Jan-Willem van Schaik

The uncertain economic outlook due to trade policy trends of various nations, as well as rising geopolitical risks, such as increasing energy prices amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, is gaining growing influence on Shimano's financial results. As a result, net sales in bicycle and e-bike components in the first half of 2026 equalled last year at 181,379 million yen (€974 million), and operating income decreased 15.1% to 20,064 million yen (€107.8 million).

The e-bike plays a central role for the brand Velo de Ville. More than 80% of production in Altenberge, Germany, consists of e-bikes. Although general manager and owner Volker Thiemann is positive about the market, he is also concerned about recent technological developments that, in his view, threaten the survival of today's e-bike.

The UK will maintain its anti-dumping measures on bicycles and certain bicycle parts imported from China until August 2029, following the conclusion of a transition review. Duty rates will remain unchanged, ranging from 19.2% to 48.5%, with the measures intended to protect domestic manufacturers from a resurgence of low-priced Chinese imports.

For Austrian KTM Fahrrad GmbH, the financial year 2024/2025 was still a challenging time. According to the company's financial statements, filed only last week, KTM Fahrrad reported a nearly 14% decline in revenue from € 425 million in 2023/2024 to €365 million in the 2024/25 fiscal year. The company's results in this fiscal year were still heavily influenced by massive discounting campaigns.

Merida Industry has announced that Vansen Tseng, the company's President, has resigned from his position due to personal career planning, effective July 17, 2026. "To ensure the continued smooth execution of business operations and management activities, the position will be assumed on an interim basis by Michael Tseng, the Chairman of the Merida Group," the company confirmed to Bike Europe.

The Canyon booth at Eurobike was impossible to miss this year. In the middle of Hall 11, the German D2C brand put up one of the nicest booths at the show, claiming a centre stage position at the event. "We want to showcase our team effort since I assumed operational responsibilities as executive chairman in September 2025," said Canyon founder, Roman Arnold.

"Establishing production facilities within key markets has become increasingly important due to the growing volatility of global trade," says Tony Karklins, CEO of Cardinal Cycling Group, which also owns Time and Detroit Bike. In a Bike Europe interview, Karklins outlines his vision for carbon product production and explains why the company is now offering OEM manufacturing at its Carboprax factory in Slovakia.

The Shanghai, China-based e-drive manufacturer Ananda Drive Technology reported a year-on-year revenue increase from CNY 1,528.34 million (€197.22 million) in 2024 to CNY 2,004.28 million (€258 million) in 2025. Compared with the revenue growth, the income increased only marginally by 4.7% to CNY 115.04 million (€14.8 million) in 2025. This had severla clear causes, according to Ananda.

The French market has yet to find cause for optimism. In that context, the financial struggles at the O2Feel brand are no surprise. The northern France-based e-bike brand and assembler has been forced to apply for insolvency in self-administration.

The Indian family-owned company Amar Wheels Pvt. Ltd. has been doing business with European companies for close to five decades. "We strive to stay relevant, which we love. The challenges are amazing and the last 10 years have been more challenging than the past 40 years. We are constantly evolving in order to stay relevant," Karan Aggarwal, director of Amar Wheel tells Bike Europe.