Rosie Burgin

MISANO, Italy - High-end Italian bike manufacturer Focarini debuted a new range of e-bikes equipped with the Askoll Ultra C90A engine at the Italian Bike Festival last week. 'Made in Italy' was a key reason for the partnership between the Italians as for both this represents 'quality and craftmanship'.

MUNICH, Germany - While organiser Messe Munich reports on the "resounding success" of this year's IAA Mobility, the integration of all mobility players made the scarcity of bicycle industry exhibitors more evident. Those who were there, however, spoke of a positive experience particularly in the cargo bike segment which is looking to take a bigger piece of the last mile pie.

KARLSTEIN AM MAIN, Germany - Organised by battery manufacturer BMZ, the Battery Expert Forum has become Europe's largest and most established networking platform for the global battery community. Taking place in November for the 18th time, it presents a top-class scientific conference with accompanying trade exhibition along the entire value chain of battery technology.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - "July was notably our best sales month ever and first profitable month," Cowboy co-founder and CEO Adrien Roose has announced. The Belgian D2C e-bike brand notes 'unit economics and discipline with costs' as key reasons for the milestone.

EDINBURGH, Scotland - Since displaying at Eurobike in 2021, Intra Drive has focused on building a European supply chain and industrialising its e-bike motor unit with multi speed gearbox. Now to support bringing its 8-speed integrated drive unit to market, the B2B company has launched an equity crowdfunding campaign.

MUNICH, Germany - Volkswagen Financial Services has acquired a 49% stake in Pon Holdings bike leasing subsidiary Bike Mobility Services (BMS). The partnership aims to focus on accelerating the expansion of bike leasing in Europe and the US. No details have been given on the purchasing price.

KARLSTEIN AM MAIN, Germany - Lithium-ion battery specialist, BMZ Group, has acquired Nox Cycles Austria and all its sister companies in Germany and Switzerland. The deal also includes the Hawk Bikes brand, which is mainly represented in Germany, and the DACH-Benelux license of the British premium e-bike manufacturer Whyte Bikes.

OSAKA, Japan - Shimano has announced two new mechanical groupset introductions. The Shimano 105 12-speed Mechanical groupset completes the 12-speed road family. Meanwhile for the gravel segment, Shimano's new GRX Mechanical 12-Speed provides more gearing options for gravel cyclists.

LONDON, England - Lavoie, the e-scooter unit of British Formula One engineering and technology firm McLaren Applied, has agreed to buy bankrupt Dutch e-bike brand VanMoof, Reuters is reporting today. The new buyer states that it plans to invest in stabilising and expanding the business. This includes a switch to using third party retailers.

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - Pon.Bike is building on the number of brands in its portfolio with the acquisition of premium cycling shoe brand, Nimbl. Headquartered in Porto Sant'Elpidio, Italy, Nimbl was founded in 2020 and has since expanded its business worldwide. The sale price has not been disclosed.