Compared to 2019, e-bikes increased by a further 28.5 percent to 171,132 units. However, this sales figure is likely to be even higher. The brisk sales of new bikes following the coronavirus lockdown a year ago led to dealers and suppliers running out of stock. This also meant that previous and last year's models that had already been recorded in previous years' sales statistics found new owners. In addition, e-commerce also became more important in the bicycle market in 2020.

With a view to the federal government's import statistics, e-commerce and the numerous small brands were therefore weighted more heavily in the Velosuisse sales statistics. This resulted in a significant increase in volume of almost 100,000 units, particularly for muscle bikes. In contrast, online sales had less of an impact on the more expensive bikes, which are still mainly purchased from specialist retailers.

There is 1 e-bike for every 2 bikes

Because of the change in the basis for the survey, the bicycle market did not actually grow quite as strongly as the growth rates in the statistics would suggest. Adjusted for this, however, a positive trend can be seen: the growth in e-bikes was less at the expense of muscle bikes. In terms of volume, more non-motorized bikes were sold again, particularly in the sports and children's bike segment. This indicates that more families got on the saddle during the coronavirus period.

With e-bikes, both road bikes (+21.4%) and mountain bikes (+40.3%) once again recorded strong growth. Among road e-bikes, the growth in the fast category, which offers assistance up to 45 km/h, stands out with an increase of 39.8%. This could be an indication that more and more commuters are relying on a fast e-bike.

Source: Velosuisse press release