The bicycle industry was not a preferred target for financial investors when the e-bike market entered its growth phase in 2010; its growth rate and return prospects were not as attractive as those of e-commerce companies, for example. After 2010, financial investors stepped in, but many have since left the industry. What's next?

Giant Group has started 2026 with a significantly weaker January performance than previous years, posting a sharp decline in revenue of 21.6% for the first month of the year. The Taiwanese company's downturn comes following a year in which Giant dominated the headlines — and not always for good reasons.

Starting 18 February, 2027, the European Union will mandate a digital battery passport for all light means of transport (LMT) batteries, including e-bikes, to enhance sustainability and traceability. This digital record, accessed via QR code, will contain detailed information on the battery's composition, carbon footprint, technical performance and lifecycle. With one year to go, various solutions and regulatory clarity for the e-bike market are beginning to take shape.

Accell Group announced the next milestone in its transformation, with new funding and a substantial debt reduction. Under an agreement announced today with its key stakeholders, Accell Group will receive additional funding in exchange for shares. The existing majority shareholders transferred control of Accell Group to a new corporate structure.

As part of a share deal with Asian Tri Star Inc. (Tri Star Group) on 12 February, the lifting of the insolvency proceedings paved the road for a restart of the more than 100-year-old traditional company, Sprick. It has been a long and tough ride for the responsible insolvency administrator, Axel Geese from Streitbörger PartgmbB. Since the traditional German bicycle producer Sprick Rowery (aka Sprick Cycle) filed for insolvency at the end of 2024, Geese has been searching for someone to revive the long-established bicycle manufacturer.

The total market value in the Netherlands surged by more than 60% in the past 10 years, driven by the rising average retail prices for e-bikes. In 2025, combined bicycle and e-bike sales totalled at €1.533 billion, a 1.3% decline from 2024. Market growth over the past years has masked declining sales volumes. In 2025, the market experienced a further 7% decline in units. At the same time, the average price increase of e-bikes and bicycles combined exceeded the rate of inflation more than twice. To what extent will consumers continue to pay the ever-increasing prices?

A once-royally endorsed kids' bike manufacturer has fallen on hard times, according to a recent filing from the United Kingdom brand Frog Bikes. The company has officially started an insolvency process, a move the founders hope will keep the company afloat while seeking new funding.

Portugal's EU-funded AM2R programme is entering its final stretch. With the €113.8 million Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), scheduled to conclude in June, it has become a defining industrial policy project for the Portuguese two-wheeler sector; from higher-value product development to advanced manufacturing, and exportable innovation.

In the coming weeks, the 2025 financial results of the leading companies in the sector will be published. Many will likely look back on 2025 as another lost year. Hopes have been pinned on 2026, but will they prove realistic? What is your level of new incoming orders and purchasing? We would love to hear your expectations for the coming period in the Global Bicycle Purchasing Index (GBPI).

The Indian bicycle industry seems upbeat with the signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union and the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the United States. Both are regarded as key emerging markets for bicycle exporters, as observed at the recently concluded Ride India Expo 2026 held at the Ludhiana Exhibition Centre in India.

Bikefitting.com is going global with Norwegian BikeFolder, expanding the Shimano-backed digital bike-fitting platform well beyond its initial Nordic regional rollout in 2025. The partnership combines Bikefitting's technology with BikeFolder's "digital bike garage," completing the digital ecosystem for cyclists and retailers.

If you look hard enough, there have been some positives in recent business news for the cycling industry — from the growth of key e-commerce retailers and the resilience of premium brands to positive sales recovery signals in the market. In this new study, Shift Media Leaderboard shares key trends in consumer interest: which products are consumers searching for?

For the first time since anti-dumping duties were introduced in 2019, China reclaimed its position as the European Union's top e-bike supplier in 2025. The lead is marginal, with an equal 32.8% share of the total e-bike import market together with Taiwan. Although only a mere 350 units more entered the EU from China than Taiwan, the island nation continues to hold 54% share of import value, totalling €318 million.

The Czech industry just can't seem to regenerate the local e-MTB market. Czechs are primarily focused on off-road e-bike use, and e-MTB models were a strong segment in 2025, but this category is still threatened and burdened by the ongoing sales crisis since 2023. Still, there are positive signs coming from this important production base for the EU market.

That 2025 was not going to be a good year for the Taiwanese industry was already evident after Taipei Cycle in March when it became obvious that order books were still empty. The bicycle-producing nation closed 2025 with a 7% drop in e-bike export volume, compared to the record-breaking bad year in 2024. With just under 337,000 units leaving the country and the export value dropping another 3%, it shows the Taiwan industry is still facing an uphill climb to bring production back to pre-pandemic levels.

Long associated with self-balancing devices and shared micromobility, Segway is accelerating its move into the global e-bike market. Speaking at CES, which took place this month in Las Vegas, Nick Howe, head of e-bike worldwide at Segway, made it clear that the company's ambition goes well beyond launching new models. Segway wants to transplant proven automotive and powered two-wheeler technologies into cycling.

HEERENVEEN, The Netherlands - The final Batavus bicycles have rolled off the assembly line in the Netherlands, marking the end of an era for the Accell Group as it opts for centralised production in Hungary. It also marks the end of 45 years in the bicycle industry for Accell stalwart Menno Visser, who is now retiring. Having started at Batavus on the assembly line, he worked his way up to commercial director and spent the past years as a project manager at Accell. In an exclusive interview, he reflects on industry changes and his vision for the future.

FONZASO, Italy - Fashion in cycling apparel and bicycles has long taken a different path, if only because the life cycle and price range of both categories are far apart. Still, there are a lot of parallels, only because the audience is the same. How do both worlds interact, and how can they strengthen each other? Castelli product line manager, Andrew Montgomery, took a deep dive into Castelli's market approach and how the fashion world interacts with its brand strategy.

AMERSFOORT, the Netherlands - The new European Union guidelines on battery repairs will soon take effect, but whether the bicycle industry is sufficiently prepared remains to be seen. NOWOS founder Prins Doornekamp said he is surprised by the limited knowledge among both manufacturers and bicycle retailers.