BikeVet is an app for iPhone and iPad. You connect Strava once, and after every ride, the homepage says, it analyzes your distance, elevation, terrain and weather in the background, then estimates how worn each part of the bike is. One example carries the idea: 500 km of muddy gravel shouldn’t count the same as 500 km of dry tarmac. You set a bike up by taking a photo of it, and the app identifies the frame and key components.
Version 1.0 reached the App Store on September 22, 2026. The free version covers one bike and six core components (the support page gives the chain, brake pads and tires as examples). Premium is $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year on the US App Store and adds unlimited bikes, every component down to bottom brackets and freehub bearings, and what the support page calls comprehensive alerts. Alain answered our questions in writing.
Eight bikes and a spreadsheet
BikeVet pitches itself as the end of “tedious Excel sheets.” We asked whether there was a spreadsheet, or a part that wore out early, behind it.
I’ve been passionate about bike mechanics for a long time. I’ve actually been wrenching on my own bikes, my family’s bikes, and my friends’ bikes for years now. I just love it: bikes are beautiful machines. As my family and I started riding much more often and across different terrains, I suddenly had to keep up with periodic maintenance on a lot more bikes that were all getting heavy use (we’re at 8 bikes now, and the count keeps growing). I tried keeping track with notes and spreadsheets, but it got messy fast. Having something fail mid-ride started becoming a little too common (just ask my wife about her MTB brakes), so BikeVet really was born out of necessity.
Why a wet ride counts for more
The whole pitch rests on conditions counting, not only kilometers. How did he put numbers on that, and how have the estimates held up against real replacements?
The wear model is actually pretty pragmatic rather than over-engineered. I apply a wear penalty for rainy, muddy, or dusty rides, factoring in weather and terrain. This comes from firsthand experience: I ride both road and XC mountain bike, and there’s a massive difference in how much abuse the bike takes based on riding conditions. Talking with other bike mechanics confirmed the exact same thing.
Since we’ve only had beta testers for a few months, it’s still a bit early to measure full part replacement cycles, but we’ve already gotten great feedback on routine maintenance intervals. BikeVet uses that same dynamic wear calculation to adjust service reminders: for example, it will nudge you to clean and lube your chain much sooner after a couple of wet or gritty rides than after dry ones. Catching that early partially offsets the harsh conditions and extends the life of the components.
The inputs, per BikeVet’s FAQ, are weather, elevation, distance, duration, route type and the kind of bike and component. The ride data comes mainly from Strava (or manual entries), and the weather from what the FAQ calls “our weather provider”.
So when should you replace your chain?
We asked for his straight answer, and what BikeVet tells you that a chain checker doesn’t.
A chain checker is still essential, even if you use BikeVet! The honest answer is: replace your chain when your chain checker and drivetrain specs say so. The problem is that a chain checker usually sits in a drawer until you remember to use it, often a bit too late. And there’s plenty of amateur riders that do not even measure it. BikeVet notifies you when it estimates the chain is approaching the end of its life so you know it’s time to measure it, and reminds you to clean and lube it along the way so it lasts as long as possible without wasting your time. I don’t think anyone should rely on an app to blindly replace parts, and that’s not the goal of BikeVet, even though some users initially assume it is.
BikeVet’s terms say the same in legal language: the wear figures are estimates that may be inaccurate and shouldn’t replace a professional mechanical inspection.
What about bike shops?
BikeVet asks riders to become their own mechanic and cut down on unnecessary shop visits. So are bike shops rivals, partners, or people who might use it too?
100% partners. Imagine being a bike mechanic, someone who genuinely loves these incredible machines, and having a customer roll in a completely neglected bike. Maybe they bought it from you a year ago, never lubed the chain, never washed it properly, and left it parked outside in the rain. Naturally, the riding experience falls apart, and now they’re frustrated: “This expensive bike you sold me already rides terribly! Fix it, please.” And then you’re the one who has to break the bad news that it’s going to cost $500 because the drivetrain is cooked, the pads are gone, and the rotors are toasted too. That’s a terrible experience for everyone involved, and I’ve seen it happen firsthand.
