Donkey Republic's latest financing round demonstrates that investors have not lost interest in bicycles and cycling more broadly. Private equity and other investors turned away from the bicycle industry after the troubles at Accell Group, Rad Power, VanMoof, Scott Sports and many others. Donkey Republic proves the opposite. They initially set out to raise DKK 15-30 million (€2-4 million), but due to strong interest, the transaction was over-subscribed and the amount raised was upsized to DKK 75 million (€10 million).

Changing market conditions and new European Union regulations have opened the door for tyre specialist Dmack to repurpose the former Nokian tyre facility in Finland. Bicycle tyre production had largely shifted from Europe to the Far East in recent decades. The cost of labour, environmental regulations and proximity to rubber sources made it more efficient to operate these factories in Asia. According to Dmack owner Dick Cormack, times have changed. "I have made it my personal mission to put this factory back on the map and build up production in Europe with high-quality products. That's our mission over the next five years."

From late September 2025 through early 2026, the bicycle industry saw an unprecedented wave of human rights-related actions centred on Taiwan. The United States government's import ban on Giant products made in Taiwan triggered not only rapid remediation and reimbursements, but a broader shift toward systemic human rights due diligence in Taiwan's bicycle supply chain. Bike Europe takes stock of the changes.

Kron Bicycle has completed the acquisition of Nishiki bicycle brand from Accell Group, marking a shift in ownership for the well-known Northern European bicycle brand. Accell Group, rumoured to be going through a second debt restructuring, has shed multiple subsidiaries this month in an effort to generate liquidity.

The micro-mobility investment fund Fundracer announced an undisclosed investment in Belgian startup Aerobag, which is pioneering ultra-lightweight, compact airbag technology designed specifically for cyclists. Aerobag set out with a clear and ambitious mission: to adapt proven airbag technology from the automotive industry into a form factor that works for cycling.

The announcement that Austrian Spar sold its domestic sporting goods chain Hervis, including all 134 existing stores in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Bavaria, marks a major shift in bicycle retail for Central Europe. The agreement, concluded this week, includes the transition of all employees. This move comes after the Austrian sporting goods retailer, which also sells a range of bicycle products, announced a "restructuring offensive."

New financial milestones surpassed for German online shop operator The Platform Group (TPG) in 2025. The software company specialising in platform solutions has presented its preliminary unaudited figures for the 2025 fiscal year. According to the company, in both sales and earnings, it has had its most successful fiscal year in its history.

Taiwanese drive system manufacturer Hyena E-bike Systems has announced a recall of its rear wheel bolts, affecting nearly 20,000 e-bikes from American bicycle manufacturer Trek and its subsidiary Electra. The affected e-bikes are from both brands' newest 2026 models, sold before October 2025.

A drastic reorganisation during the current market disruption was unavoidable for Campagnolo. The Italian component manufacturer felt the urge to issue a statement this week, following months of wild speculation, including the suggestion of a large-scale lay-off. "Currently, the company is being reorganised, after the financial structure was defined together with all relevant stakeholders," writes Campagnolo. "The Campagnolo family is directly involved in this process and continues to invest an undisclosed amount in the project."

This year, multi-sports chain store retailer and manufacturer Decathlon is continuing its expansion in Germany. Following the grand opening of its hundredth store in Nuremberg last November, Decathlon-Germany has announced its goal to operate at least 150 stores by 2027.

One of the world's largest automotive suppliers ZF, marked its entry into the e-bike business with a debut at Eurobike in 2018. Specialising in tailor-made open drive systems, the German manufacturers aimed to become a serious competitor to Bosch. However, this has not materialised, leading to a doubtful future. "We have suspended our sales activities in this area," a spokesperson has confirmed to Bike Europe.

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.

WASHINGTON, DC, United States - The number of bicycles imported into the United States in the first nine months of 2025 dropped 23% year-on-year. Looking specifically at China, imports from there have dropped by 40% amid tariff uncertainty throughout the year. Taiwan and Cambodia have made volume gains of 10% and 83% respectively. The latest import data provided by the US International Trade Commission shows that the face of the US bicycle market is already changing as a result of President Trump's 'America First' nationalist policy.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - The Dutch bicycle market has enjoyed favourable market conditions throughout the year. According to the third-quarter report from the benchmark group of H&L Accountancy, the average retail revenue in the Netherlands increased by 5.4% compared to the same period last year. It is probably not the best quarter of the year, but the market is still buoyant.

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.