In the competitive global economy, the European Union (EU) continues to expand and modernise its network of trade agreements to promote economic growth, strengthen geopolitical ties and set global trade standards. Recently, agreements were concluded with India, Mercosur and Singapore. For the bicycle industry, the agreement with India was the most striking. What can the industry expect?

SR Suntour has recently redesigned several of its manufacturing processes to enhance the precision of its suspension forks. "Our goal is to reduce friction, improve sensitivity, lower maintenance needs, extend service life, and offer a more refined suspension experience on the trail," says Fabio Sturaro, general manager at SR Suntour. Here's a closer look at what the company has been working on.

MILAN, Italy - A fully integrated and almost invisible front suspension fork has been developed by HiRide, a company that is part of the same incubator e-Novia Group as Bluebrake. As integration in road-bike proved to be difficult in the market, HiRide made an successful switch to the gravel bike category.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Research shows that current e-scooter riders experience safety issues when navigating city traffic. With the goal of offering riders, a safe e-scooter experience, Belgium start-up Taito developed a three-wheel, floating deck, and proprietary suspension system e-scooter.

Well-known suspension specialist SR Suntour celebrated 10 million suspension units being produced globally back in 2010 and say their subsequent successful growth has been partly fuelled by the fact that e-bikes are much more popular now than 10 years ago.

SHANGHAI, China - As the world's major manufacturer of forks, handlebars and stems, Zoom (HL Corp) is facing an influx in orders as a result of the high demand for bicycles and e-bikes across the globe. Effective communication, careful planning and a shift to e-bike parts are key focuses for the company as it offers a Chinese perspective on the pandemic's impact on the market.