Modern bikes are confusing. With an ever-growing list of complex components, specific sizing, not-so-standardising standards, and proprietary designs, finding suitable replacement parts can be a headache with incompatible parts being an all-too-frequent – and costly – mistake.
That’s the problem Bike Matrix wants to solve. Bike Matrix is a software integration for bike shops that promises to answer the question of bike and parts compatibility quickly and easily for mechanics and the general public. With a growing database and plans for broader rollout, it seeks to address the challenge of managing bike repairs and upgrades amidst the ever-expanding world of cycling technology.
That’s no doubt welcome news for anyone who has ever wondered if this bottom bracket fits that frame, but it’s far easier said than done. First, there’s the mammoth task that is creating a complete and accurate compatibility database. Just as daunting is the challenge of integrating with a fragmented industry that has historically had little collaboration on the manufacturers’ side and a largely independent and decentralised retail network, Finally, there are the ordinary scalability and competition challenges any business faces. Bike Matrix may succeed in solving the compatibility conundrum, but it’s got a long way to go.
Listen to the author discuss Bike Matrix on last week’s Geek Warning podcast:
The promise
Developed by a “trio of bike-loving mechanics and software developers,” the platform is intended to integrate into existing websites, point-of-sale software, and workshop portals to quickly answer the customer’s “Will this fit my bike?” or the mechanic’s “What other parts would work here?” questions.
According to Bike Matrix there are one billion bicycles on the planet, each of which has approximately 40 components. There are over 1,000 compatibility “standards” for bottom brackets, brake mounts, and other paramaters, so it’s no wonder it’s such a big challenge. Bike Matrix developed proprietary compatibility algorithms to simplify the processing of selecting the right parts for repairs, upgrades or fleet management, and its database currently covers road, MTB, most e-bikes, and hybrids, with plans afoot to integrate micro-mobility and cargo bikes soon.
“One of our major advantages,” explained Adam Townsend, co-founder and developer, “is our ability to provide detailed compatibility checks that go beyond the obvious choices, helping shops manage their inventory more effectively and offering customers more options.”
Once it’s built out, a user will start by selecting their bike, specification, and model year, which is then assigned to them in a bike ID. The Bike Matrix software then checks compatibility with in-stock parts and provides a list of options. The user then simply selects their preferred option, safe in the knowledge it is compatible with their bike.
Take brake pads, chains, or even bottom brackets, for example: while there might be just one genuine replacement option from the original manufacturer, a store may have countless similar components from third-party manufacturers. Bike Matrix will display all the compatible options that store has in stock.
Cassettes are perhaps the best example to demonstrate the algorithm and software’s potential. Bike Matrix will not only identify and recommend compatible cassettes based on a groupset or drivetrain series (e.g. Shimano Ultegra 6800 11-speed), but it will also assess the derailleur cage length supplied on the selected bike and indicate if larger cassette options within the same series are compatible or not depending on the derailleur’s capacity and compatibility. In other words, Bike Matrix doesn’t just recommend Ultegra (and series-specific) cassettes for Ultegra-equipped bikes; it’ll dig further and recommend any and all cassettes compatible with the specific Ultegra derailleur on that bike.
Smarter, still, the system will also only recommend ETRTO-approved tyre and rim combinations and is programmed to advise a tyre change is also required if, for example, a rider checks whether a new hookless (TSS) wheelset is compatible with their existing bike and their current wheelset has clincher or tubular tyres. In other words, it won’t tell you a new wheelset is incompatible just because the tyres presently fitted to the existing wheelset won’t work with the proposed wheelset, but will instead flag that the rider needs new tyres if they purchase the new wheels.
The software’s beating heart is its ever-growing database, which currently contains compatibility data for brake pads on bikes from what it classifies as the “top 25” bike brands and all other parts categories, including tyres, tubes, wheels, chains, cassettes, etc., for the “top 5” brands. This database continually expands as Bike Matrix integrates more data from more manufacturers as part of its “huge roadmap” that already includes data from some 75 different parts manufacturers. This number is also set to soar as Bike Matrix moves from a manual data-import process to an automated process built on new code specifically designed to speed up this process.
Current status
Right now, Bike Matrix is largely pre-launch. The software is currently in advanced stages of development and right now it’s only available in two stores in New Zealand. Bike Matrix told Escape Collective a wider rollout will first focus on E-commerce stores and POS providers, with local bike shops a secondary focus right now.
