Decathlon S.A. reported steady growth in 2025, even as market development across the sporting goods and bicycle sectors remained uneven. The French retailer reports increased revenue and profitability. At the same time, limited disclosure around category-level performance, especially in cycling, leaves open questions about where that growth is coming from and how sustainable it may be.

The Bulgarian bike sector is steadily developing these days despite the existing challenges and a serious overstocking in the local market. In fact, the industry and major local manufacturers have gone through an extremely dynamic and challenging period. After the euphoria of pandemic sales, the sector has faced supply chain disruptions, overstocking and macroeconomic headwinds. Despite the decline in sales volumes, the trend toward electric bicycles and micromobility offers some optimism, with the European market expected to double by 2030.

The United States Supreme Court decision to strike down US President Donald Trump's tariffs, followed by his swift executive order to implement new 10% tariffs, has thrown the global bicycle industry into disarray. In the wake of this political jockeying for control over imports and the billions of dollars they represent, European Union bike importers now face a complicated legal process to recover what they lost to the now-defunct IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act) tariffs.

No other industry relies so much on the branding of its components as the bicycle industry does. The final products in the shops are seldomly referred to as a recollection of well-known parts with a bike brand name on the down tube. This structure originates from the extreme fragmentation of the bicycle industry. Except for Raleigh, almost all brands had only national or regional distribution, making it difficult to invest in innovations. The component manufacturers adopted multinational or global distribution earlier, giving them a head start in branding compared with the bicycle brands.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has fined Shimano $11.5 million (€10 million) in civil penalties after accusing the company of "knowingly failing to immediately report" its defective bicycle cranksets to the CPSC. This comes weeks after Shimano North America Holding, Inc. settled a class action lawsuit brought by 14 consumer plaintiffs alleging a breach of warranties and misleading advertising related to the cranksets.

Shimano has introduced Q'auto, a new electronic shifting system utilising its existing Cues component line, designed for everyday bikes. What sets it apart is that it doesn't rely on an external battery, drawing power from a rear hub with an integrated dynamo. Q'auto also offers the option for automatic shifting.