Jo Beckendorff

USWE Sports Group's shift from distributor sales towards a higher proportion of direct sales to retailers weighed on its first-quarter performance. The Swedish outdoor and sports equipment supplier reported an 18% year-over-year decline in currency-adjusted net revenue for the first quarter of its 2026/2027 fiscal year.

British infrastructure investment firm VisionEdgeOne Limited (VE1) has acquired Swiss bike-sharing company Publibike AG. According to the company, this marks its second investment in the micromobility (mobility-as a service) sector.

No signs of a crisis at WS We Sports Scandinavia, also known as WeSports Group. The Nordic sports-, outdoor-, and bicycle-retailer has been listed on the Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market in Stockholm since the end of last year . After increasing its 2026 first-quarter revenue by 51.8% year-over-year, the second quarter reached a year-on-year 55% increase (21.6 % on a currency-adjusted basis).

There are still no larger signs of recovery at the publicly-traded Fox Factory Holding Corp. In its second sales quarter 2026, the US-based suspension expert posted net revenue of USD 358.12 million (€309.82 million). Compared to the same period last year, this represents a 4.5% decline. Sales remain weak in the company's bicycle component division.

The initial public offering (IPO) of Tianjin Fuji-Ta Bicycle Manufacturer Co., Ltd. known domestically as the "Foxconn of the bicycle industry" on 6 August on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) was quite impressive. The offering price of CNY 17.46 (€2.28) soared to a high of CNY 45.45 €5.94) on the day of the IPO, but then settled down again over the course of the week.

Contactless torque sensor manufacturer NCTE reports a year-on-year sales increase of 53% in the first half of 2026. One of the biggest drivers of NCTE's expansion has been the e-bike category, while the automotive category performed weakly. Remarkably, the company's stock market performance was much less positive; it suffered a 66.6% decline in the first half of 2026.

Although the recovery of overall demand at Taiwanese listed bicycle manufacturers Merida Industry Co. Ltd. and Ideal Bike Corporation is taking longer to materialise, industry peer Giant Manufacturing Company Ltd. saw revenue reach its highest level in 15 months in June. However, Giant's revenue in the first half of 2026 was still 10.5% lower year on year.

The first half of 2026 continued to be plagued by global crises and geopolitical tensions. Despite ongoing economic and political turmoil, global stock markets managed to rally after some back-and-forth. AI, energy and healthcare were the main drivers of global stock markets from January to June, as bicycle-related stocks were unable to keep pace. Find out here why.

Following the acquisition of Harley Davidson's founded e-bike brand Serial 1 in 2023 and the takeover of the bankruptcy estate of the e-bike brand Rad Power Bikes, QuietKat is the latest to be added to Life EV Group's portfolio as it quietly builds a "made in the USA" e-mobility platform.

In 2024, a team of investors acquired the insolvent bicycle helmet factory of D-H-G Knauer GmbH Kunststoffverarbeitung. Since relaunching as KED Ahead GmbH, the new owners have made significant strides. It turns out it wasn't enough. The asset that was repeatedly touted as a key selling point - namely, the "Made in Germany" production facility in Freiberg am Neckar is now being phased out.