Jan-Willem van Schaik
Editor in Chief

Editor in Chief


In response to industry requests, the Eurobike organiser, Fairnamic, has decided to move the show back to the first week of September, starting in 2027. This was announced after the Eurobike advisory board convened yesterday in Frankfurt to discuss the results of around 50 industry interviews and the feedback from a customer survey. And the new date is not the only change to the concept of the once-leading industry show.

A dispute has arisen between Rotor Components and its majority shareholder, Lanxi Wheeltop. A press release about the financial difficulties at Rotor Components was sent out by the Spanish company in early May and picked up by several national media outlets. Soon after these publications, Lanxi Wheeltop denied that Rotor Components faced any financial problems in a conversation with Bike Europe.

The e-bike regulation issue leads to even more heated discussions in the United States than in Europe. Keeping all 50 states aligned is a big task for PeopleForBikes, and within the industry, differing interests regularly lead to friction. The topic was even announced as the phantom menace at the recent Bicycle Leadership Conference. What insights can Europe and the US gain from one another?

Sales at Taiwan's third largest bicycle manufacturer Ideal Bike Corporation, follow a similar trend as the country's two other main producers Giant and Merida. In January, sales suffered a sharp 53% year-on-year decline; in February, they saw a 17% decline, followed by another 31.4% decrease in March. Even though these three companies' sales continued to decline by double digits compared to January-March 2025, they appear to have shifted into the lowest gear.

A strong industry ecosystem thrived in Taiwan's bicycle industry for decades, enabling the successful launch of start-ups like Hyena. This ecosystem was damaged during the inventory crisis and Hyena CEO Charlie Chuang is calling for a rebuild of this system. Today, his company is one of the few Taiwan-based full e-drive system suppliers serving American and European customers.

The China Cycle Show 2026 can count on more international interest than before. Driven by the sports market and the country's fifteenth five-year plan (2026-2030), local manufacturers have recognised the value of brand building, a trend quickly being adopted by other categories. The nation's shop window to the rest of the world showcases the progress of its bicycle industry.

Volatile trade policies, a challenging market environment, unfavourable currency effects and intensified competition shaped Bosch Group's 2025 financial results. Against this backdrop, their expectations for 2025 have not been met, and sales revenue rose slightly by 4.1% after adjusting for exchange-rate effects. Bosch eBike Systems CEO Claus Fleischer gives insight into what this means for the e-bike industry.

Contrary to almost all other European countries, the Belgian bicycle market is performing very well. After the 2022 peak, the market bounced back to a pre-pandemic level, and has not been affected by the sustained decline seen in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. In 2025, the Belgian market even experienced a 7.1% increase to 578,737 units in total. What made this Belgian miracle?

The slowdown in consumer spending and market uncertainty due to the geopolitical situation is starting to surface in the financial results in the e-bike and bicycle industry. Except for the Oceanian market, Shimano reports weak retail sales worldwide. As a result, net sales in bicycle and e-bike components in the first quarter of 2026 decreased 0.7% year-on-year to 87,361 million yen (€ 471 million) , and operating income decreased 46.3% to 7,792 million yen (€ 41.7 million)

Three years of declining business performance has not left the Taiwanese industry unscathed. After the sales peak in 2022, the industry waited for better days, citing excess inventory as the reason for the downturn. The Taipei Cycle Show 2026 made clear that many companies cannot wait any longer. "Nobody is able to wait any longer after three years of standstill," said Astro-Tech president Samuel Hu.