VIENNA, Austria - The total number of e-bikes and e-MTB sold on the Austrian market hiked last year by 54.4% to 77,220 units. "Nearly one-fifth of all bicycles sold in Austria is an e-bike," notes Alexander Raffeiner of the Austrian sporting goods industry association VSSÖ.
SILKEBORG, Denmark - The man behind it has been involved in e-bikes right from the start of this new category and is also known as an inventor of some e-bike features still used today. Lars Munksoe who started Protanium in 2006 has now sold all of his shares in that company to Accell Group and started a new e-bike company. It's called Positive Energies ApS.
MUNICH, Germany - Early February the Winora Group (part of listed Accell Group) celebrated the opening of a Haibike Design Centre. Remarkably it isn't based at the Winora Group headquarters in Sennfeld near Schweinfurt but in the Bavarian capital Munich.
ELLWANGEN, Germany - Varta Microbattery announced that their e-bike batteries like the CellPace and the VARad are no longer on the market. Why Varta withdraws from the e-bike market was not disclosed.
LONDON, UK - The vast bulk of cycles sold in the UK are imported and UK government figures from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) show that for the last 8 years cycle imports have been quite stable, hovering between 3 and 3.5 million units per annum.
TOKYO, Japan - At a recent symposium on batteries in Japan Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei showed a superfast battery charging technology that works with super-conducting Graphene. Wonder-material Graphene also offers unprecedented characteristics for tyres, as Vittoria showed in its new line-ups of road, MTB and e-MTB tyres last month.
BAD SODEN, Germany - Like with regular bicycles also the safety standards for e-bikes are being globalized. However, as the ones for bicycles are already in force the global standards for electric bikes still have a long way to go before they are there. The question is also which e-bike categories are to be covered by the new ISO standards?
WASHINGTON, USA - The USA has been a market that frustrates many in the electric bike world. While Europe has adopted e-bikes with great vigour and speed, the USA has lagged by about 10 years. But that seems to be both in the past. The USA market is growing significantly although it is not as big as anyone would like for it to be.
MILAN, Italy - After a difficult 2013, the downturn of the Italian market stopped in 2014. An improving Italian economy as well as a nice spring proved to be the right mix to rekindle the interest of consumers for bicycles and bike products. Bike deliveries to distribution channels increased by 6.4%. E-bike sales were stagnant due to a rapidly changing demand.
HEERENVEEN, The Netherlands - Accell Group has appointed Tjeerd Jegen as CEO and Chair of the Management Board. Starting 1 November 2023, Jegen who has 25 years' experience in retail companies, will succeed Juan de Ochoa, who has been interim CEO since Ton Anbeek left the company earlier this year.
As the e-bike market expands and the green mobility movement accelerates, the international Timyo Group based in the Dutch town of Roosendaal is reinventing itself to step up its game. With innovative changes and high-tech developments unveiled at the Eurobike show, the company is setting new trends in the industry - and showcasing its future.
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - 2022 was a historic year for Pon Holdings with sales exceeding €10 billion for the first time in the company's history. The bicycle cluster, Pon.Bike contributed significantly to this following the acquisition of Dorel Sports and the ever-increasing demand for e-bikes. CEO Janus Smalbraak also states that order books are currently full.
ZEIST, the Netherlands - Mandatory helmet use on e-bikes is a much discussed topic in the industry as it would have a major impact on e-bike sales. But, is that really the case? Bike Europe commissioned a survey in the Netherlands where most e-bikes are used for commuting and recreational purposes.
HANOVER, Germany - Tyre manufacturer Continental aims to make highly complex processes in its supply chains more transparent following a breakthrough in marker technology. Developed together with a partner, the technology can verify the geographical origin of raw materials throughout the tyre production process.
For many years, designing bicycles has mostly been about function. However, in times when the bicycle is increasingly used for daily trips and also increasingly replacing the car as a status symbol, this has changed. How high the demands on bicycle design have become, is shown in a look behind the scenes at the Dutch company VROEGH Design, an agency that is responsible for the design and engineering of several very successful bicycle brands. A look that reveals astonishing parallels to the automotive industry.
AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - Born from a circular mission, Dutch bicycle company Roetz has turned its attention to designing a less polluting electric bicycle. Following three years of development, the result is an e-bike that is designed to last a lifetime through the use of a modular and reconfigurable design, high-quality materials and a data-driven service concept.
AMERSFOORT, the Netherlands - The largest bicycle dealer cooperative in the Netherlands, Dynamo Retail Group has reported strong sales figures this year. While bicycle sales dropped by double digits last year, Dynamo Retail Group saw a hike of 12.1% between January and July this year.
LADOUX, France - Michelin has launched its new Michelin Power Cup range of premium road bicycle tyres. The range, which is available in Tubular, Tubetype and Tubeless Ready versions, features new tread compounds for speed, rolling efficiency and cornering grip.
BERGAMO, Italy - Vittoria reports the construction of the world's first all-discipline cycling experience, innovation center and knowledge hub for bicycle tyre development. Called Vittoria Park, the testing facility and proving ground will open in September.
HARDERWIJK, the Netherlands - The formerly Scottish company announced the opening of its first e-service branch for the maintenance of electric vehicles in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Here, but also in other locations, e-bikes will now also be repaired according to the quick service model.
