WASHINGTON DC, United States - The number of bicycles imported into the United States in the first half of 2025 has dropped 25% year-on-year. When looking at Q2 specifically this is a 35% drop compared to 2024. The impact of tariffs and trade wars has seen China's relevance as US bicycle supplier slip considerably.

ROOSENDAAL, the Netherlands - In Q2, from April to June, the Dutch bicycle market turnover rate rose significantly, averaging around 10% per month, according to figures from national consultancy group H&L Benchmark Group. This translates to 7.7% turnover growth for the first half of 2025, compared to the same period last year. In addition, about half of the H&L Benchmark Group is seeing a further reduction in excessive inventory.

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - Retail giant Decathlon and KwikFit are starting a partnership in Amsterdam for the maintenance and repair of Decathlon bikes and e-bikes. The sports retailer has three stores in the capital, only two of which have bike repair workshops. Now, Decathlon customers can also visit the centrally located KwikFit location. If successful, a national roll-out is on the cards.

PARIS, France - Bike-leasing company Vapaus Group has announced the integration of France's Azfalte, a corporate cycling company boasting a 250-client portfolio. Calling France "Europe's strongest growth potential," Vapaus Group says it's excited to explore international growth with Azfalte, hoping to achieve one million new riders in the coming years.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - "All operational activity has ceased," reads the email from Lasse Almgren, the CEO of the Danish start-up known as Pentalock. The company, under the name of Danish Mobility System 1 ApS, filed for bankruptcy on August 11.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European bicycle industry is losing a key face in Brussels. Manuel Marsilio has officially stepped down from his position as general manager of the Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI). This marks the end of more than a decade of leadership. Meanwhile, the ECF has welcomed its new CEO, who is tasked with advocating for better cycling infrastructure across Europe.

MONTREUIL, France - French authorities have uncovered a vast financial fraud network in a large-scale investigation that involved over 70,000 Chinese-made e-bikes across six storage sites in the country. The losses amount to €6 million.

TAICHUNG, Taiwan - The results are in for Giant Group's 2024 sustainability and ethical impacts, and the company is reporting reduced emissions and increased solar power across the board, with some notable caveats. Giant Group, home of Giant, Liv, Momentum and Cadex bike brands, has been advancing its ESG commitments in a three-pronged approach since 2022: innovating a clean future, transforming for circularity and mobilizing for DEI.

At the 717 JD Cycling Festival in Beijing, the silver-gray, drop-bar folding bike Dahon P18 Ultra zipped past the finish line and claimed victory with lightning speed. With this performance, it challenged the industry's perception that "portability and speed cannot coexist" for folding bikes. The decisive victory not only ignited a renewed interest in folding bikes among cycling enthusiasts, but also brought the company's proprietary bike tech Dahon-V into the spotlight for its speed.

KOBLENZ, Germany - Founder, Roman Arnold, is returning to Canyon Bicycles GmbH to assume operational responsibilities as executive chairman, starting September 1st. Following a period where the ongoing challenging market environment had seen owner GBL's investment depreciate by 43% a new approach is now being taken. This means exit "by mutual agreement" for current CEO Nicolas de Ros Wallace.

LONDON, England - The UK's Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has recommended that anti-dumping duties on bicycles and certain bicycle components imported from China remain in force until 30 August 2029. While the UK government could technically reject the TRA's advice, the move signals strong continuity with EU trade policy, where similar measures remain in place.

LONDON, United Kingdom - Global container prices have fallen for the tenth consecutive week and still appear to be stabilising. Spot rates for containers on the Shanghai-Rotterdam route saw the sharpest drop. This is evident from the most recent World Container Index (WCI) published by market research firm Drewry.

MÜHLTAL, Germany - The precarity of the United States market and ongoing tariff uncertainty has taken a toll once again, as Riese & Müller announced this week it will pause all US shipments and re-evaluate following the latest 50% steel tariffs, "and their implications."

 HEERENVEEN, the Netherlands - In a new move to better its financial position, Accell Group is further centralising its production capabilities. After more than a century, bicycles will no longer be produced at its site in Heerenveen, the Netherlands. The factory is expected to close by the end of Q1 2026, and production will be integrated into existing manufacturing facilities in Hungary. The closure will lead to a loss of approximately 160 jobs.

DRESDEN, Germany - Online bicycle retailer Bike24 Holding AG has reported its strongest quarter to date, posting double-digit growth in sales and profits in the second quarter of 2025. The company's CEO and founder, Andrés Martin-Birner, attributes the company's continued financial success to a number of company-wide decisions.

SUZHOU, China - Over the past 22 years, Bafang has consistently prioritised technological innovation as fundamental to the company's development. With this approach the motor manufacturer has successfully navigated the storm of the previous years. "Whether in good times or bad, demand-driven innovation is urgently needed," CEO Qinghua Wang explains to Bike Europe.

SCHRAMBERG, Germany - The market shows initial signs of a measured rebound, though the improvement still has yet to extend across the entire supply chain. The manufacturer of e-bike drive components, hGears reports that, "the sales volume of e-bikes in Europe during the first half of 2025 is estimated to be roughly on par with the previous year, but European e-bike production has not recovered as expected."

BERLIN, Germany - E-bikes are the spearhead of electromobility in Europe. Over the past 10 years, e-bikes have fundamentally transformed the European mobility market. At the same time, stakeholders have become more diverse. The German research institute zNT assessed the discussion on the regulatory framework for e-bikes and concluded: if you want to change the regulations, you must not only provide technical arguments, but also prove that what has been achieved will not be jeopardised.