The bicycle industry sees itself as an industry with a great – because climate-neutral – future. At the start of the Eurobike trade fair, which also wants to contribute to the mobility revolution, there is a setback.
Fewer bicycles were assembled in Germany in the first half of 2022 than in the same period of the previous year.
At the start of the leading “Eurobike” trade fair, the German Bicycle Industry Association (ZIV) reported on Tuesday in Frankfurt that conventional bicycles had fallen by 3 percent and e-bikes by 1 percent. According to the information, 1.38 million bikes were produced in the half-year, after 1.41 million in the first half of the record year 2021. Since 2019, more e-bikes have been built in Germany than those without an additional drive.
Delivery bottlenecks spoil the mood
The two-wheel trade association (VDZ), on the other hand, described double-digit sales increases in the shops. However, customer frequency is currently declining and simple bikes in particular are no longer in demand. Retail suspects high inflation and worries about the Ukraine war to be the reasons behind this.
The industry continues to suffer from delivery bottlenecks, especially from Asia. This will not change until the end of 2023, said ZIV Managing Director Burkhard Stork. So far, relocating production has often failed due to a lack of workers. It is also not true that there are currently no more bicycles in shops. However, not all optional equipment is always available, especially for high-quality bikes.
From July 13th to 17th, more than 1,500 exhibitors will be showing their products and innovations for everything to do with two-wheelers in the Frankfurt exhibition halls. The fair had previously taken place 29 times in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance. The new location underscores the importance of the bicycle as an intelligent traffic solution with great potential to relieve cities of too much car traffic, according to the ADFC bicycle club.
Expectations were also directed at Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing, who intends to act as patron on Wednesday. One is curious to see what news he has in store for the federal cycling policy, explained the ADFC federal chairwoman Rebecca Peters.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
