KORTRIJK, Belgium - Full halls, wide smiles, and positive energy… the mood at Velofollies in late January was in stark contrast to many of the reports recently published on Bike Europe. The annual event for the Benelux market with sold out exhibition space, new product releases and notable optimism seemed to disguise the many uncertainties in the current market. However, "2024 will not be a year for taking risks," one exhibitor confirmed.

ZEIST, The Netherlands - Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports are becoming a more regular occurrence from companies operating in the bicycle industry. The annual publications detail a company's sustainability efforts to its internal and external stakeholders.

LONDON, England - An increase in e-bike battery fires in the UK has prompted a call for new legislation to mandate the safety of e-bike batteries including third party approval. In response, two cycling industry trade bodies in the UK have joined forces to issue guidance sheets for the industry and called for stricter enforcement of product safety for products supplied to the UK.

LYNGE, Denmark - Since January 1st, 2023, all Argon 18 bikes destined for the European market have been assembled at the company's European headquarters in Denmark. The Canadian brand is also broadening its retail network by offering direct to retail sales in the UK. Other European markets are expected to follow.

ASCOT, UK - Frog Bikes, the British manufacturer of children's bikes, is taking significant steps to reduce its carbon emissions by incorporating 25% post-consumer recycled aluminium into the production of bike frames and forks. The move is expected to decrease carbon emissions by 5.8% per bike, equivalent to approximately 28.8 kg of CO2 per bike.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - "July was notably our best sales month ever and first profitable month," Cowboy co-founder and CEO Adrien Roose has announced. The Belgian D2C e-bike brand notes 'unit economics and discipline with costs' as key reasons for the milestone.

LONDON, England - Last-mile electric fleet solution provider Zoomo is partnering with EAV (Electric Assisted Vehicles) to extend its product portfolio to suit all urban logistics use cases. The partnership will see EAV e-cargo bikes integrated into the Zoomo platform in the UK and Europe.

FRANKFURT, Germany - Japanese manufacturer Crops has been producing lights and locks for 22 years. The latest lock, Benlock is a sturdy and portable foldable U-lock. Making its debut at Eurobike, the portable gimmick lock was awarded the iF Design Award 2023.

REICHSHOF, Germany - Schwalbe has claimed a new 'first' with the launch of a bicycle tyre made from used tyres. With 34% lower carbon emissions than its predecessor, the 'Green Marathon' sets a new environmentally friendly benchmark for the company. In addition to the product launch at Eurobike, the company will also present the results of its rebranding strategy.

NANTOU, Taiwan - Already present in 47 countries in the after-market, Goodyear is trying to solidify its presence in the bicycle tyre industry. An expanding manufacturing complex in Taiwan run under a license, and a new impetus towards OEMs is a clear signal that the brands' intentions in the bicycle tyre sector are not fleeting.

POOLE, England - E-bike sharing platform Beryl is gearing up for the next stage of its growth after securing a £2 million (€2.25 mln) investment. The funding will support the micro-mobility firm in upscaling its UK manufacturing base with a new factory and develop its new e-bike model.

FRANKFURT, Germany - Eurobike will have at least 400 new exhibitors when it returns to Frankfurt this year. Not only is the number of participating exhibitors increasing, the expo area will also be expanded compared to last year, the organisers Fairnamic have announced. Eurobike will be held from June 21 to 25 in Messe Frankfurt.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - The chairman of KMC, Robert Wu, has been elected as chairman of Taiwan Bicycle Association (TBA). He takes over the role from Michael Tseng. Wu has been part of the TBA for many years, actively participating as executive director. Tseng has been appointed honorary chairman of the TBA.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Bicycle manufacturer Tern has announced several additions to its leadership team on the back of steady growth in 2022. "We've got lots more growth ahead, but 2023 looks even more challenging so we are investing to strengthen our team with some amazing new people," says Josh Hon, Tern Team Captain.

TAICHUNG, Taiwan - Giant Group's net sales reached NT$70.8 billion (€2.2 billion) in the first three fiscal quarters of 2022, a 14.5% increase over the same period last year. Despite the impact of global inflation, the war between Russia and Ukraine as well as supply shortages of high-end components, Giant continues to deliver growth.

MILTON KEYNES, UK - In 2020 and with Brexit looming, e-bike manufacturer, Volt, took the decision to reshore its production from China to home soil in the UK. Two years, and a global pandemic later, has the moved paid off? Bike Europe caught up with co-founder James Metcalfe.

SHENZHEN, China - Topband, the Chinese manufacturer of controllers, motors and lithium batteries for a range of industries is entering the e-bike mid-motor market for the first time. Building up from batteries to a complete e-bike drive system offering, the company displayed its new lightweight motor at Eurobike.

FRANKFURT, Germany - Danish start-up Pentalock enjoyed its second ever outing to Eurobike for this year's event. In contrast to a year ago, the anti-theft solution is making a market entrance in the Netherlands and is ready to scale-up production as CEO and co-founder Emil Norup explained to Bike Europe.

FRANKFURT, Germany - enviolo, known for its unique stepless shifting products, introduced two new additions to its product portfolio during Eurobike this year the 'Extreme' hub and gearbox. With the Extreme products enviolo aims to strengthen its position in the B2B e-cargo bike segment and meet the demands of bicycle manufacturers who want to equip cargo bikes with enviolo's stepless shifting technology.

EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands - Shimano has introduced a new e-bike specific Shimano Cues Di2 drivetrain and unique integrations compatible with the all-new EP6 and updated EP801 e-bike platforms. A remarkable feature is the "all-new Shimano ABS" powered by Italian specialist Blubrake.