VIDEO. Toulouse: it transforms your old bike into an electric bike
One of the first shops dedicated to the transformation of classic bicycles into electric bicycles has just opened in Toulouse. More economical than the purchase of a new electrically assisted bicycle, the system is approved.
It has been open for four months, and it “doesn’t stop”. Since the spring of 2022, the manager of the first Ozo store in Toulouse has been offering to transform your classic bike into an electric bike. A real phenomenon, which accompanies the rise of the practice of cycling (electric or not) in the Toulouse conurbation. Almost any bike can be equipped with a motor, a battery, and a small display that shows your speed and battery charge level.
All kinds of users: young, urban, retired, road or mountain bike enthusiasts…
“I really have all kinds of customers, young people who want to gain a little power on their mountain bike, urban riders who want to do more kilometers than with their classic bike, without arriving sweaty at the office. And older people, who want to continue cycling, even when they are a little less physically fit, or after an operation,” explains Mathieu Guillemain.
Passionate about cycling, he had long wanted to open his bike shop. “Ozo, which is a manufacturer of electrical kits based in Aix-en-Provence, gave me the opportunity, through a franchise”.
Prices between 750 and 1200€ for the approved kit
In his shop on avenue Honoré-Serres, in Toulouse, Mathieu welcomes Marc, a retiree who wants to have his mountain bike fitted. “In town, I find that cycling is too dangerous, so I would like to boost my mountain bike a bit to go for a walk on the paths, and even take a few climbs”, explains Marc.
“It’s possible, no problem, advises Mathieu. For your model and your practice, I would go with a battery with a range of 50 to 70 km, a motor on the wheel (it can also be installed on the crankset, which brings a little more torque). The price? Sur will be around €1,100 including labour”.
Unapproved kits for practice on private roads, and the possibility of reaching 50 to 60 km/h
Mathieu Guillemain equips “about 3 bikes per day on average”, and would like to hire to meet the growing demand. “I have about 7 to 10 days of delay”.
Another service that Mathieu can undertake for you? Installation of an unapproved engine kit. “With some engines, bikes can go up to 60 km/h (approved bikes are limited to 25 km/h). But there, it’s only for practice on private roads. For experienced rollers only.