The bicycle market is probably undergoing the biggest upheaval since the invention of rubber tires. In the most important European bicycle markets such as Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland, the e-bike boom is celebrating an unstoppable boom. At the same time, electrically assisted bikes are also gaining momentum in new markets such as France, Italy, Scandinavia and the UK. At the same time, a rethink of the bicycle as a means of transportation has long been taking place in these countries. This is accompanied by a significant increase in new forms of services such as bike sharing and bike leasing.

"The current changes in the bicycle market are reflected at Eurobike. E-mobility, digitalization, system integration and the relocation of production are dominant themes in the global bike business. New players from all over the world are enriching the bike industry with product innovations, problem solutions and alternative approaches to future mobility requirements," says Stefan Reisinger, Vice President at Messe Friedrichshafen, and continues: "The future starts here and now - Eurobike shows what tomorrow will bring and provides new impetus and food for thought for trade, industry and all other market participants. The mix of long-standing top brands paired with newcomers, impulse generators and innovators is the composition of Eurobike, which is once again at the highest level this year with more than 1400 companies."

One of the industry pioneers in the areas of leasing and sharing is the dealer cooperative ZEG (stand B1-200), which will not only be presenting all its bicycle brands for the first time this year in Friedrichshafen, but also the new "Sharea" concept. The terms "Share" and "Area" in the name describe a concept with which the operators of larger residential complexes will be able to offer their tenants an e-mobility service integrated into the living space in future. Depending on their needs, tenants will be able to borrow high-quality e-bikes and cargo bikes, for example, in a room that is digitally secured via an app. Cooperation with certified ZEG dealers on site and digital service management ensure a high level of quality and availability. In the future, the range will also be expanded to include other forms of electromobility such as e-scooters and electric cars.

Speaking of e-scooters: this relatively new and currently much-discussed form of micromobility is also finding increasing space at Eurobike. A pioneer in this segment is Hamburg entrepreneur Florian Walberg, who, with his company Walberg Urban Electrics (stand A1-303), founded in 2011, has set himself the goal of serving urban electromobility with German quality engineering and is presenting the results of this objective for the first time at Eurobike.

Wintersteiger AG (stand B4-314) will be addressing the topic of everyday mobility by bike at its Eurobike premiere. The machine manufacturer from Upper Austria, better known in the winter sports segment as the market leader in systems for ski service and ski rental, will be exhibiting washing systems for bicycles and condensation drying cabinets at Eurobike. Anyone wondering what the latter have to do with bicycle mobility should think of bicycle commuters who can use them to dry sweaty or rain-soaked cycling clothing at work in an energy-efficient way and also sterilize it using ozone light.

Newcomers around the bike

Even though new mobility offers and digital innovations are gaining in importance in the bicycle market, Eurobike is still a trade fair that provides a big stage for new bicycle-related products. And there are also some exciting new players in this segment among the Eurobike exhibitors. For example, the young bicycle manufacturer Pexco (stand B2-400) will be celebrating its trade fair premiere at Lake Constance. The newcomer from Schweinfurt is backed by well-known names such as the Puello and Pierer families and the traditional Swedish brand Husqvarna.

Another well-known name in industry circles is Anthony Sinyard, who will be presenting his accessories provider Supacaz (stand B3-401), founded in 2013, for the first time at a European trade fair in Friedrichshafen. The young entrepreneur from California has an obvious talent for unusual designs, for example for handlebar straps, grips and bikewear - which is not surprising when his father is Mike Sinyard and is the founder and owner of Specialized.

Croatian Eurobike newcomer Greyp (stand A1-502) also has an inherited talent for unusual e-bikes: The company's founder and frontman is Mate Rimac, namesake and owner of the e-sports car forge named after him. Their innovative strength was recently worth a ten percent stake in the Croatian company to Porsche. And Greyp's bikes also reveal a great deal of expertise in terms of e-performance.

Although not a complete newcomer, the Italian bicycle manufacturer Bianchi, which belongs to the Cycleurope Group, is a very welcome returnee after a long absence at Eurobike and will be returning to the trade fair for the first time with a stand in Hall B2 (Stand 500) in the familiar Celeste color scheme.

International influence continues to grow

The new Eurobike exhibitors not only underline the international appeal of the trade fair at Lake Constance, they also mean that the proportion of foreign trade fair participants continues to grow in terms of numbers: only around a third of the newcomers among the exhibitors are traveling from Germany. The largest group of foreign companies exhibiting at Eurobike for the first time are exhibitors from France with 7%, followed by the USA (6%), China (5%) and the Netherlands (4%).

eurobike.com