Patent protection sits at the intersection of market competitiveness and innovation in the bicycle industry. In global supply chains, intellectual property (IP) rights can determine who controls a technological advancement and who gets locked out of it. Companies interested in getting ahead are turning to patent protection for both hardware and, increasingly, software.
Leading bike subscription company Swapfiets has further strengthened its position in the European market by acquiring Berlin-based e-bike subscription provider Dance.
German trade organisation Zukunft Fahrrad and not-for-profit initiative DiBike (Digitise Bike Business) have launched a new infrastructure endeavour designed to simplify service verification workflows in the growing German bicycle leasing market.
Battery theft continues to be a thorn in the side of global e-bike business, an illegal resell ecosystem thriving off of valuable components that are both easy to remove and difficult to trace. The bicycle industry has been moving incrementally toward tackling this issue, but challenges in development and standardisation continue to limit widespread adoption.
Technological advancements, in combination with artificial intelligence (AI), are accelerating the market entry of companies offering safety products to collect rider information. Irish Luna Systems, which developed an on-bike camera and warning system, is one of them. "Customers are already buying this kind of technology — which improves safety but also collects data — in automobiles," says Andrew Fleury, CEO of Luna Systems. "In cycling, these kinds of products are just not offered enough to them, except for the enthusiast's road market."
ZURICH, Switzerland - Radiate Engineering & Design AG, the Zurich-based product development expert firm, has launched a new digital service tailored specifically to the bicycle industry. The Digital Bike Lab platform aims to help OEMs and brands identify engineering risks early in the design phase and optimise frame performance before physical prototypes are even built.
