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Zukunft Fahrrad, ZIV and Deutsche Bahn present data on the bicycle industry

2 Jul 2024

Eurobike between Platform, Business Development & Communities

Frankfurt am Main – The leading trade fair Eurobike will hold its third edition in Frankfurt from July 3 to 7. On the day before the opening, the German industry associations Zukunft Fahrrad and the Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV) revealed exclusive market data. Deutsche Bahn presented insights from the bike data of the Rad+ app.

There is a great need for discussion in the bicycle industry. The topic is none other than the further development of the bicycle sector. How to deal with full department stores, subdued consumer sentiment and EU regulations? And this in times when the industry is in a transition towards comprehensive sustainability, the promotion of socially and climate-friendly mobility and the integration of new players.

"Eurobike brings together all the relevant players in the global bicycle and ecomobility universe in Frankfurt. Transformation, cooperation, personal exchange, the transfer of knowledge and visualization are of fundamental importance for the further success of the industry". This is how Stefan Reisinger, Managing Director of fairnamic GmbH, describes the role of the world's leading trade fair. The trade fair aims to meet this expectation in the next few days and, by networking the industry umbrella associations and providing a stage for their data, lays the foundation for further positive developments.

Stable in moving times

Under Managing Director Wasilis von Rauch, the industry association Zukunft Fahrrad presents current figures on the bicycle as an economic factor. They are based on the study from T3, the transportation think tank, called "The Bicycle Industry and the Bicycle as an Economic Factor in Germany from 2019 to 2023". According to this, the industry secures 207,000 jobs, bicycle tourism even has 284,000 employees with a total turnover of EUR 47 billion. Despite the difficult overall economic situation, the bicycle industry was able to consolidate at a high level in 2023. Employment figures and sales rose slightly, while the services provided even achieved sales growth of 23%.

On the one hand, the study shows the resilience of the industry, but above all it sheds light on the networking effects of the bicycle industry. Like few other industries, a widely branched ecosystem participates in the economic development of the industry and is mutually dependent. From industry and tourism to services of general interest in urban and rural areas.

Wasilis von Rauch: "Despite difficult economic and political conditions, our industry has stabilized after the boom years. This illustrates the potential that could be unleashed if the bicycle and the bicycle industry were systematically promoted, as is increasingly the case in other countries. Investments in the bicycle industry pay off several times in economic terms: in value creation, employment, health, climate and resource protection".

The German company bike leasing market

Wasilis von Rauch exclusively presented the study on the German company bike leasing market prepared with Deloitte. Since 2019, the industry has achieved sales growth of 46% on average, bringing 1.9 million company bikes to the market. This means that the company bike leasing offer had already been accepted by around 10% of the employees in 2023. The average price of a company bike is EUR 1,700 above the market average of EUR 3,500 per bike. The reason for this is that buyers choose higher-quality bikes and high-quality pedelecs. In 88% of the cases, the point of sale is a specialist retailer. This figure is above the average of stationary sales in the overall market, which is only 75%. The study currently sees the greatest potential in the SME segment for companies with fewer than 50 employees.

You can find the detailed analysis and further information here (in German): https://zukunft-fahrrad.org/deloitte-marktzahlen-dienstradleasing

ZIV market data: e-bike sales stable

According to figures from the ZIV – Die Fahrradindustrie two-wheeler industry association, the challenging world market situation is also reflected in the market data for the industry of the first third of 2024, presented by the managing director of the association, Burkhard Stork. Compared to the same period of the previous year, minimally fewer e-bikes were sold at 1.23%, but the decline in bicycles is at 19%, which is quite significant. The reason for this is the general reluctance to buy, but also an investment backlog when it comes to expanding the cycling infrastructure. As the ZIV – Die Fahrradindustrie states, this is hampering the necessary mobility transition. The tense situation is also reflected in warehousing. According to Stork, twice as many bicycles and e-bikes as in normal years are stocked in retail and with manufacturers. Not surprising is the associated reservation in production. However, ZIV – Die Fahrradindustrie also points out that all figures continue to be above the pre-Covid level and expects a turnaround in 2025.

"There is no completely uniform picture. Individual segments are already producing again, others are still full", says Burkhard Stork, Managing Director of the ZIV. "The interest in bicycles and e-bikes is unbroken. That's why we have no doubt that sales will increase again and the production of bicycles and bicycle parts will start up again", says Stork.

