It's all a matter of perspective. Instead of lamenting the renewed decline in sales and turnover figures in the bicycle industry, Burkhard Stork, managing director of the German Bicycle Industry Association (ZIV), pointed to the catastrophic situation facing car manufacturers and stated at the press conference for the 2025 financial year: "We are much more resilient than other industries." Despite a challenging environment, the German bicycle industry has proven its resilience. The past year was another difficult one for the bicycle industry. Full warehouses and a saturated market once again led to declines in turnover, sales, and prices, but the decline was only slight. In view of the exceptionally strong Corona years, which are always used as comparative values, one could even speak of a slow stabilization. "This is not a crisis."

In absolute terms, this means that a total of 3.8 million bicycles will have been sold in Germany by 2025, which corresponds to a decline of 3.9 percent compared to 2024. For the ZIV, this means that the figure will level off at the pre-coronavirus level, and given the general weakness in consumer spending, the decline will be moderate. However, if we compare the figures for the past ten years, total sales were only similarly low in 2017, with 3.9 million bicycles sold. ZIV Managing Director Stork says: "This is not a crisis. We are averaging around 4 million bicycles sold. The idea of a consistent all-time high, as was the case during the coronavirus pandemic, was wrong."The ratio between e-bikes and bicycles without motors remains unchanged. As in the past two years, the ratio is 53 percent e-bikes to 47 percent bicycles without motors. However, prices for e-bikes are declining overall, which is attributed to full inventories and discount campaigns. As a result, the price level in this segment fell by 3.8 percent to €2,550, while it remained stable at around €500 for bicycles without motors. However, the declines in e-bikes were partially offset by the continuing high demand for high-priced gravel and racing bikes, so that the ZIV also speaks of stability here.

High sales value

Revenue from bicycle sales also declined in 2025. Although this decline was less severe than in 2024 (-10 percent), it still fell by 7.7 percent to €5.85 billion. However, looking at the overall picture, this is still well above the pre-coronavirus level, when a record annual sales figure of €4 billion was achieved in 2019. This indicates an increase in the sales value of bicycles in Germany.

There is positive news regarding exports, which rose again in 2025 to almost the same level as in 2023. German manufacturers exported a total of 1.39 million bicycles. And the German bicycle retail trade, which was represented at the balance sheet press conference by the Verbund Service und Fahrrad (VSF), also had positive news to report. The workshop business recorded a substantial increase of 13.5 percent in 2025. Average sales prices remained stable and sales in specialist shops are still significantly higher than in the pre-corona period, as VSF Managing Director Uwe Wöll explained. However, he admitted that the 6.8 percent decline in sales in 2025 "hurts and has hit many hard."

Inventories are emptying

Overall, however, the German bicycle industry is cautiously optimistic about the future. The issue of inventories continued to be a problem in 2025, but the ZIV expects a return to normal by the end of 2026. Currently, the so-called inventory turnover rate, which indicates how often inventory is removed from the warehouse and replaced during a fiscal year, is only 1.7 in the bicycle industry. A stock turnover rate of 2.7 or 3 would be desirable, explained Stork. By way of comparison, this figure can be as high as 40 for a discount grocery store and often even less than 1 for jewelers. The economic situation in 2025 was not easy, and the bicycle industry also felt the effects of this. But it held its own, said Stork. Production is stabilizing at a high level. Classic bicycles have increased slightly, while e-bikes are leveling off at a high level. In order for this consolidation to continue, it is important to focus on previously untapped opportunities along the value chain, such as service, insurance, and repair shops. Another decisive factor will be whether the industry succeeds in appealing to previously underrepresented target groups, such as women and children. As in the previous year, the ZIV renewed its call on politicians to make cycling even more attractive through appropriate measures and to invest in the necessary infrastructure and framework conditions.

Link to the topic

Market data for the German bicycle industry in 2025