Angell Bike and its founder Marc Simoncini want to achieve a tour de force: cycling made in France a reference in the world.
In 2019, Marc Simoncini (notably the founder of Meetic) created Angell Bike, a start-up which markets electrically assisted bicycles to the general public made in France. This with the stated ambition of conquering France and launching internationally in the process, thanks to its association with the Frenchman Seb, who helps him assemble the machines.
The bike 100% made in France, a mission far from easy
Marketing a bicycle 100% made in France is an oh so daring and risky bet, but obviously calculated in the case of Angell. If the will is there, some means are lacking. Or at least, lacked. To manufacture the aluminum frame of the bicycles (there are two models) of the Angell Bike brand, Marc Simoncini had to show inventiveness, finding help from the aeronautical sector, for lack of a competent French cyclo player. . Two to three years later, the situation is clear: having an aluminum frame manufactured in France costs eight times more than a competitor who has it manufactured in Asia.
It was ultimately the association with Seb that saved (and boosted) Angell Bike’s activity. A strategic partnership (Angell brings all the software part, Seb its industrial know-how) which today allows the start-up to offer a smart electric bike weighing less than 17 kg, for a little less than 3 000 euros, which is not cheap either. But difficult to do better currently, producing 100% French.
Made for daily trips in town, the bike stamped Angell is destined to become a real alternative to the car, first in France, then in the rest of the world. Note that if the cost of Angell bikes may still seem high for the individual, the start-up offers a solution of leasing for companies, as it indicates on its website.
7 out of 10 Angell customers did not own a bike
” Today, our customers are CSP +, even ++, who are between 40 and 50 years old “says Marc Simoncini on BFM Businesswho is satisfied that ” chance or our talent or both, that 72% of Angell customers are people who have never had a bike before “, thus confirming a transfer from the car to the electrically assisted bicycle.
Regarding the maintenance of Angell Bike bicycles, they do not have a belt (but rather a chain) and limit their maintenance. However, there is a workshop, in Saint-Ouen, which repatriates bicycles that cannot be repaired to customers’ homes (a service exists for this purpose), before sending them back to their owner.
Angell is currently preparing a fundraiser which should enable it, once completed, to set its sights on Europe initially (Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Italy), before address the North American and Asian market thereafter.
Source : BFM TV
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