From a Loire 50cc counter to a Courtine warehouse
La Bécanerie’s own history block starts in 1978 in Loire-Atlantique, when Djamal Henni opened a 50cc-parts shop nicknamed La Tasse d’Or. Distance selling under the La Bécanerie name followed in 1986. The live operation is now a family company based at 265 rue du Grand Gigognan, ZI Courtine, 84000 Avignon, with phone 04 65 640 640. The homepage still leads with motorcycle, scooter, 50cc, off-road and quad universes; vélo is one aisle among those two-wheel worlds, not the whole shop. Marketing lines on the site cite about 300,000 references and 1,000 brands, free mainland shipping from €89, free returns on rider equipment under conditions, and payment in three interest-free instalments. That is a parts-and-kit mail-order model. It is not a boutique that builds a custom gravel bike on a jig while you drink an espresso.
The Avignon site is a web-order pickup point, not a full-service cycle atelier. Hours published on the delivery page run Monday to Thursday 07:30–18:00 without a lunch close, and Friday 08:00–17:00. Saturday and Sunday are closed. Pickup is free. You wait for the email that says the parcel is ready, then show the order number and an identity document. The same page warns that pickup is pickup only: no on-the-spot order changes or cancellations at the hatch. Third-party listings describe the address as web-order withdrawal rather than a walk-around bike store. If you hoped to sit on a saddle, have a mechanic true a wheel, or leave a carbon frame for a headset press, this warehouse does not advertise that service. A local cycle shop still owns that job.
The bike aisle: parts and VAE hardware, not complete framesets
Open /velo/ and you get components and accessories, not a wall of sized complete bikes. Brands named on that hub include Basil, Michelin, Newton, Polisport, ProGrip and Shimano. Category copy covers brake systems, tyres, inner tubes, transmission, saddles, bags, and lights for road, mountain and city bikes. Concrete cards on the same tree include a Ultime Bike 20-inch trailer wheel around €59.90, a CST Scout 20×4 fat-bike tyre around €32.90, Velox Karma and Mach1 wheel builds, a Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700×35C around €41.50, Continental Contact Urban, Hutchinson trailer rubber, Zoom 389 26-inch suspension forks, and rigid 26-inch V-brake forks. Transmission filters split by use: dozens of Shimano VTT derailleurs and cassettes (Tourney TY300, Altus, Acera, Alivio M3100, Deore, Deore XT T8000, Cues U6000), plus road and gravel counts, HG40 7/8-speed chains, and Steps E6070 / E6090 chains for e-bikes.
The electric-bike subdirectory is maintenance hardware, which is the honest limitation for anyone typing “vélo électrique” into the search bar. Listings include a Shimano Steps BT-E8014A 418 Wh battery around €669.90, Bosch Classic+ frame-battery lock kits, Bosch BDU4XX bearing-cover service kits, AVS motor-guard plates for Cube Stereo Hybrid generations, Galfer FD293 e-bike pads for Shimano/Tektro/TRP, Velox 20-inch cargo/VAE disc wheels, and a Mavic E-Deemax Boost 27.5-inch rear around €324.90. Copy on that page mentions Bosch, Brose and Bafang ecosystems. You can keep a VAE rolling. You cannot, from the pages we opened, add a complete Cannondale Moterra or a sized city e-bike to the cart. Helmets, locks (including alarmed U-locks around €59.90), and rider kit live in the wider two-wheel shop and follow clothing-size logic, not frame-size logic. If you need a 54 cm endurance frameset, look at a cycle specialist; if you need an 11–34 Acera cassette, you are in the right warehouse.
