Has it been over 4 years already?
On March 1st, 2019, ReCycles Bikes opened it’s doors at 125 S. Carroll St. in downtown Frederick. A little known secret, Matt started offering sales and service out of a garage in 2013. It was a side project, a 5-9, rather than a 9-5. It wasn’t until 2016 that the name ReCycles Bikes was coined, and 2017 before there was a website.
Since taking the leap to a full fledged storefront in 2019, its been a wild ride. It was a weird time in history to open a bike shop. In 2020, ReCycles upped their storefront space to keep up with the demands of covid. Since those crazy days, the shop has continued to grow, and the number of pre-loved bikes on the road with it.
If there’s one thing that has fueled the progression of ReCycles Bikes over the years, it’s been an unflinching commitment to quality & buyer satisfaction. Our business model is a rare and strange breed, mixing frugal minded resourcefulness with just the right amount of bike snobbery. We are picky about our brands, yet are committed to affordability. We blend recycling with the new bike shop experience, Craigslist meets boutique, the best of both worlds.
Pre-Loved price with the confidence of buying new.
Just how confident are we in the bikes we sell? I mean, they’re still used bikes at the end of the day, isn’t there some increased level of risk?
Before opening ReCycles, Matt worked as an engineer. Engineering as all about math, statistics, and margins of safety. Although he’s mostly traded spreadsheets for allen keys and a pedal wrench, he’s still a numbers nerd at heart. Every sale & service at ReCycles Bikes has been tracked, and now with years under it’s belt, there’s some numbers we are proud to share.
So if any level of skepticism for Certified Pre-Loved bikes exists in your mind, read on.
To date, ReCycles Bikes has taken in, inspected and tuned 1134 bikes to find a new home off our sales floor. With this, we now have a healthy sample size to pull some stats from and see just where the record stands.
So now that we have moved so many bikes, how well have we done with our quality control?
Let’s take a look at our warrantee & return numbers since opening our doors.
Number of bikes brought back in for warrantee service: 33
This equates to 2.9%, lets break this down further to see the reason for warrantee tickets, as well as how they were resolved.
Improper gear shifting practices 18/33
This isn’t meant to shift blame (see the pun?). In fact, we consider this our fault for not ensuring the customer was educated on gear shifting. To cut ourselves some slack, it can be tricky navigating whether or not someone wants to receive a quick lesson on proper shifter use. We are happy to offer guidance for those who ask. Bicycle drivetrains can be a bit like learning stick shift for new riders
Flat tire within first few rides 8/33
Whoops, it happens. A nail, piece of glass, a defective tube. Flats are a bummer every time. Regardless of the cause, we are happy to cover this for the first few rides.
Drivetrain issues 5/33
Other Mechanical malfunction 2/33
These last two categories are what we are really looking for here. We strive for these numbers to be as close to 0 as possible.. However, 7 out of 1134 equates to 0.6%, a statistic we are proud of. What’s more, all but 2 of these 33 warrantee tickets were resolved same day.
Now lets check out the stats on our returns.
Number of bikes returned: 11
This gives our sales floor a return rate of just under 1%, or 1 in 103 sales. Let break them down further by reason for return
Decided on a bike from another retailer: 4/11
Hey, it happens. We believe in the buyer having the right to change their mind for any reason.
Didn’t like the size: 4/11
While we are diligent in frame sizing as the core of our sales process, sometime you just don’t know until you’ve put some miles on your bike.
Mechanical issue: 3/11
A seized seat post preventing adjustability, a busted front derailleur, and a front fork that was discovered to be subtly bent in. 3 out of 1134 bikes, and full refunds where happily given in each occurrence.
Since then, we’ve actually caught several seized seat posts before they made it to our sales floor, as this was added to our list of routine checks.
Service Department
An additional 2160 bikes have been serviced by Matt through the ReCycles Bikes service department, with nearly identical stats to our sales. 2.8% brought back in for tweaks, with over 50% of these resolved through some training on shifting gears, and 100% of them resolved with a smile.
Our track record is a clear indication of our commitment to buyer confidence. Our selection process for our bikes and quality control has created a new possibility for the Frederick community, a way to purchase secondhand without any of the drawbacks.
Even we were surprised by some of these numbers. We are thrilled and excited to continue this strong track record for years to come.
As an invitation to experience this for yourself, we are offering $10 off your first bike purchase or tune up package, available to all who join our mailing list below.
Thanks for digging into some history with us. We’re excited to ride with you soon.
