Editorial Team Bike Europe

Europe's bicycle markets are entering 2026 on very different footing. While Italy continues to struggle with declining sales and mounting pressure on specialist retail, the German and Spanish markets are showing signs of stabilisation as higher-value segments, particularly e-bikes, drive revenue growth. In the UK, the industry recorded its first year of growth since 2020, offering cautious optimism after several difficult seasons. Together, the latest European market reports reflect an industry still navigating post-pandemic correction, changing consumer demand and the growing importance of value-driven segments.

自行車產業正積極尋找新的機會，期盼在經歷疫情期間供應鏈大亂後，重新掌握主導權。產線移地及新零件供應商可能是其中解方，這也為市場開啟大門，迎來許多沒有歷史包袱的新興品牌及企業。近期產業關注焦點從過去主導的Eurobike及台北國際自行車展，轉向中國國際自行車展，凸顯全球製造商、品牌、組裝商及零件通路網絡正出現劇烈變化。

The bicycle industry is eagerly seeking new opportunities to regain control of the supply chain after major disruptions during the pandemic. Production relocations and new component suppliers could be part of the solutions. It also opened the market to new brands and companies that are not weighed down by their history. The recent shift of the industry's attention from the once-leading trade events Eurobike and Taipei Cycle Show to China Cycle makes it clear that the global network of manufacturers, brands, assemblers, and distributors of bicycle parts is changing drastically.

Taiwan is future-focused, that much was apparent to attendees of the Taipei Cycle Show 2026. But beneath the optimism, export declines and changing production chains show the nation's bicycle sector is in transition. Production value is increasingly generated beyond Taiwan's borders, as manufacturing shifts to neighbouring markets such as China, Vietnam and Europe through Taiwanese-led supply chains.

The latest edition of Bike Europe magazine (issue 1/2026) is now available to read online in our digital magazine section. This edition highlights cautious optimism voiced amid ongoing ­industry doubts. The inventory situation — the big hurdle of the past years — is also stabilising.

As the world's leading bicycle component supplier, there is no better thermometer for the industry than Shimano. For fiscal year 2025, the Japanese manufacturer reported a 2.7% increase in net sales in bicycle components - a slight glimmer of hope that an industry rebound is imminent.

The latest edition of Bike Europe magazine (issue 4/2025) is now available to read online in our digital magazine section. This edition highlights how the carefully knitted global network of bicycle component manufacturers, brands, assemblers and distributors is still under pressure. The industry is unable to regain control of the supply chain after major disruptions during the pandemic, in combination with an overestimated market potential. It is not only a self-inflicted problem; finding solutions also requires drastic steps.

For many in the bicycle industry, the third quarter financial results make uncomfortable reading. Despite optimistic signs in the first and second quarters, most Q3 results show that attaining financial stabilisation is still out of reach. As revenues drop, repeated streamlining and cost-cutting measures are being taken to ensure the health of companies in the bicycle industry supply chain. This sentiment is also echoed in the second results of the Global Bicycle Purchasing Index (GBPI), a new initiative between Bike Europe, Eurobike and IFH Koln.

MELBOURNE, Australia - The large geographical distance between Australia and Europe, could suggest completely different bicycle market tendencies. But is this in reality? Long-time industry watcher, business consultant and proud Australian, Phil Latz, frequently travels in Europe. Here, he evaluates the developing market and infrastructure from his perspective on both continents.

Today, Poland is a European manufacturing hub for bicycles and e-bikes — not a niche player but one of the continent's top producers. Polish factories produced around one million bicycles annually in the early 2020s, putting the country among the EU's five largest producers and giving it a meaningful share of regional supply chains.