Bike Matrix on empowering the industry and saving it time (and money)
Saving time in the workshop? Easing component compatibility headaches? Keeping an eye on recall and warranty data? Empowering bike shop and workshop staff? An aid for bike manufacturers and components brands alike? That may seem like a supremely long shopping list for just one piece of software to handle, but Bike Matrix is something a bit different and promises to help with all those challenges and more. CIN speaks with the founders of this unique software, Lyndal Bailey and Adam Townsend…
Depending on when you are reading this, award-winning bike compatibility solution Bike Matrix is returning to Eurobike, making itself available for some face-to-face time with the global industry and seeking more brands to get on board.
In the busy build up to Eurobike ’25, CIN speaks with founders Lyndal Bailey and Adam Townsend (two thirds of the founding team, which also includes Adam Barnes).
“We always think ‘what would we do as mechanics? We’re guided by that,” says the duo, with almost 30 years mechanical experience between them.
First, a refresher for those unaware: Bike Matrix is a parts compatibility solution, in software form. Many a bike rider has spent hours researching which are the compatible components for their bike – the trouble is, this task is not necessarily much easier for someone working in the industry, with vast reams of options available, and compatibility having many dependencies.
So, if you have ever spent minutes (or hours) investigating whether an upgrade or replacement part has been designed to work with the components on your bike, then Bike Matrix will take all the pain (and time) out of that challenge.
While the bicycle workshop and those that work within them were clearly in mind when the project was conceived, this compatibility solution is not just for mechanics – standing to benefit shop sales staff, after sales support, manufacturers and consumers alike.
Store integration: The software solution has been designed to easily fit into bike store's ecommerce set ups to cut customer compatibility confusion and, essentially, ensure baskets are not left at the virtual checkout
“Making it free to list products was a no-brainer. There are a million choices of products in the industry and Bike Matrix has now got a bunch of those products on there, making it possible for dealers around the globe to take adantage of the compatibility service”
Bike Matrix founders Adam Townsend, Lyndal Bailey and Adam Barnes
“It’s time to jump in…”
Founded in New Zealand, Bike Matrix has been international from day one, with the most interest coming from Europe and the USA, almost equally.
What Bike Matrix continues to need is buy-in from the brands and to get their component data fed into the software. And on this score, things are going well. There are 95-plus brands on board and working with Bike Matrix currently, with more sure to get over the line at the aforementioned Frankfurt show. That equates to an eye-widening 120,000 components and 70,000 bikes.
Bike Matrix has initially focused on 15 product categories, deliberately focusing on nailing down compatibility of the more complex parts. “We started out with the most complicated components – we didn’t head straight for the pedals! Headset, Cranksets, BBs… we started with the hard stuff first. We had to prove ourselves. And there’s been a lot of acceptance.”
Brands in the aftermarket area, products which are effectively used to upgrade a bike, have understood the concept fast and make up a sizeable number of those that are working with Bike Matrix. And the door is firmly open to brands to speak with Bike Matrix as it continues to gather momentum: “It’s time to jump in!”
“We’ve had a lot of good feedback and we’re trying to make it easier for everyone. Making it free to list products was a no-brainer. There are a million choices of products in the industry and Bike Matrix has now got a bunch of those products on there making it possible for dealers around the globe to take advantage of the compatibility service.”
As aforementioned, Bike Matrix is not just about making the lives of workshop staff easier, aiming to empower bike shop sales staff faced with, for example, a punter walking into the shop without their bike, or ringing to ask if the shop stocks x product for their bike. Cutting down that time saves businesses money and paves the way to nail down sales there and then.
“Bike Matrix has been a game changer for our online store. The instant compatibility feature has made it so much easier for customers to find the right parts, reducing confusion and abandoned carts”
Tyler Enyedi, MD, Spank Industries
Got an online store? Ever wondered how many sales were lost, with baskets left at the virtual checkout, when customers were confused whether a certain product would work with their bike? What happens when they go elsewhere to do their research?
It’s a point not lost on the likes of Spank Industries. Managing Director Tyler Enyedi said of the software: "Bike Matrix has been a game changer for our online store. The instant compatibility feature has made it so much easier for customers to find the right parts, reducing confusion and abandoned carts. Since installing it, we've seen a noticeable boost in conversions. Highly recommended for any bike shop looking to streamline the shopping experience!"
Then there are returns – keeping track of all those is another cumbersome task for shops. Enabling returns is costly, but expected by consumers, so the stores wear that cost. The number one reason parts are returned? Compatibility.
Taking action for a product which has been recalled is at least undesirable, at worst a logistical nightmare. “If Bike Matrix knows a part has a recall or a warning, that is recorded and can be flagged up, OEM or Aftermarket, whenever an affected bike is selected.”
Compatibility is king: Bike Matrix points out what will, and will not, correctly work with specific bikes and components
Fleet managers and those in the micromobility world also stand to benefit from Bike Matrix’s clarity of information, and then there are the bike manufacturers themselves, with the software helping negotiate the often bafflingly large array of component and parts options during the design phase.
CIN is told that Bike Matrix has flagged up at least one occasion where a bike on the market was using a component that was not actually fully compatible, and the firm gently flagged it up with the parties concerned. An additional safety net for manufacturers too? Another one to add to the list.
“We just launched our Virtual Workshop, too” the duo adds. “You can take a bike and swap out components as they are upgraded allowing compatibility to be checked for the custom bike. That’s been launched to market but,” they stress, “it’s not like a DIY backyard workshop. If it’s not compatible with the surrounding components, it is flagged up. It doesn’t fly on our system.”
It comes back to that mantra of “what would we do as mechanics”.
Digitalisation often seems a lofty or abstract concept, especially when it comes to the tangible, hands-on cycling industry, but Bike Matrix is patiently revealing new ways how software can reduce the pain points for workshops, shops, manufacturers and customers alike.