This article first ran in the February 2024 issue of BRAIN.
WAIKITE VALLEY, New Zealand (BRAIN) — While working as customer service manager for MTBDirect, an Australia-based e-commerce site, Lyndal Bailey heard one question repeatedly:
“Will this part fit my bike?”
Bailey directed customer service reps dedicated to answering component inquiries the best they could. Getting that customer “fit question” correct and helping retailers quickly find the right component in their inventory led to Bailey and MTB Direct colleague Adam Townsend developing Bike Matrix. A B2B software component search program, Bike Matrix entered beta testing in December at New Zealand online sites frictivemtb.co.nz/ and cycleways.co.nz/. Cycleways also has a New Zealand brick-and-mortar location in Woolston, Christchurch.
“I came from a mechanic background,” she said. “You take this stuff for granted, but those shopping online want that little extra reassurance that they're going to get it and not have to send it back and be met with that disappointment.”
The evolution of Bike Matrix began in 2022 and gathered momentum last year when Adam Barnes joined as a co-founder to assist in building out the full technology stack, and in December, when it was awarded an R&D grant from the government.
The database currently consists of 25,000 bikes covering more than 30 global brands. Forty-five component manufacturers also are on board, including SRAM, Shimano, DT Swiss, ENVE Composites, Spank, Chirs King, KMC, and TRP/Tektro.
During beta testing, brake pads are the only components featured. Bike Matrix works with a retailer’s available inventory to list the customer’s replacement options.
A valuable shop resource
“Often, (customers) know what bike they have but have no idea of the brake brand, or know the brand and not the model,” said Matt Bailey, Cycleways owner. “It even helps with Shimano SKU changes. I’ve been in this industry for over 30 years, and if it helps me, it’ll help all of my staff.”
When using Bike Matrix to find a specific brake pad, the program even will take into consideration the rotors that came with the bike and if they are resin-only-pad compatible.
“We're making sure we take that next level of granularity so that the customer is always getting the most suitable and the most compatible option for their bike,” Lyndal Bailey said.
Furthermore, Townsend noted that some bikes have two different calipers, so the software will warn if a pad is compatible with the front but not the rear. “We are not making recommendations based on a brand or someone who pays us money,” he said. “It's an independent true or false: does this part fit my bike?”
Following the 60-day testing, Bike Matrix will go live with its app in the Shopify store. The service is also designed for brick-and-mortar stores to allow for ease of component searching for staff.
“Every store manager we spoke with essentially gave us the same pain point of being able to find knowledgeable and experienced staff and how being able to reference the parts required by the bike would obviously give them an advantage,” Townsend said. “Working as a workshop manager and mechanic for 15 years, if someone calls me with an obscure road bike, and they're talking about a bottom-bracket creak, for me it would be advantageous to be able to look up a reference and see what bottom bracket that that bike might need. I can then make sure I've got that bottom bracket rather than waiting until the bike is on my stand and in pieces. So the efficiencies are also in the workshop.”
Industry support needed
If anything is certain in the industry these days, it’s that specs’ will change when model years are updated, if not sooner. Townsend said one of Bike Matrix’s biggest challenges is working with brands and component companies to provide spec’ updates in advance.
So far, Bailey and Townsend have been searching manufacturers’ websites and even looking at stock pictures of bikes to figure out what brake caliper is spec’d. “We haven't had to do that for all 25,000 bikes, but there have been moments where we've been confused about what the bike spec’s were,” Townsend said.
They have had “high-level” discussions with notable direct-to-consumer brands, saying D2C brands have been more receptive than dealer brands. Bike Matrix would like to have brands to provide their bill of materials for each bike.
“Our discussions with these notable brands have included potentially having access to their bill of materials portal, which is ideal because we can drill that at any granular level we want to find out what components are on the bike,” said Townsend, who added that getting responses from the big brands like Trek, Specialized, and Merida have been difficult. “We’ve gone to great lengths to ensure any information a bike brand or component manufacturer provides stays within our database.”
Leading up to Eurobike in July — where Bike Matrix will be exhibiting for the first time — another potential eight to 10 product categories will be added, Townsend said. The next likely will be rotors, tires, and tubes, with drivetrains following.
“We’re very excited by what Bike Matrix is going to offer us as a manufacturer all the way through to brick-and-mortar, online retail, and consumers,” said Chris King Sales Manager Greg Hudson. “We get calls daily from each of these groups seeking fitment assistance. We’re happy to help, but with the proliferation of spec’s, it can be like the wild west trying to figure out fitment of specific brand, model, build level and year. Since we can’t put the genie back in the bottle, a tool that will give us all quick and easy access to accurate fitment details is something we should all support.”
Bike Matrix is still developing pricing, but it is expected to be $25-$100 a month, depending on the number of product categories, Townsend said.
Following the auto industry’s blueprint
“We spoke to people in the automotive industry who provide a similar service in terms of selecting a vehicle and seeing what parts fit. Online retailers measure their success on the number of people who visit their site vs. the people who actually purchase something. In the automotive space, people who are providing a product like ours are seeing conversion rates increase by 30% to 40%. Conversion rates across e-commerce generally average around 3%. In the bike industry, it's more like 2%, and that's for a good store. The average store is somewhere between 1.5% and 2%.”
Copying the auto parts industry’s method of fulfilling parts requests appeals to Aaron Kerson, PNW Components’ CEO and co-founder.
“Walk into any auto parts store and they can locate what headlight bulb or windshield washer style your 2016 Subaru Outback needs in a matter of seconds, but figuring out something simple for your bike such as what cassette your 2019 Specialized Stumpjumper came with and whether you have an HG or XD cassette body is pretty tough to figure out without having deep knowledge of bikes,” Kerson said.
“Bike Matrix is doing the arduous work of compiling all of this compatibility info into an easy to use tool that customers can benefit from whether it’s in local shops or while buying online. I’m stoked to see it unveiled to the world, and I’m even more excited that the number of returns will decrease along with overall rider stoke when they order the right thing the first time without frustration.”
Tyler Enyedi, Spank & IXS managing director, agreed.
“Bike Matrix is changing the game. What consumer wants to mistakenly buy the wrong part, especially if they have an epic adventure they are planning? Or, maybe you are a bike tech and a customer brings in a bike you aren’t necessarily familiar with? Nobody likes dealing with returns or calling a customer back and telling them their bike will be a few more days.”
