SimpliServ or tri-data (TriBike)? An honest comparison for bike shops and repair workshops

If you run a bike or e-bike business in Germany and look for industry software, you will quickly find the TriBike family from tri-data. SimpliServ arrives from a different direction: it grew out of a repair workshop, built for businesses where intake, job, POS and invoice all pass through the same hands on the same day. Both solve the same basic problem, but they make different structural choices — and those are worth knowing before you sign anything.

Short profile

What SimpliServ costs

SimpliServ charges per business rather than per module and per workstation: €49 for Starter, currently €19 for the first four months on an annual plan; €119 for Pro including five users, the cash register, inventory, appointments and the customer portal; €199 for Business. Setup and data migration are included (worth €199, currently free), additional users are €10, and there is no minimum term after the trial.

At tri-data the price is assembled from the version, a service fee and additional licences, either rented or bought alongside an ongoing service contract, with minimum terms of 24 months being common. What that means for your business only emerges from an individual quote.

Where tri-data has its place

tri-data is deeply rooted in German bicycle retail and handles classic specialist processes reliably. If you prefer buying software over renting it, the licence model fits.

Large ranges with variants, supplier catalogues via VeloConnect, frame and serial numbers, inventory with storage locations and stocktaking are all covered by SimpliServ as well — only in the same system as the job, the register and customer communication.

That strength stops exactly where your money is earned. The workshop part is an extension of the sales system rather than a process of its own, so job status, customer approvals and callbacks run alongside selling instead of through it. And the low-looking entry price only adds up over 24 months — with the service fee, an extra licence per workstation and a minimum term.

Where SimpliServ wins

SimpliServ starts with the job, not the product catalogue. Intake with photo documentation and signature, status history, customer approval of the cost estimate and the final invoice are one continuous process rather than four modules stitched together.

Three differences stand out in daily use:

Everything in the browser, including tablets. No server in the back room, no remote session to check in from home. Intake on a tablet at the counter, a review on your phone in the evening.

Customer portal without login. Customers get a link, see the status, approve the estimate and are notified automatically when the bike is ready, via WhatsApp, SMS or email. That saves more phone calls than any POS feature.

E-invoicing with no switch to flip. Every SimpliServ invoice already carries structured ZUGFeRD data inside the PDF. There is no separate e-invoice mode anyone could forget.

Adaptable without project costs. Custom fields, templates and forms, your own roles and permissions, a workflow builder from Business, plus API and MCP connector: you shape the software around your process instead of the other way round. No consultant hours, no developer needed.

Cheap and predictable. Entry costs EUR 49 per month, currently EUR 19 for the first four months on an annual plan; Pro with five users is EUR 119, initially EUR 49. Setup and data migration are handled by SimpliServ (worth EUR 199, currently free), there is no per-workstation licence and no minimum term after the trial.

Purchasing runs through VeloConnect, so spare parts can be ordered straight from the system. SimpliServ also covers rentals, time tracking, workflows, Shopify and Wix connections, and an open API from Business upwards. See the full scope on the features page.

Built for bike retailers, not merely adapted to them

SimpliServ is cut for two-wheel businesses: frame and serial numbers on the vehicle, spare part ordering straight from the system via the VeloConnect link, inventory with storage locations and stocktaking, repair intake with photos and signature on a tablet, online booking for service slots, and rentals. The same software also covers e-bikes, e-scooters and whatever else the workshop takes in.

Modern rather than grown over time. SimpliServ runs in the browser — at the counter, on a tablet in the workshop, on a phone on the road. No installation, no server in the back room, no annual version a technician has to roll out, no disruptive update windows that halt the shop: new features are simply there, included in the price. The interface is built for speed rather than menu trees, and new staff get by without a week of training.

Switching: the realistic path

A migration rarely fails because of the software; it fails because of timing. Plan it outside the spring season, export customer, product and document data from the old system, and keep the old installation readable for retention periods. SimpliServ handles data import and setup, and most businesses are operational within one to two days. The article on digitising a workshop walks through the process in detail.

Frequently asked questions

Is SimpliServ compliant with Austrian RKSV and German TSE rules?

Yes. The cash register signs via fiskaly and supports Austrian RKSV with DEP export and FinanzOnline as well as the German TSE requirement. Have your tax advisor review your specific configuration before going live.

Can I migrate my data from tri-data?

Customer, product and document data can usually be exported and imported. Send a sample export and we will confirm exactly what transfers one to one before you switch.

Do I need my own server?

No. SimpliServ runs in the browser, hosted in the EU, with daily backups. You need a device and an internet connection; the cash register works with local hardware.

Can I trial both in parallel?

Yes, and it is the most honest test. Enter ten real jobs in SimpliServ for a week alongside your current system and compare how many phone calls are left.

Conclusion

For a pure sales operation tri-data remains a serious option. As soon as you repair, service and field callbacks, SimpliServ wins clearly: jobs, POS, appointments and customer communication in one system, five users included from Pro, no per-workstation surcharge, no 24-month commitment — and customers who see their status instead of calling.

Test it with ten real jobs rather than demo data: free for 14 days.