Availability will vary from store to store depending on when the product reaches a value point for a given store, but Bike Matrix said it plans to expand rollout in the coming months. Lyndal Bailey of Bike Matrix cited one of its current store partners (Frictive), which sells only disc brake pads; right now Bike Matrix already offers compatibility data for brake pads on bikes from 25 top bikemakers and so it is already useful for that store, “whereas a store with a wide range of products may not see value until more of those categories and bike brands are unlocked.”
Bike Matrix envisions that when it starts to expand rollout the database will initially cover brakes (rim and disc pads, rotors, adapters); drivetrain (chain, cassettes, chainrings, single-speed sprockets); and wheel, tyre, and tube compatibility with more to come across road, mountain, e-bike, hybrid, micro-mobility, and cargo bikes.
Initially, Bike Matrix will only work with complete bikes, with each individual bike linked to a QR code the owner can carry with them between Bike Matrix-affiliated bike shops. But Bike Matrix is building its platform to work with custom parts kits or modified bikes, and plans are underway to provide a similar service for individual components.
Work is also underway to create a “bike lounge” for individual riders to build and spec their upgraded bikes, with customisation expected to come online later this year. Conversations are also underway with distributors to aid bike shops in choosing compatible parts.
The challenges
Bike Matrix describes its roadmap as huge, but the challenge of integrating compatibility data for even just a portion of those one billion bikes is just one half of the challenge. The other may well prove to be the cycling industry’s own historical lack of collaboration on industry-wide projects.
So far, the signs are promising that the industry may just get out of its own way, with many manufacturers already providing Bike Matrix with the compatibility data it needs to fill out its database. Bike Matrix also lists some 40 brands as partners on its site. That said, various manufacturers Escape spoke to, including some listed as partners, were taking a wait-and-see approach. They’re bullish enough to provide their compatibility data but not yet wanting to shout too loudly about any relationship with Bike Matrix.
Furthermore, countless major players already have compatibility and service manual platforms of their own with those from SRAM and DT Swiss among the most high-profile and detailed. Still, while superbly useful, those offerings are manufacturer-specific; what Bike Matrix is proposing is industry-wide.
While Bike Matrix is building its database with information on bikes from 25 brands, it currently has just one bike manufacturer, Canyon, listed as an actual partner. Is that indicative of other manufacturers’ unwillingness to support a third-party solution, or, will more brands come online soon? Canyon told Escape Collective it is “generally interested in new digital solutions to support riders around the world” and that it will be exploring how they can work together with Bike Matrix.
While presumably there’s nothing other than time and effort stopping Bike Matrix from completing its database of bikes even without manufacturer support, only time will if other brands show similar support or if, in true bike industry style, they decide not to share their compatibility data.
That said, if Bike Matrix’s track record so far is anything to go by, it could make light-ish work of those potential or perceived challenges. Its progress so far is nothing short of staggering. The founders attended Eurobike last year (2023) with nothing more than a spreadsheet and an idea. Fast forward to today and the company is starting to roll out the Bike Matrix platform, picked up an award at Eurobike 2024, and most importantly for its future plans, the company announced a NZ$2 million investment in August.
That investment from a “seasoned industry veteran,” as described in a LinkedIn post, will see Bike Matrix growing its team and the database powering the software.
Furthermore, we only need to look to the automotive industry, where similar systems have been in operation for decades, for proof that such software is not only possible but can become practically essential.
Of course, the automotive industry has things like chassis (VIN) numbers, registration numbers, detailed databases, and countless other head starts. But Bike Matrix is confident it can catch up, in as little as five years.
Only a little over 12 months ago we covered VeloPass on this site and how a tiny frame sticker could be the gateway to a global online platform “connecting everyone in the bicycle industry from manufacturer to rider.” An integration with a platform like Bike Matrix could prove a critical partnership in that industry-wide change.
Lo and behold, when I dropped by the Bike Matrix stand at Eurobike this year, the people behind it were in a meeting with the people behind VeloPass.
But that investment, demand, and rapid development period could be interpreted by others as opportunity to get in on the action. Bike Matrix has a significant head start with big plans for the coming months, but a second, third, or even more players entering the segment could split the industry across multiple platforms.
While it’s still months or even years away, and the notoriously incapable-of-working-together cycling industry may yet find a way to derail passports and Bike Matrix-esque platforms, there is seemingly a glimmer of light at the end of our bike compatibility tunnel.
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