- Shimano mechanical: Tourney, Altus, Acera, Alivio, Deore, Deore XT, Cues derailleurs, cassettes and chains
- Shimano Steps e-bike: E6070/E6090 chains and BT-E8014A 418 Wh battery among other VAE parts
- Bosch VAE service: Classic+ lock kits, BDU4XX bearing kits, aftermarket motor guards for Cube hybrids
- Tyres and tubes: Schwalbe Marathon Plus, Continental Contact Urban, CST fat, Michelin, Hutchinson trailer
- Wheels and forks: Velox Karma/Mach1, Mavic E-Deemax Boost, Zoom 389 26-inch, rigid V-brake forks
- Accessories: Basil-style bags, lights, saddles, U-locks — plus the larger moto/scooter catalogue if you also ride petrol
Matching a part without a shop mechanic
Sizing on this site is specification matching, not a standover height chart. A cassette must match freehub (HG versus SRAM XD), speed count, and largest sprocket your derailleur cage will accept. A chain must match speed and, on Steps bikes, the e-bike-specific part number. A tyre must match bead diameter (700C, 650B, 26-inch, 27.5, 29, 20×4 fat) and your rim’s inner width. A VAE battery must match the motor family; a BT-E8014A is not a generic “Bosch brick.” Motor guards are listed per Cube Stereo Hybrid year. Photograph the old part, note the stamp on the cassette lockring, and compare with the product title before you click. The site’s buying guides and tutorials exist because compatibility is the failure mode. If the listing is ambiguous, the contact form is for product questions; the Avignon hatch will not rebuild the order when you arrive.
Search the exact Shimano or tyre code from your old part, then check mainland shipping against the €89 and €149 thresholds before you add a second SKU.
Open the La Bécanerie vélo aisle →Colissimo, Chronopost, Kuehne Nagel, and the free Avignon hatch
Mainland France pickup points currently price Chronopost Express (24h) at €6.50 under €89, €2.90 from €89 to €148.99, and free from €149. Chronopost Eco and Colissimo to a pickup point (48–72h) are €4.90 and €5.90 under €89, then free from €89. Home Chronopost Express is €7.90 under €89 and €4.90 once you clear €89 — it does not fall to zero even above €149. Home Colissimo is €6.90, then €2.90, then free above €149. Kuehne Nagel is listed at a flat €40 for 48–72h, the heavy-goods line when a carton will not fit a letterbox product. Colissimo domicile is described as about 48 hours after preparation, into the letterbox or against signature; missed deliveries follow the usual six-day rebook or post-office hold up to 15 days. Corsica uses Colissimo at the same €6.90 / €2.90 / free-over-€149 steps. Monaco has its own table (Colissimo €9 under €90, then free; Chronopost Express €7.90 then €4.90; Kuehne Nagel €40).
Overseas and export prices jump. DOM (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane, Réunion, Mayotte, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon) is listed at €50.88 under €90 and €123.84 above, with 6–8 day estimates. TOM (Nouvelle-Calédonie, Polynésie, Wallis-et-Futuna) starts at €117.84 and €242.40 with 8–10 day estimates. EU zone 1 (Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands) is €13.90 / €8.90 / €4.90 by basket band over 3–5 days. Austria sits in zone 3 at €19.08 / €21.72 / €32.40. Switzerland is zone 4 at €28.44 / €31.92 / €39.60 over 3–7 days, and the page states that foreign customs clearance is paid on collection. A battery or a pair of wheels can push you into the Kuehne Nagel €40 home line in mainland France even when the merchandise total looks modest. Read the carrier named in the basket; a 418 Wh battery is not a pair of socks.
La Bécanerie is a parts counter with tracking numbers. It rewards people who can read a cassette stamp. It punishes people who wanted a sized complete bike and a workshop test ride in the same click.
— Alex Rivera
Returns, rider kit, pro accounts — and who should stay local
Statutory withdrawal is 14 days after receipt. You contact them first so they can set conditions; unmounted, unworn goods go back in a carton that protects the original packaging, with the invoice. Free returns advertised as “retour équipement offert” apply to rider equipment sizing for mainland France excluding Corsica, one return per article or order, after you request a return slip within 14 days. One-size kit and vehicle parts are excluded from that free offer. Consumables such as brake pads sit outside the commercial guarantee path they describe. Incompatibility returns need photos of the received part and the original part. Professional accounts need a Kbis under 12 months old and about €500 TTC of yearly purchases for a 10 percent discount off displayed public prices. Loyalty points are cancelled on refunded returns. None of this is a bike-shop goodwill swap of a 58 cm frame for a 56.
