SAMUT PRAKAN, Thailand - Bicycle manufacturer Raja Cycle Co., Ltd. is located in Thailand's second largest city, Samut Prakan, 35 kilometres southeast of Bangkok. Next to its export business, which mostly rolls towards Europe, the Thai assembler is using its capacity also for its own Optima and Meadow brands. Up to now Optima and Meadow are only offered on the company's home and neighbouring ASEAN markets.

BUSSUM, the Netherlands - Dutch bicycle developer, Peter Ariese, has unexpectedly passed away in his residence in Bussum, Netherlands on May 25th 2020. During the last three decades Peter held various positions in the bike industry. He was considered to be the founding father of the electric SpartaMet. Having started the design and development of electric bicycles at Sparta, a pioneer of the European e-bike market, he stood at the cradle of today's new E-bike landscape.

WIESBADEN, Germany - On the occasion of the World Bicycle Day on 3rd June, the German Federal Office for Statistics (Destatis) announced some interesting national retail data, including bicycle retail sales figures. Destatis compared March 2020 with April 2020 sales. In comparison with other retail sectors IBDs are definitely on the sunny side of life.

NEW DELHI, India - Financial constraints as a result of the lockdown made Atlas Cycles decide on a temporary shutdown of its production facility in Sahibabad, New Delhi. For Atlas Cycles the lockdown which was lifted on June 1 took too long.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - The corona pandemic hit the world, societies as well as economies in an unprecedented way. Like most other industries, also the e-bike industry came almost to a standstill. But the reasons differ per industry mainly as a result of how the supply chain has been organised.

THE HAGUE, the Netherlands - In a budget e-bike test of the Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB) in the Netherlands, the brakes turned out to be the weakest part of the e-bikes. Eight out of ten tested e-bikes did not meet the required braking performance. It was the main reason for the ANWB to recommend only four out of ten tested e-bikes.

日本，大阪（Osaka）－Shimano集團於第一季度財務報告中表示，銷售自三月中開始下滑，該公司也下調了對於全年銷售成績的預測。情況自四月以來已徹底改變。Shimano執行長Yozo Shimano表示：「歐洲的自行車組裝廠收到的訂單越來越多，美國的零售商則已快要缺貨。」

英國，倫敦（London）－自疫情爆發以來，英國的入門款自行車銷售及維修需求暴增。當連鎖品牌Halhords和Evans都因政府宣佈3/23開始進行封鎖而閉廠之時，自行車店隨即因為被視為必須民生用品，所以可繼續營業。這對市場又帶來什麼樣的影響？

泰國，曼谷（Bangkok）－今年的泰國自行車展Aseanbike已被取消，據主辦單位Messe Friedrichshafen和N.C.C. Exhibition Organizer表示，參加展會而暴露在感染病毒的風險實在太大。該展原訂於10月29至31日舉辦。

荷蘭，納爾登（Naarden）－Accell正加緊腳步搶佔電動載貨自行車市場，他們推出全新的奢華品牌Carqon加入Urban Arrow、Riese & Muller及Ca Go的戰場。

TAIPEI, Taiwan - The production and export of e-bikes has proven its importance for Taiwan's bicycle industry last year. Throughout 2019 the Taiwan Bicycle Association (TBA) already indicated that the export of e-bikes was expanding rapidly. The official export statistics of the Taiwan's Customs Administration and the Ministry of Finance now provides the full picture of the booming e-bike exports.

VIENNA, Austria - With a Corona-related delay, the Austrian Association of Sporting Goods Manufacturers and Sports Equipment Suppliers (VSSÖ) presented its latest year 2019 bicycle and e-bike statistics. It can be best expressed in the crisp short formula, 'units down, value up'.

PARIS, France - The French market has recorded a new increase in bicycle sales in 2019 according to the French Bicycles Observatory published by the Union Sport & Cycle. Last year, the market reached a total of 2.329 billion euro, an increase of 10 percent. Bicycle sales represented 1.502 billion euro (+12.6 percent) for 2,652,099 units (- 2 percent), including 388,100 e-bikes. The P&A segment also increased with a turnover of 827 million euro (+ 5.9 percent). Thanks to the augmentation of the e-bike market, the average price is still growing at 566 euro compared to 493 euro in 2018.

LONDON, England - Since Covid-19 took hold, there has been a surge in budget priced bike sales and bike repairs in the UK. Whilst major chains like Halfords and Evans closed at the start of the outbreak when lockdown was declared by the UK government on 23rd March, cycle shops were soon declared 'essential' and allowed to open. What effect has this had on the market?

NAARDEN, The Netherlands - Accell is accelerating its presence on the e-cargo bike market. With Carqon, the company launches a new luxury design brand on the market which immediately competes with brands such as Urban Arrow, Riese & Muller and Ca Go.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Last week European cycling associations marked an important breakthrough for cycling on the EU agenda as an equal mode of transport with the auto sector and public transport. At a press conference the Executive Vice President of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, announced that cycling can be funded as part of new mobility money that will be released by the EU.

BANGKOK, Thailand - This year's Aseanbike has been cancelled. According to organisers Messe Friedrichshafen and N.C.C. Exhibition Organizer, the corona related obstacles to attend the show were too big. The Bangkok show was scheduled to be held from 29-31 October.

Without exception, the European markets reported thriving e-bike sales in 2019. During the year, all indicators pointed to rising sales. Official statistics from leading cycling countries in this online magazine now confirm this trend. E-bikes even give the industry so much confidence that the outlook for the post-corona era tends to be positive. After all, the trend of expanding e-bike markets in 2019 was continued in the first months of 2020.