Software for bicycle retail: veloconnect, BIDEX, company bike leasing and workshop

What software for bicycle dealers needs to do in 2026

Bicycle retail has changed: the e-bike boom has normalised, the workshop is an important revenue driver for many dealers, and some of the bikes in the yard are leased through an employer. At the same time, wholesalers and manufacturers increasingly deliver their data digitally. Anyone maintaining items, prices and stock by hand loses time in the season that is missing at the counter and in the workshop.

A modern ERP for bicycle retail therefore combines three things: the industry's standards (veloconnect, BIDEX, Leasing-Check), a workshop that grows with the season, and one shared data base for store, workshop and online shop.

veloconnect: the data standard between retail and wholesale

veloconnect is the neutral standard interface of the bicycle industry. It was developed in 2006 together with market participants and, according to veloconnect.de, is supported today by more than 120 suppliers and all common ERP systems in bicycle retail. Since 2025, DiBike has coordinated its development in close cooperation with the German bicycle retail association VSF and the industry association ZIV.

• Retrieve item data with descriptions, images and prices from the supplier
• Check supplier availability while the customer is at the counter (where the supplier supports it)
• Send orders electronically, without retyping and without switching portals
• Fewer errors in item numbers, prices and quantities

Which functions are available depends on what the respective supplier and the ERP implement. When choosing software, it is therefore worth asking which suppliers are actually connected.

BIDEX: consistent product groups instead of home-made lists

BIDEX Basics harmonises product and item data in the bicycle industry: consistent product groups, attributes and brand directories, developed jointly by BIDEX and DiBike and compatible with veloconnect and ERP systems. For dealers this means items from different suppliers can be assigned to the same product groups, assortment reports become comparable and the online shop gets a consistent structure.

Company bike leasing: Leasing-Check in the workshop

Some of the bikes coming into the workshop are leased through an employer. Whether the leasing company covers the service and how much service budget is left otherwise has to be checked in each provider portal separately. Leasing-Check, a service by DiBike and Zukunft Fahrrad, checks this across providers in one search – in its web portal or through a connected ERP.

1. Start the search with the leaseholder's email address or the contract number
2. Leasing-Check queries all connected providers at once
3. Result: contract status, leasing provider, term, bike with frame number and remaining budget for service and wear

According to Leasing-Check (as of 11/2026), connected providers include JobRad, Bikeleasing-Service, BusinessBike, dein-jobbike.de, Deutsche Dienstrad, Eleasa, Eurorad, Linexo and Rad im Dienst. Dealers need their own Leasing-Check account (€10 net per month and location, as of 11/2026). Approval and billing continue to run through the respective provider's portal. Leasing-Check lists the connected ERP systems on its website.

Workshop in bicycle retail: season, e-bikes and service packages

• Workshop calendar per mechanic with utilisation – for the spring peak
• Service packages for recurring jobs such as inspection, e-bike check and season change
• Diagnostic steps, labour times and parts directly on the job
• Clear separation of warranty, goodwill and paid work
• Frame number and service history on the bike, for intake, warranty and leasing checks
• Customer notification on completion via SMS, WhatsApp or email
• Online appointment requests that the workshop reviews and confirms

DiBike: who drives the bicycle industry's standards

DiBike (Digitize Bike Business) is the digitalisation initiative of the bicycle industry, backed by VSF and ZIV. veloconnect, BIDEX Basics and Leasing-Check run under its umbrella. Manufacturers, wholesalers, dealers and software vendors take part as partners, software vendors for example as tech partners. The partner lists on dibike.org and veloconnect.de show which vendors contribute to the standards.

Checklist: choosing software as a bicycle and e-bike dealer

1. veloconnect: Which of my suppliers are actually connected, and which functions (item data, availability, ordering) are used?
2. BIDEX: Are product groups based on the industry standard, or do I maintain my own lists?
3. Company bike leasing: Can the workshop check leasing contracts and service budget without separate portal logins?
4. Workshop: Are calendar, service packages, frame number and customer notifications in one system?
5. POS and accounting: TSE under KassenSichV, GoBD and DATEV export as standard?
6. Online: Do store and online shop share one stock?
7. Partners: Is the vendor listed as a partner by DiBike or veloconnect?

How the CSB ERP implements this

This article is published by CSB – Bruns & Börjes GmbH from Augustfehn, Germany, vendor of the CSB ERP for two-wheeler retail (since 1993, more than 900 businesses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, including more than 200 bicycle dealers). The CSB ERP supports all three standards: veloconnect as the route to bicycle wholesalers including Hartje, the BIDEX product group key and, since November 2026, Leasing-Check via the “Leasing prüfen” (check leasing) button in the workshop job list. On top come a workshop with appointment calendar and service packages, TSE-compliant POS, DATEV export and an online shop with shared stock. CSB is a Pro Tech Partner of DiBike and listed on veloconnect.de as Tech Partner Pro.