Long rumoured, the second generation of Avinox's drive system has been announced this morning. Following on from the Avinox M1 e-bike drive system, which launched two years ago under the wing of parent company DJI, the next evolutions of the drive system, the Avinox M2S and Avinox M2 have officially been launched. Claiming "unmatched power, control, range and efficiency," the Chinese manufacturer's draw continues at speed as 60 industry partners confirmed integration of the newest systems.

Cycling can still attract interest from both institutional buyers and non-institutional investors, as the heavily oversubscribed Dahon IPO at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange showed last September. Amidst all the excitement on the exhibition floor of the Taipei Cycle Show, Bike Europe had the opportunity to speak with Dahon's owner, Dr David Hon, about his company's strategy.

A repurposed automotive tyre factory on the outskirts of Milan was Pirelli's vision when it strategically decided to re-enter the bicycle tyre market in 2017. Operational since 2022, the factory prides itself on 'Made In Italy' premium quality bicycle tyres. Supported by "the broad shoulders" of the multi-billion-euro turnover of the Pirelli Group, the factory has a maximum capacity of 1.5 million FSC-certified natural rubber tyres annually — with plenty of opportunity for growth. What more reason to visit the factory floor at… Pirelli.

The worldwide bike market experienced another turbulent year in 2025. Under these circumstances, "Pon.Bike stabilised its turnover at around €2 billion and remained a profitable business with positive operating earnings," owner Pon Holdings announced yesterday. One of the industry's largest bicycle manufacturers states that business again proved to be resilient thanks to its diversified portfolio and market position.

The role of product awards at international trade fairs has evolved from a promotional tool to a benchmark. Is the industry integrating key trends such as artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability into product design? The number of submissions has become an indicator of the industry's performance and level of investment in innovations. All these elements come together in the fourteenth Taipei Cycle d&i Awards, which will be announced on the opening day of the Taipei Cycle Show. Bike Europe sat down with three jury members to discuss how they evaluated the entries.

Although the March Global Bicycle Purchasing Index (GBPI) data points to sustained improvements in new incoming order levels and the own purchasing levels of bicycles, the assessment of the current industry situation remains poor or average at best. Business sentiment has failed to recover from the drop following Eurobike 2025.

The Dutch bicycle market has enjoyed favourable market conditions throughout 2025. According to the annual report from H&L Accountancy's benchmark group, average retail revenue increased by 5.3% across bicycle retailers in the Netherlands. However, at the same time, the gross margin decreased by 0.9 percentage points, bringing it to 28.0% as labour costs put pressure on margins.

Finnish bike-leasing platform Vapaus Group has expanded into the Asia-Pacific region with the launch of its New Zealand subsidiary, Northride. This move marks the company's first steps outside Europe, and reflects Vapaus' ambition to scale its workplace cycling model globally.

Taiwanese bicycle manufacturer Merida Industry Co., Ltd. has entered 2026 under continued market pressure. The company reported a -44% year-on-year revenue drop in January, followed by a smaller, but still significant, -22% YoY decline in February compared to last year's Q1 figures.

As expected, the financial performance of leading industry companies shows that 2025 was a challenging year for the bicycle industry. Especially the leading bike manufacturers were down as they had to continue discounting to bring their inventory levels back to healthy levels. Component manufacturers reported stable sales as replacement parts remain in demand, and the OEM order books for 2026 show a moderate increase again.

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.

Finnish bicycle component manufacturer, Herrmans Bike Components, has acquired the technology and business from Taiwanese lighting specialist Roxim Technologies. The move will see Herrmans expand its presence in Asia and broaden its offering in lighting solutions. The transition is now at full speed and Herrmans will officially take over the business from 1 May.

Scott has announced the appointment of Hsuan Boon Tan as co‑CEO, serving alongside the existing co‑CEO Pascal Ducrot. Hsuan Boon Tan will be based at the company's global headquarters in Switzerland. The company writes that, "the appointment marks the company's progression into a new phase focused on sustained growth and strengthened overall economics following a successful stabilisation period after several turbulent years for the industry."

Although the number of bicycles delivered in Switzerland fell again by around 25,000 units in 2025, the trend in sports bicycles and e-bikes provided a ray of hope, as sales in these categories started to rise again. Looking solely at specialist retailers, excluding major distributors, rising figures were recorded in almost all sectors. However, the Swiss bicycle suppliers' association, Velosuisse, still refers to being in a 'consolidation phase.'

A total of 1,093,478 bicycles were sold in Spain in 2025, just 0.7% fewer than in 2024, according to data presented by industry association AMBE and Cofidis. Total bicycle sales in Spain generated €1.4 billion in 2025, a 9% increase compared to 2024. This growth was mainly driven by the mid-range and high-end segments, particularly e-bikes, which accounted for 21.5% of units sold and 35.2% of bicycle sales turnover.

For the first time since 2020, the United Kingdom's cycling market has returned to growth in 2025, reports the UK Bicycle Association (BA). Total market value rose 5% year-on-year to reach just under £1.9 billion (€2.2 billion) in 2025, returning close to 2022 levels after several years of decline.

2025 proved to be a year of tariff changes, geopolitical shifts and withheld imports in the United States bicycle market, leading to significant shifts in a market where China had previously enjoyed a stronghold. China's market share fell from 85% in 2024 to 67% in 2025. In actual numbers, around 5.7 million units were imported into the US from China, a 40% drop compared to 2024. In total, bicycle imports into the US only dropped 21%, meaning someone made considerable gains - Cambodia.

Long associated with self-balancing devices and shared micromobility, Segway is accelerating its move into the global e-bike market. Speaking at CES, which took place this month in Las Vegas, Nick Howe, head of e-bike worldwide at Segway, made it clear that the company's ambition goes well beyond launching new models. Segway wants to transplant proven automotive and powered two-wheeler technologies into cycling.

HEERENVEEN, The Netherlands - The final Batavus bicycles have rolled off the assembly line in the Netherlands, marking the end of an era for the Accell Group as it opts for centralised production in Hungary. It also marks the end of 45 years in the bicycle industry for Accell stalwart Menno Visser, who is now retiring. Having started at Batavus on the assembly line, he worked his way up to commercial director and spent the past years as a project manager at Accell. In an exclusive interview, he reflects on industry changes and his vision for the future.

FONZASO, Italy - Fashion in cycling apparel and bicycles has long taken a different path, if only because the life cycle and price range of both categories are far apart. Still, there are a lot of parallels, only because the audience is the same. How do both worlds interact, and how can they strengthen each other? Castelli product line manager, Andrew Montgomery, took a deep dive into Castelli's market approach and how the fashion world interacts with its brand strategy.

AMERSFOORT, the Netherlands - The new European Union guidelines on battery repairs will soon take effect, but whether the bicycle industry is sufficiently prepared remains to be seen. NOWOS founder Prins Doornekamp said he is surprised by the limited knowledge among both manufacturers and bicycle retailers.