It started with a dirty chain

I'm Jeroen. Around 2016, I wanted to ride the Elfstedentocht for the first time: 240 kilometres. I wasn't a very experienced cyclist yet, so I took my bike to a bike shop in Amsterdam to have everything checked.

The bike was fine. Nothing needed replacing. But the chain? Still black and dirty.

"You can do that yourself. I'm a bike mechanic, not a cleaner."

So I cleaned it myself.

Starting the Elfstedentocht with that clean chain felt like having freshly brushed teeth. That lovely fresh feeling, but on a bike. And yes, I finished it. In ten hours.

That feeling stayed with me. How many cyclists in Amsterdam had never experienced it? People who, like me back then, enjoy riding but don't really know how to clean their bike. I wanted to do something about that.

I did some research and asked people what they thought of the idea. After selling my recruitment business, I opened Chasse Patate at the end of March 2022. Since then, I reckon I've cleaned more than 10,000 bikes.

Why Chasse Patate?

In bike racing, a chasse patate is a rider stuck between the peloton and the breakaway. It's fun to say, easy to remember, and the commentators mention it in pretty much every race. Free advertising. I'll take it.

That good feeling on a bike

Whether you're buying a bike, renting one or dropping yours off for a wash, I want you to walk in feeling confident that you're going to have a good time on a bike.

And when you leave with your own bike? Ideally, it's so clean it feels like new again.