ByBike – From Idea to Prototype: Startup

A Problem Worth Solving

The project began with a clear observation:

moving goods, children, or everyday equipment by bicycle is inconvenient for most people.

Two main barriers emerged:

• Effort – cycling with additional weight is physically demanding.

• Practicality – transporting bags, laptops, groceries, or even children is difficult with a standard bicycle frame.

Instead of redesigning the bicycle itself, the idea was to create an auxiliary system that could provide electric assistance and additional cargo capacity without altering the bike’s structure.

This was the seed that grew into ByBike, the startup by Alessandro Merigo and Alberto Lazzaroni.

The First Prototype: An Electric Trailer

The earliest version of the product was a simple but ambitious concept:

a rear electric trailer capable of pushing the bicycle while carrying up to 50 kg of cargo. 

Key characteristics of the first prototype:

• Aluminium frame

• 12” wheel with an integrated brushless hub motor

• Three 12 V lead-acid batteries in series (36 V)

• A basic PAS (pedal assist) system adapted from a commercial ebike kit

• A wooden board used to stabilize the battery weight during testing

The prototype was engineered to demonstrate that a bicycle could be assisted from behind, leaving the bike untouched while improving comfort and cargo capacity.

Engineering Challenges and Mechanical Innovations

1. A New Type of Hitch (“Snodo”)

The standard spring-based hitch produced recoil during acceleration/deceleration.
The team replaced it with a flexible plastic joint—capable of bending in every direction but without the spring effect—to maintain stability under load.

2. One Motorized Wheel, No Differential

By keeping the two trailer wheels independent and motorizing only the outer one, the trailer remained stable and reduced the twisting moment on the bike frame.
This improved handling and removed the need for a differential.

3. Brushless Motor Integration

The shift from random electric motors to regulated 250 W brushless motors aligned the product with European ebike laws (max 25 km/h assist).
Brushless motors provided:

• higher torque

• better efficiency

• silent operation

• minimal maintenance

• sealed, weather-resistant construction
   

Reinventing the Product

As testing continued, the team realised the initial trailer concept was:

functional, innovative,  but too narrow for a large, scalable market.

So the project evolved into a modular system that could be mounted directly on the bicycle frame.

The new concept introduced:

• A universal, expandable rear cargo rack

• Multiple modules (cargo, child seat, pet carrier)

• Integrated brushless hub motor and battery

• The ability to convert between rack mode and trailer mode depending on user needs

The focus shifted from building a single trailer to creating a versatile platform for multiple use cases.

The Reality Check: “Fail Fast”

ByBike embraced the “fail fast” methodology common in tech startups.

Early market tests revealed several critical issues:

• Users tended to answer surveys emotionally, not rationally.

• The test region (Brescia and lakes area) had weaker cycling culture compared to major European cities.

• The product served too many market segments at once — making it hard to find a clearly defined customer. 

Despite interest from ITG (a Lombardy industrial network) for potential mass production, the team understood that the product lacked a strong, scalable market fit.

This led to the startup’s first major pivot.

Pivot #1 — Targeting Riders and Food Delivery

Through the AIB ISUP master program, the startup reframed its approach:

Instead of starting from the product, start from the customer.

The new customer became clear:

food-delivery riders, a growing demographic in Italy (over 15,000 workers).

What riders needed:

• faster deliveries

• less fatigue

• low-cost access to ebikes

• reliability and theft protection

• short-term rental options (most riders work temporarily)

The ByBike solution:

A connected ebike with:

GSM-based geolocation

anti-theft alerts via smartphone

remote monitoring

online support for incidents and breakdowns 

This system improved delivery efficiency from around 2 deliveries/hour to 4–5 deliveries/hour, offering clear B2B value.

Pivot #2 — The E-Bike Rental Market

A second opportunity emerged:

modernizing ebike rentals in tourist areas.

Market analysis of 800+ survey responses highlighted:

• strong interest (especially ages 27–52) in booking bikes online, not in person

• preference for electric city bikes and mountain bikes

• opportunity to partner directly with hotels and agriturismi rather than operating a physical store 

This led to the idea of:

• app-based reservations

• remote fleet management

• a future battery-sharing network

• recurring revenue through long-term rentals for tourism operators

Lessons Learned: Reinvention and Customer-First Thinking

ByBike’s story is a sequence of experiments, technical creativity, and strategic pivots.

The greatest insights came from:

• starting with the cyclist’s real needs

• validating ideas quickly

• understanding when a product is too complex or broad

• embracing failure as part of the process

• shifting from B2C hardware to B2B services and rentals

• building on Italy’s strong ebike manufacturing ecosystem

While the original product didn’t scale into a large company, the journey created the foundations for future ventures and a deep understanding of mobility, connectivity, and user-centred design.

Conclusion

ByBike wasn’t just a prototype or a student project — it was a complete startup experience:

engineering,

customer research,

market analysis,

pivots,

field testing,

collaboration with major industry players,

and ultimately, learning how innovation succeeds or fails in the real world.

Alessandro and Alberto eventually closed the project, it remains one of the most meaningful experiences of our lives. We learned more than we ever expected, met inspiring people, and grew through every challenge. We embraced the “fail fast” mentality, because in reality we never truly failed: every step moved us forward.