Order here if you already own the bike, you can name the part, and you are happy with Colissimo or an Avignon weekday hatch. Skip it if you need a complete bicycle, a child-size fitting, a hydraulic bleed, a warranty inspection on a carbon frame, or Saturday opening. Skip it if the part is a safety-critical install you cannot do (pressed headsets, motor firmware, high-voltage battery diagnosis) and you have no mechanic. Skip DOM/TOM unless the shipping line still beats a local importer. Skip the free-equipment-return promise for a cassette; that promise is clothing-shaped. A good independent cycle shop remains cheaper than a wrong 12-speed chain on an 11-speed freehub, even when the chain itself was a bargain.
- Copy the exact model number from the old derailleur, cassette, chain or battery before you search
- Check freehub standard and speed count; HG, XD and Steps chains are not interchangeable guesses
- For VAE batteries, match the motor family and watt-hours, then confirm the live price (BT-E8014A is a high-ticket SKU)
- Add the Kuehne Nagel €40 line into the comparison if the carton is a wheelset or other bulky freight
- Use Avignon pickup only on weekdays after the ready-mail, with ID — no hatch-side edits
- Contact returns within 14 days; do not assume a free label on mechanical parts
FAQ: complete bikes, pickup, freight, and sizing
Does La Bécanerie sell complete bicycles?
The vélo universe we reviewed is parts, wheels, tyres, forks, bags and VAE service items. We did not find a complete-bike configurator or a sized Cannondale, Trek or Specialized frameset listing on those category pages. If a complete bike appears later, treat it as an exception to check live — not the current centre of the catalogue. For a new e-MTB, use a cycle retailer that stocks sizes and offers a first service. For a Tourney TY300 or a Marathon Plus, stay here.
Can I click-and-collect a cassette the same day?
No. Avignon pickup is free but only after the warehouse emails that the web order is prepared. Hours are weekday-only: roughly 07:30–18:00 Monday to Thursday and 08:00–17:00 Friday, with weekend closed. You cannot treat ZI Courtine as a Saturday bike shop or a same-day parts counter. If you are already in Avignon without a ready-mail, you will be turned away. Chronopost Express to a pickup point is the 24-hour paid alternative in mainland France when the part is in stock.
Why is there a €40 Kuehne Nagel option?
Because some cartons are freight, not a letterbox tyre. The delivery table lists Kuehne Nagel at €40 for 48–72h on mainland home delivery regardless of the €89 Colissimo threshold. Wheels, some forks, and stacked bulky goods are the usual trigger. If the basket still offers Colissimo, use it. If it only offers freight, compare that €40 plus the part against a local shop that already has the wheel on the wall. A cheap rim that costs €40 extra to arrive is no longer cheap.
How do I choose a Shimano cassette size?
Read the old cassette: speed count (7 through 12), largest sprocket (11–28 versus 11–34, for example), and freehub body. Match the derailleur cage length to the capacity. An Acera HG31 Megarange 8-speed 11–34 is not a Deore 11-speed part. If you recently converted to 1x, confirm the rear derailleur can handle the new low gear. When in doubt, photograph the stamp and ask their product line before paying, because mounted drivetrain parts lose the easy return path that unworn clothing still has.
Is shipping to Germany or Switzerland worth it on a small part?
Zone 1 Germany starts at €13.90 under €90 and falls to €4.90 above €300. Switzerland starts at €28.44 and rises with basket value, plus possible customs on collection. A €7 inner tube is a bad export once postage and duties land. A €670 Steps battery might still beat a local dealer if the part is scarce, after you add VAT at the border. Run the live table at checkout; those figures are the published mainland-export bands, not a promise that every SKU ships to every postcode.
If the code on your old Shimano or Schwalbe part matches a live card, check carrier and return rules — then order the part, not a fantasy complete bike.
Search a part number on La Bécanerie →Verdict: a two-wheel parts warehouse that happens to speak vélo fluently
La Bécanerie is worth using when you can specify a Shimano cassette, a Marathon Plus, a Steps battery or a Bosch service kit and you accept weekday Avignon pickup or Colissimo/Chronopost. It is the wrong click for a complete bicycle, a fitting, or a workshop rebuild. Price the €89/€149 shipping steps and the €40 freight line before you celebrate a cheap fork. Keep a local mechanic for anything that needs a torque wrench and a guarantee stamp. For the part you can name, this Avignon catalogue is built for that job.
