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VanMoof
VanMoof is a global bicycle manufacturer headquartered in the Netherlands.
The company started in 2009 with a line of traditional bikes, later moving solely to e-bikes. With bikes produced in Taiwan and sold in 32 countries, it had flagship stores in cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, London, Tokyo and New York.
After VanMoof's Dutch entities were declared bankrupt by the Court of Amsterdam on July 17, 2023, its units in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States filed for bankruptcy the following month.
On August 31, 2023, it was announced that it was acquired by e-scooter maker Lavoie, a subsidiary of British automotive technology company McLaren Applied.
Its name is a Dutch spin on the word "move". Taco Carlier studied industrial design engineering at the Delft University of Technology. His brother Ties was trained as an auto mechanic. The Carliers' vision was to reinvent the city bike, to make "a smart bike with sex appeal" to "offer a strong alternative to status symbols like cars".
Their first models were designed by Dutchman Sjoerd Smit who had been hired by the Carlier brothers in 2008. His first prototype was a single speed city bike with an aluminum frame, two LED lights, a leather saddle and a lock built into the frame. Initially Sjoerd Smit sold his first design in 2009, the 'MOOF', through the New York design brand Areaware. Later that year it became VanMoof's first model, the No. 3, with a rectangular red logo instead of the transparent grey letters on the Areaware version. In 2010 VanMoof launched its second design, Model No. 5, with a built-in chain lock and a Micro-USB port. The Model No. 5 won a 2010 Dutch Design Award as Best Consumer Product. A so-called "women's" model of the No. 5 was launched in 2011, the VanMoof No. 6, with a step-through frame. Another women's model was launched later that year, the VanMoof Swaggerwagon, with pink tires and a diamond frame. Also in 2011, Smit's design for the "Düsenjäger" model, based on the No. 5, was given the German Red Dot Design Award. Around 10,000 bikes were sold world-wide in 2012. A year later, The Wall Street Journal wrote that "a VanMoof has become a hipster accessory" in New York City.
In 2014, VanMoof launched its first e-bike with a GPS tracker, an automatic 2-speed transmission, a remote and a battery inside the bike frame: the VanMoof 10 Electrified. Later models include the Electrified S (2016), the S2/X2 (2018), the S3/X3 (2020) and the S5/A5 (2022). In May 2023, the company launched their newest models: S4/X4 with less technology than their S5/A5 flagship models, scheduled to ship in August.
Starting with the S2 all e-bike models are equipped with anti-theft technology that locks the wheel and sounds an alarm if someone tries to move it, and the bikes are equipped with a SIM card that can be activated to retrieve its location. The company also employs what it calls 'bike hunters' who try to find stolen bicycles.
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VanMoof
VanMoof is a global bicycle manufacturer headquartered in the Netherlands.
The company started in 2009 with a line of traditional bikes, later moving solely to e-bikes. With bikes produced in Taiwan and sold in 32 countries, it had flagship stores in cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, London, Tokyo and New York.
After VanMoof's Dutch entities were declared bankrupt by the Court of Amsterdam on July 17, 2023, its units in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States filed for bankruptcy the following month.
On August 31, 2023, it was announced that it was acquired by e-scooter maker Lavoie, a subsidiary of British automotive technology company McLaren Applied.
Its name is a Dutch spin on the word "move". Taco Carlier studied industrial design engineering at the Delft University of Technology. His brother Ties was trained as an auto mechanic. The Carliers' vision was to reinvent the city bike, to make "a smart bike with sex appeal" to "offer a strong alternative to status symbols like cars".
Their first models were designed by Dutchman Sjoerd Smit who had been hired by the Carlier brothers in 2008. His first prototype was a single speed city bike with an aluminum frame, two LED lights, a leather saddle and a lock built into the frame. Initially Sjoerd Smit sold his first design in 2009, the 'MOOF', through the New York design brand Areaware. Later that year it became VanMoof's first model, the No. 3, with a rectangular red logo instead of the transparent grey letters on the Areaware version. In 2010 VanMoof launched its second design, Model No. 5, with a built-in chain lock and a Micro-USB port. The Model No. 5 won a 2010 Dutch Design Award as Best Consumer Product. A so-called "women's" model of the No. 5 was launched in 2011, the VanMoof No. 6, with a step-through frame. Another women's model was launched later that year, the VanMoof Swaggerwagon, with pink tires and a diamond frame. Also in 2011, Smit's design for the "Düsenjäger" model, based on the No. 5, was given the German Red Dot Design Award. Around 10,000 bikes were sold world-wide in 2012. A year later, The Wall Street Journal wrote that "a VanMoof has become a hipster accessory" in New York City.
In 2014, VanMoof launched its first e-bike with a GPS tracker, an automatic 2-speed transmission, a remote and a battery inside the bike frame: the VanMoof 10 Electrified. Later models include the Electrified S (2016), the S2/X2 (2018), the S3/X3 (2020) and the S5/A5 (2022). In May 2023, the company launched their newest models: S4/X4 with less technology than their S5/A5 flagship models, scheduled to ship in August.
Starting with the S2 all e-bike models are equipped with anti-theft technology that locks the wheel and sounds an alarm if someone tries to move it, and the bikes are equipped with a SIM card that can be activated to retrieve its location. The company also employs what it calls 'bike hunters' who try to find stolen bicycles.