Jan-Willem van Schaik

EINDHOVEN, the Netherlands - Adaptable tyre pressure technology firm Gravaa has ap-pointed John Zopfi as its new chief commercial officer. With more than 20 years of experi-ence in outdoor and cycling industries, Zopfi took up the role earlier this month after spend-ing the past six years at 7mesh Industries where he most recently served as general manager for global wholesale.

ČVRČOVICE, Czech Republic - Darfon Electronics' announcement in December 2023 to open an e-bike assembly and battery production facility in the Czech Republic marked the official start of the OEM business for this electronics giant in Europe. In fact, it was set up to expand the company's e-bike operation in the Czech Republic as assembly has already been taking place for a while in Čvrcovice.

LEIPZIG, Germany - For Tex-Lock a bicycle lock is not just that standard heavy weight safety device in black that needs to be used by any cyclist to protect their bike. "I wanted to bring fashion and style into this product category but also improve the usability," says Tex-Lock CEO and co-founder Alexandra Baum. "Locks needed a soft feeling instead of bulky steel."

OFFENBACH, Germany - Rumours had been swirling recently that another Germany e-bike manufacturer was facing financial problems, and this was confirmed yesterday when Advanced Bikes GmbH officially filed for insolvency. This insolvency reflects the problems the European industry is currently facing.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The presentation of the manifesto for the EU term 2024-2029 by industry confederation CONEBI in Brussels last week, gave the cycling industry the opportunity to discuss the agenda with European institutions for the next five years. Hosted by EU member of parliament Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, the industry representatives and the EU Commission discussed plans and projects to come to reality.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - Imports of fatbikes which do not comply with EN standards and road safety regulations has prompted the Dutch bicycle industry organization RAI Association to introduce a new e-bike quality mark. The use of illegal and tweaked fatbikes has caused a major increase in e-bike accidents and a lot of irritation amongst the Dutch public.

KOPRIVNICE, Czech Republic - The long-time experience in the production of city bikes for a leading Dutch brand, gave Bike Fun International (BFI) a strong position in the expanding urban mobility cycling market. Bike Europe talked with CEO René Gasser about the manufacturer's ambition to serve the central European markets as a leading distributor, but also how they can distinguish themselves as an OEM supplier.

SUZHOU, China - The oversupply in the industry, even for the category e-bikes, is still resulting in a slowdown in demand for component manufacturers. The excess inventory situation was already reflected at Taichung Bike Week last September but also came forward in Bafang's nine months earnings result which did not improve compared with 2023.

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, USA - Pedego, the largest chain of e-bike stores in North America, has announced the appointment of Larry Pizzi as its new chief executive officer (CEO) and member of the Board, effective November 18, 2024. Pizzi joins the company with over 20 years of operational leadership experience in the cycling and outdoor industry, succeeding Brian Stech. In addition, Cliff Moskowitz will be joining the Pedego Board of Directors.

OBERWANGEN, Switzerland - Yamaha was the first e-bike brand this month which announced it was pulling out of the US market due to oversupply and slow demand. It turns out that the Japanese are not the only one. myStromer AG also announced it will discontinue its business in the US and Canada with immediate effect.