Jan-Willem van Schaik

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.

The on-off reporting on whether hostilities in the Middle East will end is causing significant business uncertainty. Moreover, the heavy reliance on deliveries of parts and components from Asia leads to major cost fluctuations. As this uncertainty persists, suppliers and bicycle manufacturers will factor this into their pricing. The consequences are ultimately higher costs and higher bicycle prices in stores, as evidenced by the most recent Global Bicycle Purchasing Index (GBPI).

The rumours intensified during the Accell Dealer Days and at Eurobike last week. The name of Singapore-based investment company, DuTech Holdings, was frequently mentioned as the potential new owner of Accell Group, once one of the industry's largest companies. Last Friday, DuTech Holdings officially filed a request with the German antitrust authorities for approval to acquire Accell Group.

Eurobike 2026 was in size a shadow of its former self, a far cry from the industry's leading trade fair it once was. The industry brought this debacle upon itself by no longer participating in what was once the largest bicycle show in the world. Obviously, the visitor and exhibitor numbers for this transformation edition didn't come close to what they were in the past, but that also reflects the current economics in the bicycle industry.

A new draft for the revision of the bicycle trailer standard EN 15918 has been presented by the European standardisation working group. The revision is intended to replace the existing standard EN 15918:2011+A2:2017 and adapt the safety requirements for bicycle trailers to the current state of the art.

The disruptive developments in the industry trade show landscape are the culmination of the difficulties the sector has been facing for some time. The opening day of Eurobike 2026 only confirmed the industry's current fragmentation of former, long-existing structures. Who is really going to support this industry in going forward, defend its interests, and facilitate its international gatherings?