hGears Schramberg GmbH has filed an application for insolvency proceedings under self-administration with the Local Court of Rottweil, Germany. According to a company statement, the aim is to advance the necessary restructuring of the Schramberg site within an orderly legal framework and to create the conditions for a viable structure for the future.

In response to rising raw material, energy, and logistics costs, the industry's largest component supplier, Shimano, announced a temporary 3% surcharge on all orders with a delivery date between 1 August and 30 November 2026. How does the industry absorb these costs while consumer prices are already under pressure? Are there still enough options for alternative sourcing, component specifications, and efficiency improvements, or will it just kill margins, as Giant Bicycles announced in their half-year results?

As bicycle manufacturers face growing pressure to shorten development cycles, reduce emissions and improve efficiency, surface finishing is rapidly evolving from a production step into a strategic competitive advantage. That is precisely why the sppot partnership platform was created.

The relaunch of Austrian custom bike builder Simplon by Austrian SOL Capital Management GmbH in February 2025 appears to be failing. The company, now known as 2Rad Produktions GmbH, formerly Simplon Fahrrad GmbH, filed for insolvency proceedings without self-administration. Reopened claims from the previous insolvency proceedings appear to have been an insurmountable burden for the young company.

Swapfiets continued its path towards profitability in 2025, with the Amsterdam-based bicycle subscription company nearly halving its net loss while increasing revenue. CEO Marc de Vries says the company could reach profitability if the current trend continues.

USWE Sports Group's shift from distributor sales towards a higher proportion of direct sales to retailers weighed on its first-quarter performance. The Swedish outdoor and sports equipment supplier reported an 18% year-over-year decline in currency-adjusted net revenue for the first quarter of its 2026/2027 fiscal year.

The Commercial Court of Dijon has officially opened the judicial reorganisation (redressement judiciaire) of Cycles Lapierre as it seeks independence from the now-bankrupt Accell Group. The French brand's CEO William Perrier is happy with the development: "We've got an opportunity. It's up to us to transform it into a future."

The next generation will spearhead SunRace Sturmey-Archer's strategic restructuring now founder Tony Hsu has handed over the chairmanship to his daughter, Sandy Hsu. The Board of Directors unanimously approved her appointment, marking a pivotal leadership transition for the 54-year-old company.

The trustees overseeing the bankruptcy of the Dutch Accell entities today launched an international sales process for the group, inviting potential buyers to bid for the business as a whole or in part. A back-stop agreement with an interested party covering all of Accell's bike brands is intended to provide business continuity while the sales process takes place.

Campagnolo can enter the next phase of reorganisation after receiving a minority stake from the Swiss investment company SPAC SA. The Campagnolo family will retain control and majority ownership. This follows the execution of an investment agreement with Campagnolo's existing quotaholders.

Giant Group has announced the acquisition of approximately 36% of D.Mag (Kunshan) New Material Technology Co., Ltd. for RMB 597 million (€ 76 million) raising its consolidated stake from 60.39% to 96.63% upon completion. D.Mag is a manufacturing subsidiary of Giant Group and the Samoa-registered investment firm, United King Limited.

British infrastructure investment firm VisionEdgeOne Limited (VE1) has acquired Swiss bike-sharing company Publibike AG. According to the company, this marks its second investment in the micromobility (mobility-as a service) sector.

The transfer of Accell Group to the new owner, the Singapore-based investment firm DuTech Group, passed another regulatory milestone. The Polish anti-competition authorities, UOKiK, identified no concerns significant enough to justify remedies or prohibit the transaction, and therefore approved the acquisition.

From pre-IPO acquirers to non-traditional investors and aftermarket economics, the next opportunity for bike startups may sit outside traditional cycling. After the capital reset, the cycling industry has been asking: when will investors come back? But maybe that is the wrong question.

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?

The move back to the June/July time window for Eurobike 2027, as Bike Europe reported last week, was only part of the new show concept Fairnamic developed. CEO Philipp Ferger and show director Matthias Pietsch have now explained what they learned from the previous show and how they implemented that in the 2027 edition. In a new turnaround, "the date and the rhythm of Eurobike had to be reviewed," they said.

In 2027, CycleExpo Amsterdam aims to create a major meeting point for OEM producers and buyers of the cycling industry. In an attempt to bring the industry together, the organisers are reaching out to stakeholders to shape the new trade show together.

Eurobike is still adjusting its future concept for the international trade show. Ahead of the official presentation next week, exhibitors have already received a letter from Messe Frankfurt including the show's 2027 dates.

Next year, the cycling industry is seeing an overhaul of the trade show calendar. Multiple major shows are opting for different dates, while two newcomers wish to join the calendar. One such debutant is CycleExpo Amsterdam. With a clearly defined character and affordable costs, it aims to become the new OEM meeting point for the bike industry.

The appointment as President of Shimano Europe Group was like coming home for Fabio Takayanagi. At the start of his career at the Japanese component manufacturer in 2006, he was assigned to Shimano Europe, based in the Netherlands. He stayed here for one year to gain experience in the bicycle business. Since then, he has travelled the world for Shimano before coming back to Europe. A brief introduction of this industry insider and his view on the European market.

The e-bike plays a central role for the brand Velo de Ville. More than 80% of production in Altenberge, Germany, consists of e-bikes. Although general manager and owner Volker Thiemann is positive about the market, he is also concerned about recent technological developments that, in his view, threaten the survival of today's e-bike.

The Canyon booth at Eurobike was impossible to miss this year. In the middle of Hall 11, the German D2C brand put up one of the nicest booths at the show, claiming a centre stage position at the event. "We want to showcase our team effort since I assumed operational responsibilities as executive chairman in September 2025," said Canyon founder, Roman Arnold.

The Indian family-owned company Amar Wheels Pvt. Ltd. has been doing business with European companies for close to five decades. "We strive to stay relevant, which we love. The challenges are amazing and the last 10 years have been more challenging than the past 40 years. We are constantly evolving in order to stay relevant," Karan Aggarwal, director of Amar Wheel tells Bike Europe.

Also, Inc., the US micromobility spin-off from electric car manufacturer Rivian, has closed a $150 million (€128 million) Series D financing round. Led by Prysm Capital, with participation from Eclipse Capital, Greenoaks and MVP Ventures, the new capital will accelerate development of its autonomous vehicle platform. With US shipments of its TM-B e-bike underway, the brand is now building a team for a European market launch.

Merida Industry has announced that Vansen Tseng, the company's President, has resigned from his position due to personal career planning, effective July 17, 2026. "To ensure the continued smooth execution of business operations and management activities, the position will be assumed on an interim basis by Michael Tseng, the Chairman of the Merida Group," the company confirmed to Bike Europe.

Bicycle tyre manufacturer Schwalbe has announced the completion of a long-planned generational leadership transition, with the new management structure taking effect on 1 January 2027. After around three decades in executive leadership, Frank Bohle, Andreas Grothe and Holger Jahn will step down from their managing director roles, while Nico Simons will remain Managing Director and Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for global sales.

The disruptive developments in the industry trade show landscape are the culmination of the difficulties the sector has been facing for some time. The opening day of Eurobike 2026 only confirmed the industry's current fragmentation of former, long-existing structures. Who is really going to support this industry in going forward, defend its interests, and facilitate its international gatherings?