Jan-Willem van Schaik

SAALFELD, Germany - After V Frames successfully began mass production of injection-molded carbon composite frames, the major focus is now increasing the performance of the raw materials, including stiffness. A recent development agreement with chemical specialist Lehvoss Group should take the products to the next level.

FRANKFURT, Germany - The Eurobike Award will return to this years edition of the international bicycle industry trade show. For this indicator of trends in the industry, Eurobike has partnered with the German Design Council. Eurobike in Frankfurt will be held from June 21 to June 25, 2023.

FRANKFURT, Germany - A group of experts in the digitisation and industrialisation of components and services decided to take their expertise to the bicycle industry via a consultancy company. One of the founding partners and industry insider, Andreas Gahlert, explains about the background of 'Neue Digitale Partners' (ND-P).

GRENOBLE, France - The commercial court of Grenoble has put the sporting goods retailing giant Go Sport in receivership on 19th January after being notified of its state of cessation of payment. For retailer insiders these problems at Go Sport don't come as a surprise.

THE HAGUE, the Netherlands - The Dutch government is making very small steps with the implementation of a new legal framework for LEV's. This will include Dutch technical requirements for electric cargocycles with pedal assistance up to 25 km/h and 250W, for e-scooters and self-balancing vehicles with handlebars. For LEVA-EU the process is much too slow and frustrates the market and the industry organisation doubts the legality of the Dutch LEV framework.

ZURICH, Switzerland - Rising costs, the looming threat of larger recession, low consumer confidence and continuing operational challenges are set to create headwinds, according to sports and bicycle the industry executives. This is one of the key findings from the WFSGI (World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry) and McKinsey latest annual report.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - The trendy Amsterdam based brand VanMoof has seen its turn-over hike since 2017. A strong global branding made it an attractive investment for private equity. But VanMoof has also experienced the back side of the current supply chain problems, just like many others in the industry.

BERLIN, Germany - In addition to the regular market for e-bikes, the replacement market is becoming increasingly important in Germany. No less than 25% of consumers who intend to buy an e-bike already owns one. This is a significant increase compared to previous years.

CHANGHUA/TAICHUNG, Taiwan - As 2023 begins, Taiwan's second and third largest bicycle producers Merida Industry Co. and Ideal Bike Corporation are announcing important changes at top level management in the company.

ZEIST, the Netherlands - The provisional agreement on the overhaul of the EU battery regulations is an important step to provide more clarity for the future. In a series of reports, e-bike battery expert James Post, will address the problems and solutions on making batteries safe in an affordable way. He will also discuss the chip supply chain crisis.