French smart electric bike startup Angell announced in an email to customers that the company is declaring bankruptcy and approaching the courts to seek judicial liquidation.
“Angell is finished,” said company co-founder and CEO Marc Simoncini on Instagram. (He is also a judge on the French version of “Shark Tank.”) “Despite all the efforts and incredible work of all the employees, hardware problems put an end to the adventure. I did.”
Originally founded in 2019, Angell set out to create electric bikes with several smart and connected features. The original bike packed a small colored touchscreen in the center of the handlebars to display relevant information and provide turn-by-turn directions. You can also connect to your mobile phone using Bluetooth.
The integrated lock and alarm system and built-in GPS chip and cellular modem put Angell Bike in competition with other European smart bike manufacturers such as Cowboy and Vanmoof. It is also worth noting that Van Morf itself had to file for bankruptcy in the Netherlands in 2023. Now, new owners are trying to reboot the brand.
With an all-in-one package, Angell suffered from reliability issues. In an email to customers, the company explained that the latest issue with the first-generation bike was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“Weakness in bicycle frames represents a risk of failure,” the company writes. “We understand that it is a defect related to the manufacturing process of the frame, and more precisely to the welding of the tubes.”
Angell does not manufacture its own bicycles. Instead, it outsources its manufacturing process by partnering with Seb, the French industrial company behind All-Clad, Krups, Moulinex, Rowenta, and Tefal. Similarly, we have worked with Kickmaker, a third-party design company.
In the remaining emails, Angell attempts to shift the blame for these severe design flaws to these two partners. Nevertheless, Angel is financially responsible for these errant bikes since it is the company that sold them. Recall up to 7,000 bikes or refund customers.
However, these two options appear to be too expensive for the startup as the company has opted for the bankruptcy process. There will probably be other cases to determine who is responsible for the manufacturing issues between Angell, Seb, and Kickmaker.
As for Angell Bike owners, those who own first-generation bikes are left with bikes that are unsafe to ride. Recent Angell Bikes customers will also be affected, as the company says it may turn off its servers at some point. Let’s hope it doesn’t affect electric assistance and smart locks.