A good mechanic loves when you bring in a bike that’s had its basic care done right, arriving at the shop right on time for complex service or a real repair. My dream is to partner with Local Bike Shops so riders can handle the everyday basics at home and bring their bikes into the shop on time when they actually need professional service.
For the everyday basics, both the free and paid versions include DIY repair guides, tool and parts suggestions, and tips on making components last. You log each replacement, repair, lube and cleaning against the part.
The first weeks
Where did the first riders come from?
Mostly from Reddit cycling communities and organic App Store search right now, plus a bit of word of mouth from early testers and riding buddies.
Is it only him building it?
Yes, it’s a solo project right now, although I’m considering bringing someone on to help with distribution and marketing: building the product comes naturally, whereas marketing isn’t really my thing.
We asked which bikes riders are tracking. In his words it’s “a really fun mix in the garage already”: among them a Bianchi Arcadex Pro, a Trek Madone, a Scott Addict and a Genesis Croix de Fer (“that’s one I’m dreaming of purchasing myself!”).
What it writes to Strava
By default the Strava connection is read-only. BikeVet’s support page describes one opt-in extra: new maintenance alerts, such as a part that needs cleaning, service or inspection, added to the description of the Strava activity that triggered them. We asked whether that’s live.
I’m actively testing this out. Right now, the app can append new maintenance alerts directly to the description of the Strava activity that triggered them, but it’s strictly opt-in, only when explicitly requested by the user.
On October 21 he told us the description alerts had shipped, in that day’s App Store update (version 1.1.1).
Getting started
We asked if there was anything he wanted riders to know.
Getting started takes just a few minutes and doesn’t even require creating an account. You just snap a photo of your bike and the app identifies the frame and components, you check the data out, connect Strava and that’s it. The free tier covers one bike and core components, which is everything a lot of riders actually need.
The FAQ adds that the photo recognition can make mistakes and works best with a clear, well-lit shot of the drive side; you can edit the bike or any single part afterwards, and set a starting wear level by hand. Only new rides come in by default, and you can import the past year of Strava rides if you want wear counted from earlier. Link each bike to the matching bike in your Strava gear; then choosing the right bike on a Strava activity sends its distance to the right place in BikeVet.
Quick facts
Alain is a full-stack developer, mainly on iOS, and has been building apps for 11 years. In his words: “I live near Lake Como in Lombardy, Italy. You might spot me suffering up the climb to Madonna del Ghisallo or cruising the local cycling paths with my wife and daughter”.
| At a glance | BikeVet |
|---|---|
| Free | One bike, six core components (the chain, brake pads and tires among them), DIY repair guides |
| Premium | $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year (US App Store): unlimited bikes, every component, what the FAQ calls comprehensive alerts |
| Which way data flows | Reads your Strava rides (distance, elevation gain and riding time, per the App Store page); read-only by default, with an opt-in that adds maintenance alerts to the activity description, per the FAQ |
| Where it runs | iPhone and iPad, iOS or iPadOS 26 or later; no Android or web version yet |
| Account | Not needed; a free account adds sync between devices and recovery |
| Made by | Alain Caltieri, on his own; version 1.0 on September 22, 2026 |
The rest, including what the privacy policy says it keeps from Strava, is on the BikeVet listing. Not on an iPhone? Other apps that track bike parts from Strava rides are on our bike maintenance page.
Sources
- Written answers from Alain Caltieri, emails to Apps for Strava, October 18, 19 and 21, 2026, quoted as he wrote them, the photo of his bike he sent with them, and the app screenshots from BikeVet’s media kit, which he sent by email on October 14, 2026
- BikeVet: its support and FAQ page, privacy policy and terms, checked November 4, 2026
- BikeVet on the App Store (US prices, version history, requirements)
