Valeo is not a name the bicycle industry traditionally follows closely. For decades, the French group has been a key player in the automotive world, supplying technologies that end up inside millions of vehicles. But as cycling becomes increasingly relevant for urban mobility and logistics, Valeo has entered the e-bike market with a clear message: this is not a trial run, but a long-term strategy.

You'd have to have been living under a rock to have missed the 'power-play' that Avinox has brought to the market in the last couple of years with its high-power motors. Until now, the motor manufacturer hadn't articulated its full stance on power and why it's pursuing maximum peak power with its systems. Today, it has pushed back on what it calls "misleading opinions" coming from within the industry.

Bike Leasing company JobRad is accelerating its international expansion strategy with the launch of dedicated refurbished bike webshops in Austria and the Netherlands, marking the company's first direct entry into the Dutch market through its JobRad Loop platform.

German trade organisation Zukunft Fahrrad and not-for-profit initiative DiBike (Digitise Bike Business) have launched a new infrastructure endeavour designed to simplify service verification workflows in the growing German bicycle leasing market.

Road and gravel bikes are among the categories that have started the year with positive momentum across Europe and the United States, while others, like the eMTB category, have seen a more challenging picture. This and more are reflected in the latest results from the Shift Leaderboard market and brand-tracking tool, which analyses search volume for over 25,000 different terms.

Investors expect their investments to appreciate in value. Over the past decade, well-managed private equity funds have generally doubled the capital invested for their investors over the term of the investment, after deducting their own, usually very attractive, fees. However, this requires that the company's value also rise sharply during the investment period, more than doubling. These average times-two money multiples also include investments that perform poorly or even fail, for example, due to insolvency. What is the secret behind investment funds' value creation?

German bicycle brand Cube has announced a product safety recall for selected 2026-model-year hybrid e-bikes fitted with ACID Carbon Hybrid crank arms after identifying a potential failure risk in the pedal insert area. A Cub representative confirmed to Bike Europe that 20,000 bikes are affected. The bikes were sold worldwide, with the majority going to German-speaking countries.

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.

Companies with a 100-year history in the bicycle industry are pretty hard to come by. Gazelle in the Netherlands, owned by Pon since 2011, is one such company. The company is so proud of its craftsmanship, which dates back to 1892, that a public walkway hangs over its factory in the Netherlands. This expertise extends across the entire chain, including its relationship with dealers, making it a leading brand in the Benelux. A heritage site with modern, state-of-the-art production — that's what Bike Europe found when it visited the Factory Floor at… Gazelle.

As China looks to cross the threshold from being 'big' to becoming 'strong,' China Cycle showed that that shift is already happening. Once a domestic event known for wacky products and cheap copies, 2026 marked a new evolution for the show as it looks to lead the global bicycle market. With a noticeable increase in the number of international visitors, many left wondering how long other nations will be able to compete with the nation's pace of innovation and manufacturing prowess.

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?

Basque bicycle manufacturer Orbea reported a limited 2.3% decline in revenue for 2025, a small reduction in revenue that the cooperative attributes to its continuous market monitoring and disciplined management of a "responsible sales plan." This contrasts with 2024, when Orbea reported an 8% year-over-year decline in turnover, suggesting that profitability and margin performance stabilised considerably in 2025.

High-precision gear and component manufacturer hGears AG started 2026 as expected: the publicly-traded company was aware in advance that it would not be able to achieve exceptional growth amid geopolitical uncertainties and the resulting strain on economic momentum. So even though first-quarter revenue for 2026, at €23.4 million, was 6.9% below the comparable period last year, it was still within the company's expected range.

Porsche AG has announced it will shut down its e-bike drive-system subsidiary, Porsche eBike Performance GmbH, as part of a broader restructuring for the renowned German manufacturer.

Stock-listed e-commerce bicycle retailer Bike24 Holding AG has gotten off to a strong start in the new year. The Dresden-based company posted not only first-quarter double-digit growth, but also a significant improvement in adjusted EBITDA.

Laka is continuing its aggressive expansion in the bike insurance business with its acquisition of UK specialist insurer VeloLife, marking the company's fourth acquisition since 2023. This is the company's first publicly announced deal tied to its recently expanded M&A (mergers and acquisitions) strategy.

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.

Merida Industry's first quarter 2026 results show the company is absorbing a significant year-on-year sales decline as it works to mitigate the industry downturn. The Taiwanese company reported Q1 revenue of NT$5.49 billion (€147 million), down around 27% year-on-year, following a rollercoaster start to the year. Sales fell sharply by 44% in January and 22% in February, before easing to a 17% decline in March, hopefully an early indication that the steepest phase of the downturn is passing.