In 2025, the bicycle industry in Austria sold 389,000 bicycles to sports retailers and specialty stores, representing a slight decline of 1.7 percent compared to 2024. In a long-term comparison, this is the lowest figure in ten years. Despite the challenging market conditions, the industry nevertheless speaks of stabilization, as inventory levels have dropped significantly and there was hardly any need for clearance sales in 2025. Total bicycle sales also rose slightly for the first time in four years, reaching 1.097 billion euros, which represents an increase of 3.9 percent. The industry thus remains a billion-euro business. The main drivers of sales are e-bikes, accounting for 867 million euros, or 79 percent of total sales. By comparison: In 2016, a total of 397,000 bicycles were sold to retailers in Austria—actually slightly more than in 2025. However, revenue in 2016 was only around 357 million euros, while 2025 saw a whopping 1.097 billion euros.   

The most significant growth rates were recorded in individual bicycle categories. Leading the way were the trendy gravel and cyclocross bikes. Sales figures rose by a staggering 74 percent from 2024 to 2025. However, looking at the absolute numbers, this segment saw a total of 24,000 bikes sold in the previous year, which puts these growth rates into perspective. A 9 percent increase to a total of 64,000 units sold is reported for children’s bikes. More than half of these were 20-inch bikes. This means the next generation of cyclists is well taken care of.

E-bikes continue to gain ground

Austria is the undisputed leader in Europe when it comes to e-bikes. With a 57 percent share of total sales volume—or 222,730 e-bikes sold—it once again leads well ahead of Germany (53 percent) and Switzerland (41 percent). The big winners were the so-called trekking or SUV e-bikes, whose sales grew by 18 percent to over 100,000 units. There were some interesting developments in the e-mountain bike segment. For example, the brief boom in light e-bikes appears to be over. While 8,569 units were sold in this category in 2024, only 2,802 bikes were sold in 2025. 

E-mountain bike hardtails continue to decline: from 31,954 units in 2024, the number of bikes sold dropped to 28,304 in 2025. E-full-suspension bikes, on the other hand, saw a slight increase: sales rose from 54,606 in 2024 to 55,085 in 2025. Among non-motorized mountain bikes, full-suspension models also showed very slight growth. With 11,254 bikes sold in 2025, a full 157 more full-suspension bikes were sold than in 2024. For hardtails, however, the trend is clearly downward. While 47,398 units were shipped to dealers in 2024, only 30,089 were shipped in 2025.

Policy sets the framework

Just how important the political framework is for the development of the bicycle market became very clear in Austria last year. While sales figures for e-cargo bikes and e-folding bikes had risen sharply in recent years thanks to subsidy programs, both segments declined noticeably in 2025 after these subsidies were eliminated or significantly reduced. According to industry representatives addressing policymakers, this demonstrates that targeted subsidies could contribute to the transition toward climate-friendly mobility.&

Figures for so-called company bike leasing have also developed significantly better in those federal states where policymakers provide favorable framework conditions for it. The industry’s conclusion is therefore: Where policymakers, administrators, and employers create clear framework conditions, company bike usage increases—and with it, demand for bicycles. Where this structure is lacking or still under development, the potential remains largely untapped.