Jo Beckendorff

VITORIA-GASTEIZ, Spain - Bike manufacturer BH Bikes Europe S.L is one of the traditional bicycle suppliers from the Basque Country. BH stands for 'Beistegui Hermanos', which translates to 'Beistegui brothers'. The company was founded in 1909 with the production of revolver guns. 14 years later, they began manufacturing bicycles. Today, the fourth generation of the family, Javier Beistegui, is at the helm.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden- For the bicycle industry 2023 has been a tough year with over-supply and full warehouses clashing with a dropping consumer demand. Taking a look at the 2023 financial results of Mips AB, GoPro Inc. and BikeBeat & Sports GmbH it becomes clear that last year has been indeed challenging. But the fourth quarter results seem to suggest there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

BIELEFELD, Germany - In the aftermath of the announced insolvency, no offers have been made for the Internetstores Group as a whole, an interim assessment of the insolvency proceedings has revealed. This raises concerns about the continuity of the brands under the Internetstores Group umbrella, potentially putting numerous jobs at risk.

BARCELONA, Spain - Unno S.L. (known as Unno Bikes) is a high-end MTB carbon manufactory created by Cero Design. Among others, this agency focuses on the two-wheeler sector combining "design, engineering, simulation, composites, prototyping and testing" under one roof.

GRANOLLERS, Spain - Just 25 km northeast of Barcelona in Granollers is the home of Casa Masferrer SA, a family business now run by the third generation. Today, the wholesaler, founded in 1934, is an importer, supplier, bicycle assembler and trader all in one. Brand distribution is focused on the Iberian Peninsula, so the supplier knows exactly the current state of the doomestic bicycle market. "It is a very competitive market with very competitive players," is the warning.

MALLABIA, Spain - How deeply bike manufacturer Orbea S. Coop. is rooted in its home country, visitors realise immediately on arrival: the first language is Basque - followed by English. During a visit to the company headquarters and production facility in Mallabia, Bike Europe found out what else sets this Basque bicycle manufacturer apart from its domestic and international competitors.

FRANKFURT, Germany - After a catastrophic 2022, many insiders were not looking ahead to 2023 with optimism. A year later it can be concluded that the global stock market performed better than expected. What role did the bicycle industry play in this development?

MADRID, Spain - In recent years, the supply bottlenecks triggered by coronavirus and the resulting call for close to market production have turned attentions to the relatively young EU production locations of Bulgaria, Portugal and Romania. But what about production in traditional bicycle countries within the EU? Bike Europe takes a closer look - specifically in Spain. Here there is a lot to be found, besides the big names like Orbea or BH Bikes.

SEOUL, South Korea - Scott Sports owner Youngone Corporation has granted its subsidiary a temporary financial injection of SFR 150 million (€160.6 million). The high inventory levels throughout the bicycle sector is tying up so much capital that even profitable companies like Scott Sports are in urgent need of capital to continue their daily operations.

COLOGNE, Germany - German bicycle dealer cooperative Zweirad-Einkaufs-Gemeinschaft (ZEG) has sold its subsidiary Eurorad Deutschland to Bencis Capital Partners Deutschland. The company is active in the market of bike leasing and e-bike rental. The amount of the investment of Bencis remains undisclosed.