About us

Rebicycle's definition of success is community-driven market growth. Rebicycle works by partnering and collaborating with local businesses, organizations and start ups in a way that favours growth throughout the whole community.

Rebicycle is a Montreal-based social enterprise which refurbishes and certifies pre-owned bicycles. Driven by a desire to improve our community, Rebicycle's main goal is to raise the standards in the second-hand bicycle market. We believe that anyone should be able to purchase quality products at an affordable, honest rate without sacrificing other standards such as functionality and product personalization.

What is a social enterprise?

As we see it, a social enterprise is a business which uses more than simply profits to gauge its performance and success. Striving for profits can lead a business to focus solely on cost cutting measures that may effect product and service quality, and can negate the positive impact a business can have on its community.

Common among social enterprises is the use of multiple bottoms lines as measures of success. These multiple bottom lines, such as “People” or “Environment, can help a business stay true to its mission in a measurable fashion. A social enterprise will merge income-generating programs or services as a way of sustaining its charitable or non-profit activities.

Our Triple Bottom Line

People

Evidently, people are the driving force behind thriving communities; for Rebicycle to thrive alongside our community, their needs come first. Customer satisfaction metrics will be essential monitoring tools in determining our success, but putting people first extends beyond our customers to anyone effected by our actions. Urban cycling advocacy, loaning our gallery for community events, reducing bicycle theft through our certified pre-owned program and partnership with Project 529, lending a Rebicycle to someone who's bike was stolen, free group rides open to the public, we pledge to engage with the people around us.

Environment

With a name like “Rebicycle,” clearly environmental concerns are very close to our heart. We aim to objectively quantify the environmental effect that each Rebicycle has in relation to the sale of a new bike, the impact of riding a bike versus driving a car, and the amount of bicycle components we save from the dump after each model year. While some parts must be changed for the sake of safety (tires, tubes, brake cables and pads, to name a few) we strive to use as many original parts as possible to reduce our impact on the environment and on our customer's wallet.

Growth

Yearly growth will be our third measure of success, as it will allow us to reach a wider audience and more greatly impact communities. For us, growth will be defined as the yearly income generated through our services that will be allocated as growth capital. The more we grow, the more we can look to grow year after year. As a nonprofit, it is important for Rebicycle to maintain a high level of transparency. Income allocations and yearly expenses will be explained in our annual reports.

Ethics Code

At Rebicycle, we know how important it is to frame the work we do and adhere by strict principles which match our values. Our code of conduct isn't limited to governing our actions within our community, but also the effect we have on communities abroad through our association with suppliers.

Working Close to Home

In keeping with the theme of growing our community, Rebicycle will strive to work with suppliers and partners as close to home as possible. Located in a neighbourhood teeming with artists, craftsmen and creative workers, it is entirely feasible to find what we are looking for down the block, across the street or even in our own building.

Ethical Sourcing:

Not everything can be produced locally. Therefore, it is important that we apply the same ethical guidelines abroad as when we work with more local suppliers. We are determined to work with suppliers who both stand behind their products and their employees. In order to determine this, Rebicycle is committed to visiting the factories where our suppliers' products are manufactured in order to assess for ourselves the work conditions.

Service and Product Certification

Certifying our products and services is the only way we can assuredly raise the bar in the pre-owned bicycle market. Our 71 point inspection checklist guarantees that the quality of our certified pre-owned bicycles exceeds our customers' expectations of a second-hand bicycle.

Paying our Employees a Fair Wage

We recognize that the ability to completely strip and refurbish a vintage bicycle is a type of skilled labour that is often undervalued in North America. Therefore, we pride ourselves on paying our mechanics the highest compensation possible in order for them to thrive, not just survive. How Much Money Does a Bike Mechanic Make (external link) This is our way of recognizing the value of skilled labour and insuring the continued contribution of skilled labour to the success of our mission.

Legitimacy and Traceability of Second Hand Products

One of our main goals is to reduce bicycle theft and bring legitimacy to the second-hand market. Our approach starts with having a reputable and traceable sources of second-hand bicycles, all of which have been verified on available databases. Finally, all of our bikes are registered on the Project 529 database, a cloud-based and community-focused anti-theft program which comes as standard equipment on Rebicycle's certified pre-owned bicycles.