Jan-Willem van Schaik

MANISA, Turkey - Electronics giant Vestel has started e-bike battery production to meet growing demand. "E-bike batteries are our main focus now although we have developed batteries for many other products such as vacuum cleaners, medical ventilators, power tools and energy storage systems," explains Deputy General Manager of Battery Systems, Ilker Gürtekin.

WOUDENBERG, the Netherlands - Cannondale is the first brand of the Cycling sports Group to introduce a 100% recyclable bicycle packaging in Europe as part of its commitment to reduce waste and simplify bike assembly.

POZZOLEONE, Italy - Nicola Rosin is leaving Selle Royal S.p.A. as the company announced Wednesday afternoon. Since 2012, Rosin has been General Manager and a Board Member. Selle Royal saddle brand, Fizik, Brooks England, Crankbrothers, and Pedaled are all part of the Selle Royal Group.

BARNOLDSWICK, UK - Component manufacturer Hope invested this summer around £1.5 million (€1.65 million) to improve product availability. Apparently it is still not enough as dealer inventory is still low and like many others, Hope can't meet demand. Alan Weatherill of Hope Technology explains why.

OSAKA, Japan - The financial statement of the Shimano Group over the first nine months of 2020 clearly shows the impact of the international cycling boom. While the company still reported a double-digit sales slide in the first half of 2020, the turnover strongly recovered over the first nine months of 2020.

WARSAW, Poland - Since production relocation is on the agenda in the e-bike industry, multiple clusters in Eastern Europe have been in the spotlight. Over the past few years some large facilities have been opened, but we have also seen smaller projects successfully investing in the booming e-bike and bicycle market. In the case of Ecoride the anti-dumping duties were the main reason to open-up a factory in Poland, while Atelierele Pegas is a Romanian initiative with the potential to expand into the micro-mobility market.

History always repeats itself, but never in the same way. The 2003 SARS pandemic had a big impact on the bicycle industry at that time, but the outcome was very different than today. In the current crisis, some people have acted based on what happened then, like a former Shell executive who was based in Asia in 2003.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Making the voice of the cycling industry heard at EU level has been Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) mission since the organisation was founded in October 2018. COVID-19 opened many eyes on all political levels showing the importance of cycling for future urban mobility.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission's announcement to review Directive 168/2013 which regulates the type-approval for vehicles with two or more wheels has united the EU cycling advocacy associations CONEBI, CIE, European Cyclists' Federation (ECF).

WASHINGTON, USA - The sales of e-bikes in the US are expected to be given a boost now that the Department of the Interior released final rules for electric bicycle use on public lands. This new regulation more clearly defines electric bicycles and no longer describes them as motor vehicles.