More companies are reporting higher turnover, expectations for the rest of the year are favourable and stock levels are moving closer to balance. These are among the conclusions for the Spanish bicycle market in the first half of 2026. Data from the AMBE Barometer, a survey among Spanish manufacturers, distributors, retailers and workshops, were presented during Sea Otter Europe in Girona.
The introduction of an updated certification standard for electronic security systems on e-bikes is intended to further reduce theft figures. An estimated 100,000 e-bikes are stolen every year, just in the Netherlands. Official statistics on e-bike thefts in other EU countries is not available. However, as e-bikes become more valuable, strong security is also becoming more important.
Obtaining market information and intelligence remains key for vendors and procurement managers at trade shows. New orders, supplier deliveries, inventories and pricing are hot topics at events like Taichung Bike Week. The Global Bicycle Purchasing Index brings this data together to provide a clear view of the global e-bike and bicycle market. The survey to gather data for the index is still open this week to product and purchase managers.
One of the biggest bicycle companies in the world that some weeks ago went bankrupt, initiated the industry-changing e-bike trend. But the huge e-bike success also brought about the demise of the company. What happened in those years? To honour his induction into the E-bike Hall of Fame, the founder and former chief editor of Bike Europe, Jack Oortwijn, shares his thoughts on the biggest change during his bicycle industry career, the rise of the e-bike.
The Canadian bike sector is steadily growing, thanks to the growing sales of e-bikes in the local market. This is part of a broader trend of increased demand for sustainable urban mobility solutions in the entire North American region. However, despite some positive momentum, 2026 is shaping up to be tough for the Canadian bike sector, mainly because of protectionist policies implemented by the Trump administration in the US.
The summer holidays are over again. Last year, I wrote about my adventures with our car on the way to France. This time, we had the pleasure of spending our holiday in Curaçao, a Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and formerly part of the Netherlands Antilles. Because you can simply speak Dutch there - my native language - the Netherlands can feel surprisingly close. In reality, of course, it is very far away. Despite all the Dutch products on supermarket shelves, Curaçao is much more oriented towards the Americas. And from a product compliance perspective, that makes for some interesting discoveries.
Taiwan's third-largest bicycle manufacturer, Ideal Bike Corporation, is seeing signs of a recovery in business conditions, following similar developments reported by Taiwanese rivals Giant Group and Merida Industry. The improvement was particularly visible in the second quarter of 2026.
In 2024, BEIC launched its platform and enabled OEM companies in the cycling industry to easily sell and buy batches of surplus parts. Two turbulent years for the industry and a redesign of the platform later, the trading system seems more relevant than ever.
Unlike the three largest Taiwanese manufacturers - Giant Group, Merida, Ideal Bike - bicycle manufacturer Axman Enterprise Co. Ltd., which is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TPEX), was able to increase its revenue in the first but not in the second quarter of its 2026 fiscal year. Nevertheless, the outlook is positive as e-bikes become an increasingly important growth driver for the manufacturer.
Gilles Lapierre, former managing director of Cycles Lapierre, has broken his silence following the Dijon-based company's placement under judicial reorganisation. In a statement, he addresses the current situation of the brand, defends the record of his years at its helm and says he is prepared to contribute to a solution aimed at preserving both the company's activities and jobs.
