Jan-Willem van Schaik

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The recent CONEBI General Assembly was chaired by the industry confederation's new president and Atala CEO Massimo Panzeri. The event took place in place in Istanbul on 22 May 2024.

ZEIST, The Netherlands - Undeniably European e-bike sales took a step back last year. In 7 European countries which have already reported their market statistics for 2023, the total volume decreased by 8%, from 4,555,264 units in 2022 to 4,178713 last year.

ITTIGEN, Switzerland - Emma (Mason) Zwiebler has been appointed World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) chief executive officer from May 1, 2024. Her new position follows her term as interim CEO since November 1, 2023 since former CEO Robbert de Kock left the organisation.

WASHINGTON, USA - The latest publication by the US Trade Representative (USTR) regarding tariff action has not brought any clarification whether the import of lithium-ion batteries for e-bikes from China will be hit by a 25% additional duty. "Some ambiguity remains on what the announcement means for existing bicycle products receiving exclusions from Section 301 tariffs," writes PeopleForBikes, Policy Counsel Matt Moore in a statement today.

FERNDALE, Canada - Founders Dan Gerhard and Jake Heilbron have purchased Kona Bikes back from Kent Outdoors, along with a team of dedicated, experienced Kona employees. Kent Outdoors had been looking for a new owner for some time and handed over the company back to the former owners for an undisclosed amount.

TALLINN, Estonia - Building an own mobile application has become easier for e-bike manufacturers with the launch of Comodule's next generation software development kit. The Estonia company expects that user-experience will soon emerge as the main differentiator. "Forward-thinking e-bike manufacturers are well-advised to partner with IoT providers that enable them to develop their own brand apps," writes Comodule.

LILLE, France - In the run-up to the upcoming European Parliament elections from 6-9 June, sporting goods producer and retailer Decathlon calls upon politician to deliver a circular, competitive, and active future across the EU. That includes the European Cycling Declaration, though the sporting goods giant outlined a series of policy recommendations and key priority areas.

FULDA, Germany - Erhard Büchel passed away on 12 May at the age of 71 after a short, serious illness. The news sparked response from industry peers worldwide as Erhard Büchel has been on the forefront of the industry for many years. Born on February 17, 1953 in Fulda, he took over the management of Büchel GmbH & Co. Fahrzeugteilefabrik KG, at the age of 23.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - To meet growing demand for forged and hydroformed frame components, A-Forge is currently building a fifth production facility in Vietnam in addition to its four factories which are operational in China.

TAICHUNG, Taiwan - Monthly financial overviews showed that Giant Group didn't make a good start in 2024. Yesterday the Giant Group reported a consolidated sales decline of 20.2% to TWD 16.06 billion (€459.5 million) between January and March compared with Q1-2023. However, the April figures suggest something more positive.