Jan-Willem van Schaik
Editor in Chief

Editor in Chief
BRUSSELS, Belgium - CEO of Cycleurope AB Tony Grimaldi has been the president of Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) since the start of the advocacy organisation. CIE is entering an all-new chapter with the announced merger with the Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI). Few were more involved in European cycling advocacy at various political levels and within nearly all industry organisations than Tony Grimaldi.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Company bike leasing (CBL) has demonstrated the success of salary conversion schemes in boosting e-bike sales. In Germany alone, approximately 2.1 million e-bikes have been sold through leasing over the past decade. This approach could serve as a blueprint for the entire of Europe to regain market momentum. However, before that can happen, national industry associations will need to advocate for suitable tax facilities with their governments.
RIMINI, Italy - The Italian Bike Festival has grown increasingly significant for the cycling industry since 2018, following the decline in relevance of EICMA-Milan in recent years. The most recent edition at Misano Circuit in September 2024 featured more than 600 brands and 57,000 end consumers and industry professionals. The successful event has been taken over by the Italian Exhibition Group.
CHANGUA, Taiwan - The long-awaited turnaround from a declining to a rising bicycle market is becoming increasingly visible. Industry leaders remain cautious in their forecasts but dare to express themselves more positively. This was already clear last week at Eurobike. Merida Industry's financial report for the first half of 2025, in combination with their statement "to gradually expand our e-bike production capacity," indicates that the company is once more regaining trust in its future.
CHICAGO, USA - During the process of drivetrain development in an attempt to make descending better, SRAM came across the spider manufacturer Ochain. "After we learned about the performance of their product, we decided to buy them," explains SRAM product manager Flynn George. How much SRAM paid for Ochain is unknown for the moment.
AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - Yamaha unveiled its new PW-Link e-bike system at this year's Eurobike. The Japanese manufacturer made all its e-drive components interchangeable and fully connected, allowing e-bike manufacturers to specify the same frame with multiple PW-Link combinations and offer a greater variety of e-bike options to consumers. Fabio Marzola, Yamaha Motor Europe's Division Manager of eBike Drive Units & Systems, explains the company's position on the market and their opinion on regulatory issues in Europe.
HEERENVEEN, the Netherlands - Intense discounting drove Accell Group's revenue down by 22% from €1,294 million in 2023 to €1,003 million last year. The company reports that the results were heavily impacted by one-offs, while market conditions remained challenging.
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany - The devastating impact of the extreme oversupply situation, combined with a postponed market recovery, became apparently visible at Eurobike 2025. The downward spiral has spread across the entire industry, impacting innovation and marketing alike, resulting in a lower visitor turnout and a shift in marketing budgets.
FRANKFURT, Germany - The fragmentation in the industry is more and more hampering the development of the business. The large number of companies often operate in a limited part of the market, which makes it difficult to gather enough information. This lack of data makes it very difficult to manage the supply chain efficiently. Eurobike and Bike Europe jointly created the Global Bicycle Purchasing Index aimed at creating a benchmark for purchase and product managers.
LETOHRAD, Czech Republic - To improve the shifting operation with mechanical gear systems Gearsensor.com made by Czech based Agentura Repro will become compatible with Bosch eBike Systems from Spring 2026.