eCargo Bikes, Coffee & VéloLifestyle Success

October 19, 2022 - Allo Vélo Inc. operates avant-garde bike shops that present a new-age vision for cycling as the smartest and coolest means of transportation. Importing unique, stylish and practical brands from Europe, its leading-edge bike shops embrace e-cargo bikes and combine the lifestyle of cycling with a boutique café atmosphere.

With two locations in Canada, starting in Montréal and expanding to Vancouver, it has quickly gained a reputation as “the cargo bike shop”. The company also distributes brands across the country, and owner Lamar Timmins shared his thoughts and vision with eBikes International, on their humble beginnings and plans ahead.

Please give us a brief history of Allo Vélo.

Lamar Timmins: Allo Vélo was conceived in late 2012, and we first opened in the neighbourhood of Saint Henri, Montréal in 2013. The idea of Allo Vélo came about after spending time working in Munich, where I was exposed to a “foreign” way of using the bicycle: commuting. Germany was where I used the bicycle as a means of getting around efficiently. I learned a lot about bike mechanics as well. When I returned to Montréal, I realized cycling culture was also changing and growing here.

My mother (Fiona) had a small commercial space available and helped by partnering with me to start Allo Vélo, a specialized bike shop importing unique brands from Europe. The café concept was inspired by my time in Australia. 

We started with Gazelle, Vanmoof, Biria and LarryvsHarry. Admittedly, it was a slow start, because we weren’t operating along the traditional bike shop path, and we were in a very seasonal city for cycling. 

What brands and types of e-bikes and e-cargo bikes do you currently stock?

LT: Allo Vélo has grown since then, and we’re now located in Griffintown (Montréal) where we offer rentals, a full-service repair shop, a café bar, and a lot more bike brands such as Triobike, Crème Cycles, Schindelhauer, Rondo, Muli Cycles, Black Iron Horse, Butchers & Bicycles, Veloe and Pelago. We also expanded west, opening a store in Vancouver in December 2020, in a nice retail space on Nanaimo Street. Our reputation has grown fast in B.C., and we are now known as the e-cargo bike shop of Vancouver.

What made you choose Vancouver over other cities?

LT: I know Vancouver having spent time there. The climate favours cycling, which has always been popular out west. No one was promoting or selling cargo bikes, and we saw this as an opportunity for our more European-style mobility solutions.

Were e-cargo bikes always on your agenda of cycling products to import and sell?

LT: Yes, our history with e-cargo bikes has always been very strong. At first, we focused on 2-wheel Long John–style e-cargo bikes for their nimbleness, space-saving size, and speed. However, early on, a family showed us their Triobike Mono to see if we might offer them as well. I was immediately interested and went to Triobike’s headquarters in Denmark. Since then, their two-wheel and three-wheel models have been our mainstay e-cargo bike brand across Canada.

Tell us about the reaction to e-bikes and e-cargo bikes as part of Allo Vélo’s offerings. And who are your customers?

LT: Selling e-cargo bikes in the early days was not easy, as most customers didn’t know what the product was, so it took a lot of effort and consistency. Our main customers are families, but many professionals as well. We offer a broad range of bicycles for different types of consumers, and as cycling grows in popularity more residents are motivated to bike. Today, our clients walk in already informed about what type of cargo bike they are looking for. The demand for the commercial use of cargo bikes has grown as well.

How has the recent pandemic impacted interest in your products? Have sales increased?

LT: As a business, we benefitted from the early stage of the pandemic, because as demand skyrocketed, we were fortunate to have all of the inventory necessary. In 2021, we suffered due to continued demand and lack of inventory. This year, demand has shown signs of slowing, probably because most stores have inventory and people are choosing to travel, or are scaling back due to inflation. Still, we expect the category of e-cargo bikes and commuter bikes to experience continued growth as people look for more affordable, efficient, practical and greener transportation solutions.

Montréal has a progressive cycling culture with initiatives like REV (Réseau express vélo)… tell us more.

LT: Thanks to Montréal’s mayor, Valérie Plante, the city has developed some of the best 4-season bicycle infrastructure in North America with efforts like the REV network. This project will be completed in three phases over the next few years. It is now at Phase 2, which will link important arteries throughout the downtown and neighbouring areas. This is one of the best ways to increase ridership among citizens.

Another example is that the City of Montréal is looking to electrify their fleet with EVs and e-cargo bikes. Montréal also piloted successful commercial projects like Colibri back in 2019, whereby delivery companies drop packages at hubs within the city and use fleets of e-cargo bikes for last-mile deliveries. Many of this program’s member businesses are our clients.

You distribute Triobikes across Canada along with Fulpra, Gleam and other commercial brands… how is it going?

LT: We plan on increasing our portfolio of heavy-duty transport e-cargo bikes with brands like Fulpra and Gleam. Unlike Europe, there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of legislation and what is allowed or not on bike paths and city streets here. We will be testing unknown territory as we get into bigger e-cargo bikes as green mobility solutions are needed in the commercial sector.

Any plans to open more shops across Canada?

LT: We’ve talked about it, but just now we’re more focused on our current operations and developing the commercial side of the e-cargo bike business here. We’ll be announcing a cool cargo bike event coming soon to Montréal very shortly (the Montréal Cargo Bike Crit was successfully launched in Aug. 21; see p. 36).

What do you ride?

LT: I currently ride a Triobike e-cargo bike along with a Vanmoof F5, and Bombtrack Hook. No e-bike yet, but it’s on the list. And I would add that my mother is still part of the Allo Vélo team.

Thanks for your time and all the best going forward.

LT: Thanks as well. We appreciate your interest in our bike shops.