Jan-Willem van Schaik

TOKYO, Japan - The bicycle industry in Japan is known to function in isolation, apart from global trends. Domestic sales are largely dominated by low-value, Chinese-made bicycles. But the market is waking up, seeing the benefits of cycling as a means of transport and the positive side effects on health. "The Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute (JBPI) developed various initiatives to open up the market and take it to the next level, including an annual show and market data gathering," said Professor Tetsuya Komagata, President of the Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute (JBPI), in an interview with Bike Europe. Komagata has extensively studied the history of the Japan-China bicycle industry and offered his insights.

IRVINE, USA - E-car manufacturer Rivian announced it has spun out its micromobility business into a new company called Also Inc. Secured by a $105 million (€97 million) investment from Eclipse Ventures, Also will focus on small, lightweight vehicles including e-bikes.

COLOGNE, Germany - Georg Honkomp's decision to step down as chairman of German ZEG, Europe's largest dealer cooperative, had a big impact on the whole organisation. But what else can be expected after he was on the board of directors for more than three decades? The Honkomp era is over as the new board announced a sweeping change of leadership in most of ZEG's subsidiaries.

REDDITCH, England - Contrary to the general trend in the British retail market, Halfords UK reports an increase in bicycle sales in its 28 March trading update. The company's focus on its range of premium mechanical bikes that have a price tag of more than £1,000, as announced last year, turned out for the best.

REICHSHOF, Germany - Schwalbe owner Ralf Bohle GmbH and Pyrum Innovations AG have concluded a framework agreement for the long-term purchase of Pyrum's recovered carbon black (rcb). The agreement covers the purchase of rcb at a fixed price for the next 10 years.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Industry leaders dare to speak out on future developments more openly now the main hurdle of the inventory crisis has been overcome. Giant Group Chairman Young Liu spoke directly to Bike Europe about his plans for production in Europe and his focal points for his first year in this position.

BARCELONA, Spain - "At Eurobike 2025 our Avinox system will be shown on a few select boutique brands," DJI Product Experience Director Ferdinand Wolf told Bike Europe this February. Among them are the Mith of the Spanish Unno Bikes an two models of Megano.

BERLIN, Germany - Several EU ministries already announced before the 2024 European elections, that regulations on vehicles would be revised, which also lead to changes in the existing e-bike regulations. It instantly raised concerns within the industry whether e-bikes will continue to be classified as bicycles. If not, the industry fears type approval and other restrictive regulations to be implemented for what is currently considered e-bikes.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - Pon Holdings has made significant strides in 2024 towards enhancing its focus on mobility through strategic investments and divestments. Despite market uncertainties, Pon Holdings recorded stable revenues of €9.9 billion, matching the prior year's results normalised for divestments.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - Pon has announced the sale of Dockr, its cargo bike subscriptions system to micro mobility supplier Today in shares. "With this acquisition, we are accelerating our vision of making micromobility solutions accessible for all," said Sean Flood and David Touwsma, co-founders of Today.