Eurobike 2024: Further Developing the Bicycle Sector - Platform for Sustainable Mobility

The leading trade fair Eurobike kicks off its third edition in Frankfurt from July 3 to 7. The need for discussion in the bicycle industry is high: the focus is on the further development of the bicycle sector, according to the organizer fairnamic. Key questions include: How to deal with full warehouses, dampened consumer sentiment, and EU regulations? And this, where the industry is transitioning to holistic sustainability, promoting socially and climate-friendly mobility, and integrating new players.

"Eurobike brings together all relevant players in the global bicycle and e-mobility universe in Frankfurt. Transformation, cooperation, personal exchange, knowledge transfer, and visibility are of fundamental importance for the further success of the industry," outlines Stefan Reisinger, Managing Director of fairnamic GmbH, the role of the leading industry trade fair.

Stable in turbulent times

The industry association Zukunft Fahrrad presented current figures on the economic factor of bicycles at the start, under its Managing Director Wasilis von Rauch. The source for this is the study “The Bicycle Industry and the Economic Factor of Bicycles in Germany 2019 to 2023” by the Transportation Think Tank T3. According to this, 207,000 jobs are secured by the industry, 284,000 employees are even in bicycle tourism with a total turnover of 47 billion euros. Despite the difficult economic situation, the bicycle industry was able to consolidate at a high level in 2023. Employment numbers and turnover rose slightly, and services and maintenance even reported a 23% increase in turnover.

The study highlights the resilience of the industry but also sheds light on the network effects of the bicycle industry. Like few other industries, an extensive ecosystem participates in the economic development of the sector and is mutually dependent. From industry to tourism to public services in urban and rural areas.

"Our industry has stabilized after the boom years despite difficult economic and political conditions. This demonstrates the potential that could be unleashed if bicycles and the bicycle economy were systematically promoted, as is increasingly the case in other countries. Investments in the bicycle economy pay off multiple times economically: in value creation, employment, health, climate, and resource protection," explains Zukunft-Fahrrad Managing Director Wasilis von Rauch.

The German Company Bike Leasing Market is Booming

Wasilis von Rauch exclusively presented the study on the German company bike leasing market, created in collaboration with Deloitte. Since 2019, the industry has achieved average revenue growth of 46% and thus introduced 1.9 million company bikes into the market. Consequently, the company bike leasing offer was already accepted by approximately 10% of employees in 2023. The average price of company bikes is 1,700 euros above the market average, at 3,500 euros per bike. The reason for this is the reliance on higher-quality bikes and high-quality pedelecs. The point of sale is the specialized trade for 88% of these transactions. This value is above the average for stationary sales in the overall market, which is only 75%. The greatest potential is currently seen in the SME segment for companies with fewer than 50 employees.

ZIV Market Data: E-Bike Sales Stable

According to figures from ZIV – The Bicycle Industry, the challenging global market situation is also reflected in the market data of the first third of 2024 for the industry, presented by Burkhard Stork, Managing Director of the association. Compared to the same period last year, 1.23% fewer e-bikes were sold, but the decline in bicycles is quite significant at 19%. The reasons for this are general consumer reticence and an investment backlog in the expansion of cycling infrastructure. According to ZIV – The Bicycle Industry, the necessary transport transformation is being politically hampered as a result. The strained situation is also evident in stock levels, with twice as many bikes and e-bikes in stock at retailers and manufacturers compared to normal years, according to Stork. The associated production slow-down comes as no surprise. However, ZIV – The Bicycle Industry also points out that all figures are still above pre-Corona levels and they expect a trend reversal in 2025.

"There is no completely uniform picture, some segments are already producing again, while others still have full warehouses," said Burkhard Stork, Managing Director of the ZIV. "Interest in bicycles and e-bikes remains unbroken. Therefore, we have no doubt that sales will grow again and the production of bicycles and bicycle parts will pick up again," Stork said.

Multimodal on the go: Dream combination of train and bike

For many years now, Deutsche Bahn has recognized the bicycle as an essential driver of public transportation use and has systematically promoted it. Since the takeover of Call a Bike in 2002, the bike-sharing offer has expanded to 14,500 bicycles and a total of over 80 cities and municipalities. As part of the Bike&Ride campaign, the railway has advised more than 1,000 municipalities and supported the creation of more than 20,000 bicycle parking spaces, with an additional 50,000 in planning. Mobility hubs enable flexible connection mobility and bundle climate-friendly sharing offers in one central location. They form interfaces to public transportation and private motor vehicles as starting, ending, or transfer points. Already, 50 mobility hubs are in operation and 25 more are planned by the end of the year.

DB SmartCity: Data as the basis for municipal decisions

Noteworthy in the presentation by Cornelius Kiermasch, Head of Shared Mobility, and Michael Eckenweber, Head of DB SmartCity, are the insights they have gathered with the Rad+ app and the departure from the Free Floating System in Berlin: many measures currently supported by DB help cities and municipalities in effective cycling traffic planning. With the Rad+ app, municipalities receive a data-based detailed picture of bicycle use within their jurisdiction, helping them optimize bicycle route planning. At the same time, cyclists receive an incentive to use it, as they can convert “cycled” kilometers into rewards, such as at participating local stores. The app has been downloaded over 160,000 times and has generated more than 12 million cycling kilometers in Berlin alone. Call a Bike, the DB bike-sharing service, also sees great potential for the development of bicycle use and cycling traffic in Berlin.

“With Call a Bike, we have also been a mobility partner for sustainable travel to the fair by bike-sharing since the first Frankfurt Eurobike. Many good measures have already been put in place. But to unlock the full potential that lies in the combination of 'train and bicycle' and to improve the interfaces, we all need to work together. Because the potential is there, as the current study by the Fraunhofer Institute commissioned by the ADFC shows,” explains Cornelius Kiermasch.

The further development of the DB Navigator into a multimodal app, which represents the complete travel chain of train customers, also contributes to the promotion of cycling traffic use. Features already implemented include a commuter alarm, route favorites, and a more user-friendly map view. With over 15 million monthly users, the DB Navigator is the largest mobility app in Germany.