Merida Industry's first quarter 2026 results show the company is absorbing a significant year-on-year sales decline as it works to mitigate the industry downturn. The Taiwanese company reported Q1 revenue of NT$5.49 billion (€147 million), down around 27% year-on-year, following a rollercoaster start to the year. Sales fell sharply by 44% in January and 22% in February, before easing to a 17% decline in March, hopefully an early indication that the steepest phase of the downturn is passing.

The persistent difficulty of the economic conditions in the bicycle industry has forced German rim producer Schürmann to close down its operation.

A strong industry ecosystem thrived in Taiwan's bicycle industry for decades, enabling the successful launch of start-ups like Hyena. This ecosystem was damaged during the inventory crisis and Hyena CEO Charlie Chuang is calling for a rebuild of this system. Today, his company is one of the few Taiwan-based full e-drive system suppliers serving American and European customers.

In the early days of e-bikes, the race was simple: more torque, more watts, more bragging rights. But today, the real battleground is somewhere else entirely, efficiency, intelligence and rider safety.

After filing for insolvency in February 2026, Frog Bikes has secured a buyer to continue its legacy as the royally-endorsed United Kingdom kids' bike brand. The brand's acquisition has been confirmed by Frasers Group, a conglomerate owned by British billionaire Mike Ashley.

Giant Group's financials continue to reflect the significant headwinds the industry is facing as the glut drags into a third year. The company reported Q1 2026 revenue of NT$12.52 billion (€336 million), down around 25% year-on-year, following steep monthly declines of more than 20% in January and 40% in February.

Taiwan is future-focused, that much was apparent to attendees of the Taipei Cycle Show 2026. But beneath the optimism, export declines and changing production chains show the nation's bicycle sector is in transition. Production value is increasingly generated beyond Taiwan's borders, as manufacturing shifts to neighbouring markets such as China, Vietnam and Europe through Taiwanese-led supply chains.

The China Cycle Show 2026 can count on more international interest than before. Driven by the sports market and the country's fifteenth five-year plan (2026-2030), local manufacturers have recognised the value of brand building, a trend quickly being adopted by other categories. The nation's shop window to the rest of the world showcases the progress of its bicycle industry.

Volatile trade policies, a challenging market environment, unfavourable currency effects and intensified competition shaped Bosch Group's 2025 financial results. Against this backdrop, their expectations for 2025 have not been met, and sales revenue rose slightly by 4.1% after adjusting for exchange-rate effects. Bosch eBike Systems CEO Claus Fleischer gives insight into what this means for the e-bike industry.

All indicators for the 2025 French market were negative. The total market volume decreased by 6%, while the revenue was down 4.8% year-on-year. The average retail price declined slightly, and the e-bike sales dropped 16%. This contraction comes amid a challenging economic environment but also reflects a more structural shift: the end of the post-Covid catch-up effect and the withdrawal of purchase incentives.

在德國產業組織宣布將於2027年舉辦「指標性全球貿易展」後，Eurobike相關爭議進入新階段。此決定源於Eurobike主辦單位Fairnamic與德國自行車產業協會（ZIV）、德國未來自行車協會（Zukunft Fahrrad）及德國自行車代理商組織（VSF）之間的分歧。最新發展顯示，歐洲未來可能回歸雙展並行的模式，類似2008年前德國科隆自行車展（IFMA Cologne）與Eurobike並立的局面。

British bicycle manufacturer and industry barometer Halfords Group UK reports strong performance in its bicycle segment for FY26 (April 2025 - April 2026). The Group says sales have increased across its core industries of automotive, retail and leisure, but none have seen as much progress as its cycling division, which climbed 6.4%.

Contrary to almost all other European countries, the Belgian bicycle market is performing very well. After the 2022 peak, the market bounced back to a pre-pandemic level, and has not been affected by the sustained decline seen in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. In 2025, the Belgian market even experienced a 7.1% increase to 578,737 units in total. What made this Belgian miracle?

Decathlon S.A. reported steady growth in 2025, even as market development across the sporting goods and bicycle sectors remained uneven. The French retailer reports increased revenue and profitability. At the same time, limited disclosure around category-level performance, especially in cycling, leaves open questions about where that growth is coming from and how sustainable it may be.

The Bulgarian bike sector is steadily developing these days despite the existing challenges and a serious overstocking in the local market. In fact, the industry and major local manufacturers have gone through an extremely dynamic and challenging period. After the euphoria of pandemic sales, the sector has faced supply chain disruptions, overstocking and macroeconomic headwinds. Despite the decline in sales volumes, the trend toward electric bicycles and micromobility offers some optimism, with the European market expected to double by 2030.

Pragma Industries, known for its pioneering technology in hydrogen-powered bicycles, has filed for liquidation. This move, while not entirely unpredictable given the company's admitted difficulties last year, brings an abrupt end to more than two decades of work in the fuel-cell mobility sector.

Taiwan's bicycle industry signalled that it was entering a bold new era at this year's Taipei Cycle Show. Under the guidance of Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Cycling & Health Tech Industry R&D Centre (CHC) unveiled a suite of R&D achievements, highlighting the strategic integration of Taiwan's bicycle manufacturing with advanced Information and Communication Technology (ICT). A key feature was the Cycling Common Protocol Alliance (CCPA), launched to enhance system interoperability and strengthen collaboration across the bicycle and ICT industries.

The slowdown in consumer spending and market uncertainty due to the geopolitical situation is starting to surface in the financial results in the e-bike and bicycle industry. Except for the Oceanian market, Shimano reports weak retail sales worldwide. As a result, net sales in bicycle and e-bike components in the first quarter of 2026 decreased 0.7% year-on-year to 87,361 million yen (€ 471 million) , and operating income decreased 46.3% to 7,792 million yen (€ 41.7 million)

On 1 May, 2026, there will be a new CEO at Canyon. The German bicycle manufacturer has appointed Matthias Meier to take the lead as chief executive officer at Canyon Bicycles, alongside founder and Executive Chairman Roman Arnold.

Three years of declining business performance has not left the Taiwanese industry unscathed. After the sales peak in 2022, the industry waited for better days, citing excess inventory as the reason for the downturn. The Taipei Cycle Show 2026 made clear that many companies cannot wait any longer. "Nobody is able to wait any longer after three years of standstill," said Astro-Tech president Samuel Hu.