bicycle OEM with extensive contract manufacturing capabilities for multiple brands; sets the competitive benchmark for bicycle assembly scale and pricing.
• Specialized Bicycle Components: Premium global bicycle brand with significant in-house assembly operations; relevant incumbent benchmark on quality-driven bike manufacturing.
• Decathlon (Btwin): Global sports retailer with vertically integrated bicycle manufacturing under Btwin; broad incumbent that both produces and outsources assembly, shaping the contract-assembly market.
• Trek Bicycle Corporation: Vertically integrated US/global bicycle manufacturer; comparable as a brand that both produces bikes in-house and engages external assembly partners.
• Merida Industry Co. Global bicycle OEM with extensive contract manufacturing for multiple brands; relevant large-scale competitor for outsourced assembly services.

Direct peers

• Arcade Cycles: French bicycle manufacturer offering customized and small-batch bike assembly for brands; closest comparable as a contract-style multi-brand bicycle assembler in France.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/l-usine-a-velo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about L'USINE A VELO