You will find all details of the market data under the following link (in German): https://www.ziv-zweirad.de/2024/07/02/absaetze-beim-e-bike-stabil-verkauf-aus-vollen-lagern/

Rail and bike, the perfect combination

For many years now, Deutsche Bahn has recognized the bicycle as an essential driver of public transport and has therefore systematically promoted it. Since the acquisition of Call a Bike in 2002, the bike sharing offer has been expanded to 14,500 bicycles and a total of over 80 cities and municipalities. As part of the Bike&Ride campaign, Deutsche Bahn has advised more than 1,000 municipalities and supported them in creating more than 20,000 bicycle parking spaces, with 50,000 more planned. Mobility Hubs enable flexible mobility connections and bundle climate-friendly sharing offers at one central location. They are the interfaces to public transport and MIV as start, end or transfer points. 50 Mobility Hubs are already in operation and 25 more are planned by the end of the year.

Particularly noteworthy in the presentation by Cornelius Kiermasch, Head of the Shared Mobility division and Michael Eckenweber, Head of DB SmartCity, are the insights they have gained with the Rad+ app and the move away from the Free Floating System in Berlin: Many measures currently supported by DB help cities and municipalities with effective cycle traffic planning. With the Rad+ app, municipalities receive a data-based, detailed picture of the use of bicycles in their municipality. This can help them optimize their bicycle route planning, for example. At the same time, it's an incentive for cyclists, because they can convert "cycled" kilometers into rewards, for example at participating local stores. The app has already been downloaded over 160,000 times and has already generated more than 12 million bike kilometers in Berlin, for example. Call a Bike, DB Bikesharing, also sees great potential in Berlin for the development of bike use and bike traffic.

Cornelius Kiermasch: "With Call a Bike, we have also been a mobility partner for sustainable travel via bike-sharing to the trade fair since the first Eurobike in Frankfurt. Many good measures have already been taken. To leverage the full potential of the "rail and bike" combination and to improve the interfaces, we all need to tackle this together, though. After all, there is potential, as the current study of the Fraunhofer Institute commissioned by the ADFC shows".

The further development of the DB Navigator to create a multimodal app that maps the customers' entire travel chain also contributes to encouraging the use of bicycles. A commuter alarm, route favorites and a more user-friendly map view have already been implemented. With over 15 million users per month, DB Navigator is the largest mobility app in Germany.

You will find further data on the studies, figures, data and facts in the Mediakit (German only).

In addition to the studies, 9 products representing 1,800 exhibitors were presented in the MedienKickOff. They stand for the wide scope, product variety and range of the industry.

  • ZF Bike Eco System: a new, compact, yet extremely powerful mid-motor with an integrated ecosystem.  
  • Liv Langma Advanced Pro: a high-quality road bike specially designed for women from the women's brand of the world's largest manufacturer Giant.
  • MOCA: extremely versatile compact cargo bike with 70 kg load and a size variance of 1.50 m – 1.95 m. 
  • R Raymon Tarok: new eMTB with the ZF Bike Eco System.  
  • HEPHA Urban 7: young brand with great value for money and major demand in the market. 
  • Comodule: IoT solution and interface from Scandinavia.  

About Eurobike:

Eurobike is the central platform for the bike and ecomobility universe. Together with visionaries from politics, business, society and the mobility industry, it creates space for communication, new ideas, change of perspective, and strong partnerships for innovative mobility solutions and new business models. With Eurobike, the booming and rapidly changing bicycle and future mobility industries have found a common platform. It sets new standards and identifies key topics in the areas of sports, leisure, health and mobility, makes continuous progress and brings the global community together live. The 32nd Eurobike will take place on the grounds of Messe Frankfurt from Wednesday, July 3 to Sunday, July 7, 2024. For more information, go to: www.eurobike.com

About fairnamic GmbH:

With the founding of fairnamic GmbH, the trade show companies Frankfurt and Friedrichshafen are sealing a partnership focusing on innovative mobility. The market position in the future markets of bicycles, e-bikes, ecomobility and general aviation is strengthened by pooling expertise and market knowledge, global positioning, brand strength and speed. The joint venture focuses on the Eurobike and AERO brands and their satellites. The objective is to expand and further develop the two leading trade shows. For more information, go to: www.fairnamic.com

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