Conte’s Bike Shop launches used bike marketplace

A Chesapeake, Virginia-based cycle dealer has launched The Used Bike Online Marketplace as a separate venture.

Conte’s Bicycle Group has unveiled the new online-only bike marketplace which will feature bikes that have been through a 48-point inspection and come with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

The website will include a bike selection process which clearly indicates bike condition from Fair (bikes which function properly but have cosmetic defects) to Like New (bikes that are the company’s best mechanically and aesthetically).

Unusually, this venture by Conte’s principals David Conte and Wayne Souza, will see certain members of the leadership team at Conte’s Bike will also have ownership in the new Company.

“The used bicycle marketplace can often be very difficult for consumers to navigate,” said industry veteran and company co-founder, David Conte. “We have taken a proven process where bikes are inspected and certified and then brought to consumers via our new venture, The Used Bike Shop.”

Marketplaces for second hand bicycles have come and gone in the cycle trade, with Halfords dabbling, then ditching (and then launching again) its own marketplace. The concept clearly remains sound, to save otherwise good bikes from the sustainably-questionable scrapheap and to serve customers unused or unable to part with enough cash for a new bike. Leasing company BikeFlex this week announced a trade-only ‘used approved’ platform for eBikes, meanwhile the likes of online bike sales platform BikeExchange has reminded overstocked brands and retailers that it is available to help shift gear.

Looking at the broader picture, other sectors like DIY are rapidly catching up in the marketplace field. French disrupter Mano Mano one of the best known pioneers in the marketplace and the likes of heavy hitting B&Q launching its own marketplace in early 2022.