Building BikeZap — A Zapier-Powered MicroSaaS for Cycling Enthusiasts

BikeZap started as a small weekend experiment: could I build a one-page app that automatically curates the best cycling discussions from Reddit and publishes them live? No scraping scripts or backend cron jobs—just smart automation and a clean front-end.

The Idea

I wanted to explore how low-code automation tools like Zapier could power tiny but meaningful products. The premise was simple: each time a new post appears in cycling subreddits like r/cycling, r/velo, or r/bikecommuting, Zapier sends it to a lightweight API hosted on Vercel. From there, posts are stored in Supabase and displayed in real time on a Next.js + ShadCN UI frontend.

Designing the Experience

The app design is intentionally minimal—think Linear meets Strava. Subtle motion, calm typography, and cycling-themed color cues make the content feel curated rather than scraped. Each post is rendered as a card with its source, summary, and publication date. I added a simple hero section with personality and a sticky footer that links back to my portfolio at edbelluti.com.

Automation Stack

• Zapier RSS Triggers: Listen to multiple cycling subreddits using RSS feeds.
• Webhook → Vercel API Route: Each new Reddit post is sent as a JSON payload to /api/reddit.
• Supabase: Stores posts in a simple table with title, URL, summary, image, and date.
• Next.js + ShadCN UI: Displays posts using clean, responsive cards.

Lessons Learned

The biggest takeaway was how fast you can ship something useful when you combine no-code automation with a modern front-end. In less than a day, I built a product that updates itself, scales on Vercel, and stores data reliably in Supabase—all without a dedicated backend.

BikeZap now lives at bikezap.vercel.app, automatically posting fresh cycling content every few hours. It’s a fun reminder that automation can be creative—and that even micro-SaaS tools can have personality.