Refurbished Farce – $60 Million Startup Delivers Broken Bike, Endless Delays

Upway, a French startup claiming to disrupt the refurbished e-bike market, has raised over $60 million in venture capital to make sustainable transport accessible to all. Just don’t ask them to deliver a functioning e-bike.

When a car-free family spent €2,297 on a refurbished e-bike from Upway, they expected wheels — not woes. What they received was a cracked battery, vague promises, and a growing suspicion that Upway’s ‘expertise’ lies more in raising funding than delivering functioning bikes. Four months later, the family still treks 10km to school—on foot or otherwise—thanks to Upway’s ‘expert’ service.

As the company, revolutionizing refurbished e-bikes, charts its expansion from European markets to the promised land of American consumers, one wonders if their business plan includes a line item for "actually delivering functional products."

A Timeline of Misfortune

From there, the process gathered speed like a broken e-bike going uphill: none whatsoever.

1. 22nd December 2024 A car-free family pays €2,297 (includes €98 for delivery) for a Johansson Fiete Vario
2. 2nd January 2025
   • Bicycle arrives sporting a fashionable crack in the battery casing (presumably an artistic feature)
   • Customer promptly reports crack in the battery casing
3. 12th March 2025 Battery performs its swan song after weeks of declining performance
4. 22nd April 2025 Bike is collected by Upway representative
5. 15th May 2025 In an ongoing game of battery roulette, a third replacement is allegedly en route—arrival date and compatability unknown, of course.
6. 30th May 2025 Battery replaced, but the motor still can’t resist dramatic shutdowns. Referred to the head mechanic to investigate. If they can’t crack the mystery, it’s back to the usual vague promise to “find another solution.”

Return on Investment? Don't bank on it

For €2,297, what did the customer receive?

• 0 days with fully functioning e-bike
• 69 days of deteriorating battery life—ideal for testing one’s patience, not performance
• 41 days with what amounts to a glorified manual bicycle
• 42 days with no bike at all
• 152 days of customer support purgatory, yielding neither answers nor action

Pedalling Promises, Delivering Disappointment

Meanwhile as Upway’s executives sip biodynamic champagne, their customers like this family are left refreshing inboxes, waiting for help that never arrives.

One wonders if the 'UP' in Upway describes only their promises, as customer satisfaction takes a steep dive.

The irony of a company securing $60 million to allegedly revolutionize sustainable transportation, yet are unable to provide a single functioning bicycle to a car-free family, would be delicious if it weren't so expensive to taste.

As the company continues to peddle its wares across the Atlantic, potential American customers might be well advised to consider this cautionary tale — before their hard-earned dollars join the venture capital millions already poured into this enterprise of disappointment.