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.
Despite a continuing challenging market environment, kids and youth bicycle brand woom posted a significantly positive result and thus returned to profitability. In the first half of 2026, the Austrian company continued to build on the revenue growth achieved in the previous year. Woom reports a 19% revenue increase from January to June 2026, to €107 million.
Children's bike manufacturer Woom is expanding its top management team by appointing Björn Boos as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Together with CEO Bernd Hake and COO Johannes Kisslinger, he will be instrumental in driving forward the ongoing international expansion and strategic evolution of Woom.
Bike Leasing company JobRad is accelerating its international expansion strategy with the launch of dedicated refurbished bike webshops in Austria and the Netherlands, marking the company's first direct entry into the Dutch market through its JobRad Loop platform.
After several challenging years for the bicycle industry, the Austrian industry and market proved remarkably stable in 2025. It went back to normal. In 2025, Austria's bicycle and sporting goods retail sector sold approximately 389,000 units.
"Growing against the grain" was Woom's motto for 2025, with the Austrian kids' bike manufacturer reaching several key milestones despite unfavourable market conditions. The company's revenue already surpassed the total turnover for the previous year in July 2025, and it went on to achieve its most successful year on record.
