Rebirth: Easybike Group Relaunches with Solex and Matra Leading the Way

The Easybike group becomes Rebirth and aims to become an essential manufacturer of bicycles and e-bikes in France.

Founded in 2005, the Easybike group began its development primarily from 2013. In that year, it acquired the famous Solex brand through the Magnetti Marelli group, as well as Mobiky folding bikes. It then continued with the acquisition of Matra cycles, establishing its site in Saint-Lô (14) in 2015. This facility can produce 120,000 bikes per year.

The French group then stumbled before returning to the forefront. “We have been restructuring since 2019” explains founder and CEO Grégory Trebaol, “we are stabilizing after our acquisitions, the teams are growing, with about a hundred people, the Saint-Lô site is expanding, and we will soon have a second site”.

Indeed, Rebirth was revitalized by the sports bike brands Lejeune and Velcan. Finally, in 2022, Easybike integrated into the group the high-end electric bike brand Coleen, along with T-Sur, a services brand. To avoid further confusion with the parent brand and to solidify its position, the group has adopted the new name Rebirth.

Rebirth or symbols of rebirth

Why Rebirth? “For us, it’s the symbol of the wheel, movement defines us, we have never stopped moving” explains G. Trebaol, “the second philosophy is the concentration of iconic brands, each being distinct and having its own story”.

He also emphasizes the “recyclable frames infinitely” on Matra bikes and soon Solex bikes, securing a permanent rebirth. The group leader shares that “aluminum will become a scarce resource, so our engineer Yunkai has introduced recycled materials, giving new life to materials from the auto industry (bumpers, car doors) mixed with carbon.”

From Solex to Matra, brands in the 21st century

Solex, in the collective consciousness, is a small moped with its engine overhanging at the front. Its unique look has been adopted on its current electric bike. The timeless 1946 model is affordable from 1,800 euros, and will be less in the V3 generation next year. The catalog also includes a folding Velosolex, the Solexity, and the SolexSport city bike, as well as an electric wheel Solexon for converting bikes at 799 euros. The electric moped e.Solex will arrive in 2023 with architecture closer to a scooter, priced at 4,599 euros.

Matra, one of France’s pioneering brands in electric-assisted bicycles, is making a comeback. Solex, being the urban brand, targets more the leisure sector. Its core range is the VTC with the Matra I-Step, supported by the I-Force mountain bikes, I-Speed road bikes, and I-Flow urban bikes, priced between 3,000 and 5,500 euros. Its flagship product is the Pescarolo Sport, a bike with a frame made from recycled polyamide and carbon (70% and 30%) that is recyclable.

As for Easybike, the original brand targets companies and local authorities like Arcade (with Red-Will, for example), with inexpensive electric bikes. Urban, compact, or VTC bikes range from 1,500 to 2,800 euros. As mentioned above, the Lejeune and Velcan bikes target road cycling.

Beyond bikes, other mobility options at Rebirth?

Besides bicycles, Rebirth is also exploring the niche of 3 or even 4 wheels for “broader mobility”. G. Trebaol shares “We are looking for suppliers not necessarily from the bike world but from the automotive sector, like Valeo” while clarifying that they want “to support with lightweight, practical, and accessible products”. While he cannot say more at the moment, the leader adds that the group will not “go immediately into scooters”.

Rebirth thus signifies a renewal sign for the group and its recent acquisitions. The company also plans to invest in other countries. Present in France and neighboring countries as well as Sweden, it aims to expand into Spain, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and even Canada.

Regarding its expansion, Rebirth wants to increase its presence in distribution. Beyond distributors, the group aims to establish “showrooms and place ambassadors in more cities to facilitate testing, and to promote the brands”. Finally, a second production site in the Paris region will support the manufacturing of bikes and other mobility products in 2024.

Also read: Bicycle use increasingly popular in France