By: Brayden Yin

VanMoof, the Dutch e-bike maker, gained a cult-like following during the pandemic when bike sales tripled across the board. These days, it’s easy to find a VanMoof bike on the streets of Amsterdam, a city with more than 600,000 bikes. The bikes’ elegant designs, heavy use of custom materials, and high prices meant the company was often known as the Apple or Tesla of the e-bike industry.

With the pandemic reducing the appeal of gyms and public transit, everyone seemed to want a bike. The company tripled its sales, selling almost 200,000 bikes and making over $180 million in revenue. But despite its success, the company went bankrupt last month, leaving many of the riders in a difficult situation. VanMoof are made from parts that only the company makes and that are only available at company-run service centers. What’s more, the bike’s functions are mostly linked to VanMoof’s mobile app. Gideon Sutaman, a rider who lives in Amsterdam and has been riding his e-bike since December, said, “if I break it, or something happens, I don’t know where to go.”

The technologically advanced bikes shift gears in an unconventional, automatic way, and includes a boost button that allows the bike to move faster. The mobile app can lock or fine-tune the bike’s settings and track its location. These features are what riders are most worried about.

VanMoof released a statement to its customers: “Your bike will remain functional and rideable, as we aim to keep our app and servers online and aim to secure the ongoing services for the future. The administrators managing the company’s bankruptcy in the Netherlands are currently setting up a sales process for the assets and activity of VanMoof.”

Nadia Piet, an entrepreneur in Amsterdam, said, “here in the city, people hate you because you have a VanMoof. Now people look at you with pity.”