ZEIST, The Netherlands - The international bicycle industry, once heralded as a long-term growth story thanks to the e-bike boom, now finds itself grappling with uncertainty. Tariffs, shifting trade flows, regulatory ambiguity and fragile consumer demand are reshaping strategies across the value chain. In Bike Europe's Industry Insider series, four leading manufacturers — Bosch eBike Systems, Schwalbe, Bafang and Velo —paint a picture of an industry both challenged and transformed, where resilience increasingly depends on innovation and adaptability.

The international bicycle industry, once heralded as a long-term growth story thanks to the e-bike boom, now finds itself grappling with uncertainty. Tariffs, shifting trade flows, regulatory ambiguity and fragile consumer demand are reshaping strategies across the value chain. Four leading manufacturers — Bosch eBike Systems, Schwalbe, Bafang and Velo —paint a picture of an industry both challenged and transformed, where resilience increasingly depends on innovation and adaptability.

As the EU introduces tougher battery regulations, Bafang sets the bar for e-bike battery safety and sustainability with advanced-level testing, automotive-grade BMS, and eco-focused design. The company strives to deliver durability, performance, and trust for a safer, greener, and more reliable e-mobility future.

SUZHOU, China - Over the past 22 years, Bafang has consistently prioritised technological innovation as fundamental to the company's development. With this approach the motor manufacturer has successfully navigated the storm of the previous years. "Whether in good times or bad, demand-driven innovation is urgently needed," CEO Qinghua Wang explains to Bike Europe.

SUZHOU, China - The market has started to stabilise for e-drive manufacturer Bafang Electric (Suzhou) Co., Ltd, after two very challenging years. While the company still reported a double-digit decrease in revenue for a second year in a row for 2024, this downward trend was successfully halted in the first quarter of 2025.

CUIJK, the Netherlands - Bafang has opened a new location for its European headquarters, four times the size of its previous site. Originally established in the Netherlands in 2012, this new locale in Cuijk is a big upgrade.