Leisure: Nothing works without a motor: E-bikes should save bicycle industry

At the start of the bike fair Eurobike, Burkhard Stork does not want to cheer too loudly. The managing director of the Zivradustrieverband Ziv came to Frankfurt after two weak years with surprisingly good numbers: In the first quarter, 11 percent more bicycles were sold in Germany with 885,000 units than a year earlier. Production, import and export have also grown in two digits in the starting quarter.

Discount battles are still running

However, because business weakened again in April and May, Stork and other industry representatives flee. The high inventory from previous years did not flow as hoped, reports the Zweirad trade association. Customers were able to use high discounts early in the year. For the dealers, the discount battles lead to falling sales and margins.

Stork nevertheless comes to the conclusion: “The light at the end of the tunnel can be seen more clearly. It gets brighter.” The association currently assumes a sales increase of 5 percent in the total spring. Again, more e-bikes were sold in Germany than wheels with conventional drive.

After the boom in the Corona period, the industry had suffered significant sales losses. The number of bikes sold sagged from around 5 million in 2022 to 3.85 million last year. The result was high inventory, sometimes dumping prices and a production that has been reduced in the meantime.

For the first time, direct sale to end customers

The fair itself also suffers from the weak bike economy. At the current show there are around 300 fewer than in the previous year with 1,800 exhibitors. For the first time, the companies can also sell their goods directly to the visitors on the public days.

Germany stronghold for e-bikes

Motorized bicycles have long been dominating in sales: Because Germany is the absolute e-bike stronghold in Europe. 5.4 billion euros in sales last year meant almost half of the value for the entire European Union (EUR 12 billion), reports the consulting company EY.

The business is driven by tax-privileged leasing models through the employer who use many to buy expensive bikes. In 2024, however, the numbers fell slightly from 790,000 to 750,000 new contracts.

Motors for all bike types

More than every second bike (54 percent) newly sold in 2024 had an engine. Due to the higher average prices, the e-bikes ensured 86 percent of the industry sales. “The e-bike has long since arrived in the middle of society. In the meantime, every bike type is also offered and bought with an electric drive,” says Claus Fleischer, head of the component giant Bosch Ebike Systems.

There are now 15.7 million e-bikes of 88.7 million bicycles, which means a share of almost 18 percent. The last bastion of the “organic bikes” are high-quality racing bikes, which are mostly driven without electrical support. The situation is different with the trendy “gravel bikes” – somewhat coarser -tired racing bikes, which can also be caught in light terrain or on gravel slopes (gravel). They are increasingly ordered with motor and can easily cost the 5,000 euros.

Service leasing supports the wheel market

One of the few bright spots in the shrinking bicycle market is service bike leasing that more and more employers are offering their employees. 269,000 employers already offered service bike leasing – around a third more than in the previous year, but still less than half of all companies.

For trade, the advantages of leasing are obvious: Here, many people afford expensive bikes, which they would otherwise not use to secure high savings. A leased e-bike, for example, cost an average of 3,720 euros according to the Deloitte Deloitte in 2024, 40 percent more than for a comparable model on the market (2,650 euros). Deloitte expert Stefan Ludwig will again expect growth in business bike leasing, although rates with subdued installments. “Especially with smaller and medium-sized companies, there is still potential for service bike leasing providers.”

Electronics and digital services are increasingly important

Anti-blocking systems, automatic circuits and increasing engines: The e-bikes are being equipped with more and more technology, which are otherwise more known from cars or motorcycles. Large component manufacturers such as Bosch perfectly perfect their offer from year to year and use their knowledge from other vehicle segments.

In addition to this “normal” development work on the hardware, the e-bike bike of Bosch, Claus Fleischer, relies on digital services. “A lot will happen in the coming years.” Individual setting options for the drives via accompanying apps, digital theft protection, route preliminary calculations and software updates “Over the Air” – so wireless are already common. Digital state reports are also planned, in particular on battery and engine, which could also be transmitted wirelessly – important when trading in used e -bikes.