“My house, my boat? my bicycle.” The new status symbol for environmentally-friendly, healthy and intelligent mobility is making headlines across Germany: “What an incredible tailwind? thanks to e-bikes.” “The new bikes make riding a breeze: Mountains are suddenly less daunting and the daily ride to the office becomes a fast and sweat-free zoom.”
Today’s heightened awareness of environmental issues is boosting the bicycle business, especially at retail shops. Not surprisingly, an increasing number of people are opting for bicycles as a way to commute to work – and as an enjoyable recreational activity.
Representatives of the association and bicycle companies presented the latest figures from the industry. According to the association, the sector achieved sales of ?1.7 billion with bicycles and an additional ?1.45 billion from repairs, accessories, replacement parts and components, making for a market with a total volume of over ?3 billion.
Trekking bikes are leading the pack with 33 percent of sales, followed by city bikes and mountain bikes. E-bikes are rapidly gaining ground, with strong growth rates in many European countries. Approximately 100,000 e-bikes were sold in 2008. The current trend is also fortunately toward more business for bicycle shops. An increasing number of bicycles are purchased from the specialists, who sell 63 percent of all new bikes. Based on the absolute value, the market share of retail shops is even greater than this percentage.
Photo : Messe Friedrichshafen