
Europe's cargo-bike market is evolving fast. As urban logistics, postal fleets and family cargo usage scale, OEMs need a mid-drive that can reliably support heavy load performance while delivering predictable behaviour and long service life under commercial duty cycles. The M430 was designed to fill that gap.

The announcement that Austrian Spar sold its domestic sporting goods chain Hervis, including all 134 existing stores in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Bavaria, marks a major shift in bicycle retail for Central Europe. The agreement, concluded this week, includes the transition of all employees. This move comes after the Austrian sporting goods retailer, which also sells a range of bicycle products, announced a "restructuring offensive."

The topic of cooperation between Eurobike and the German industry bodies ZIV and Zukunft Fahrrad is back on the table again. At the fringe of the European Cycling Industries (ECI) launch reception in Brussels this week, the new CEO of Fairnamic, ZIV, and Zukunft Fahrrad discussed a relaunch of Eurobike in 2027 and the potential cooperation with the German associations and the ECI, as well as the role of Eurobike in 2026. This was reported by Eurobike.

Japanese component manufacturer, Shimano, has decided to shift its tradeshow focus and withdraw from Eurobike starting in 2026. "This decision reflects our focus on creating direct, meaningful engagement with our partners, customers, and riders," the company writes in a statement.

New financial milestones surpassed for German online shop operator The Platform Group (TPG) in 2025. The software company specialising in platform solutions has presented its preliminary unaudited figures for the 2025 fiscal year. According to the company, in both sales and earnings, it has had its most successful fiscal year in its history.

Véligo Location is about to reach a new milestone in France. The public long-term e-bike rental service in the Ile-de-France region, launched in 2019, has unveiled a new fleet of 19 models that will be rolled out this year. The goal: support the growth of cycling in the region, broaden use cases and meet the expectations of a more diverse public, from commuting trips to the needs of families, tradespeople or people with disabilities.

At Velofollies this month, Stromer took the opportunity to present its new concept for the future in an exclusive area requiring pre-access and no mobile phones. Behind the veil was a concept of the brand's new speed pedelec, which aims to make its debut at Velofollies in 2027. As part of the announcement, the company initiated a 365-day countdown to the launch. Although no photos or press kits were given, the new speed pedelec will be the fruits of four years in development and marks 'the future of Stromer'.

American e-bike company Rad Power Bikes seems to have ended its unlucky streak this week, securing a buyer to take over the company following its bankruptcy announcement in late December. Life Electric Vehicles Holdings (Life EV) has committed to purchasing the company, including its inventory, intellectual property, software, furniture and more, for $13.2 million (€11 million), according to media reports.

E-bikes powered exclusively by a generator are considered technically innovative, but until now, they have been difficult to classify legally. This is going to change with the publication of the German standard DIN 31067. Though limited to Germany only, it may apply elsewhere in the EU if adopted or referenced.

The European bicycle industry is one year into the General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR) set by the European Union, and a recent spate of recalls has raised the question, are these just a series of isolated quality lapses, or part of the broader impact of the GPSR?

Viiala, the Swiss-based mobility company, has entered a strategic partnership with Spoke to integrate its V2X technology directly into its premium e-bikes. This integration ensures that Viiala bikes will be seen by equipped cars in real time, even without line of sight, making Viiala one of the first premium e-bike brands to offer vehicle awareness as a built-in capability.

Fresh rumours are circulating that Accell Group has entered its second debt restructuring in little more than a year, and they're creating quite a stir in the market. Accell Group insiders reportedly told the Financial Times that new restructuring talks are being prepared, as revenues are lower than expected. Analysts recently wrote that the group's sales are expected to drop 15% in 2025, with a further 9% decline expected this year.

Schwalbe is modernising and expanding its warehouse capacities in Vietnam in close cooperation with its long-term logistics partner Kuehne+Nagel. The project is part of their long-term strategy to supply customers even faster and more reliably in the future.

Decathlon Pulse, the investment arm of the French retail giant Decathlon, is increasing its investment in existing strategic partner, Rebike Mobility GmbH. By expanding the partnership to become a majority stakeholder, the companies have reaffirmed their long-term commitment to "promoting the circular economy in the bicycle industry and supporting the professionalisation of the European secondary market for e-bikes."

Long associated with self-balancing devices and shared micromobility, Segway is accelerating its move into the global e-bike market. Speaking at CES, which took place this month in Las Vegas, Nick Howe, head of e-bike worldwide at Segway, made it clear that the company's ambition goes well beyond launching new models. Segway wants to transplant proven automotive and powered two-wheeler technologies into cycling.

Belgium in January was the place to be this winter, and not just for the Benelux bicycle industry, but for the global market. Velofollies , beyond capitalising on the Eurobike implosion, is centred in a growing, mature market for both performance and mobility cycling. Although market data will not start trickling in across Europe for a couple of months, figures presented during Velofollies show that Belgium is starting the year on the back of a 7.7% increase in sales volume in 2025. With sales back in the plus and renewed optimism in the local market, it was almost impossible for Velofollies not to deliver this year.

The Dutch manufacturer Gravaa, which developed a unique tyre pressure system based on a pump integrated in the hub, has gone bankrupt. They became known as pioneers of a technically impressive system that allowed cyclists to adjust tyre pressure from the handlebars while riding. "Without fresh funding, there was unfortunately no other viable option," wrote Gravaa, in a statement.

Battery theft continues to be a thorn in the side of global e-bike business, an illegal resell ecosystem thriving off of valuable components that are both easy to remove and difficult to trace. The bicycle industry has been moving incrementally toward tackling this issue, but challenges in development and standardisation continue to limit widespread adoption.