What is the value of Eurobike as a British attendee?

What is the value of Eurobike as a British attendee? Simon Cox shares his thoughts on the show which showcases European cycling trends

This piece first appeared in the June edition of BikeBiz magazine – get your free subscription here

Eurobike. That big, German, European, bike show, hosted in the city which the European Central Bank calls home – Frankfurt.

Early July will once again see the biggest stand occupied by the ZEG Group (Zweirad-Einkaufs-Genossenschaft) and many of its in-house brands such as: Bulls Bikes, Flyer, Kettler, i:SY and Pegasus.

What do all of these brands have in common? No UK market presence – and little interest in changing.

So what does the show offer British attendees?

It’s a fair question, especially when we see the rapidly growing gap between UK e-bike sales and those across large swathes of the European continent – from south to north.

My own personal answer to this? A lot.

Global brands see Eurobike as ‘the show’ through which to engage a Europe-wide market – yes, we’re included here, even post-Brexit.

‘Engage’ means meeting people, making connections, talking business, exploring products, and identifying market opportunities.

Even for someone who works remote, there’s simply no way you can completely remove the human, face-to-face factor of getting business done.

And by remote, I don’t mean the growing disconnect between cycling life in the UK and how things are developing across the Channel.

As how we travel, and our carbon footprint, becomes increasingly front and centre, the show becomes more important, not less.

Just take the extremely valid points made by Road.cc when outlining why they’ll no longer fly for bike launches, and it’s pretty clear why Eurobike is the one European get-together that the cycling industry can’t do without.

Global brands meet their local customers at a venue which has space for future growth, and a host city which does active travel.

Talking of the host city, it can’t be lost on the typical British visitor that serious-looking men and women dressed in suits travel around the city in ever-increasing numbers on shared mobility vehicles – e-scooters and e-bikes – in a way that many of those working in the City of London currently don’t and/or won’t.

We as an industry are an integral part of changing this.

Let’s be honest, when the big money earners and players are onboard, it makes things happen.

And as a result, the societal shift towards cycling has a stronger voice at the top table.

Just look at the way in which many European governments have embraced and enshrined cycling as an essential tool of future mobility.

Now consider the impact this has on the cycling industry in three to five years time – which is being planned and developed right now.

Remember, this isn’t even the capital city of Germany we’re talking about here.

Now imagine that kind of heft brought to bear in a second or third city in the UK.

What would that do for bike sales?

It’s here that my already politically tinged conversation really does go straight at it.

We, the industry, need to get our collective lobbying voice into singular gear.

Eurobike has evolved to meet this, lobbying governments for infrastructure and investment needs.

The breakout sessions are no longer just about trade with south east Asia – which is still a massive growth market, just look at Giant’s sales reportedly up by 70% in 2023.

This year, along with groups gathering to share insights and expertise in reducing the environmental footprint of product production, we can expect to see meetings to explore how to engage government at all levels, as a means to influence future infrastructure spending.

Why should we care?

Well, because we sell more bikes – to genuinely new riders – when people feel safe to ride them.

It’s on us to make that connection work.

Global brands need to be connected to this conversation at trans-national, and country-specific, levels.

Here’s looking at us, the UK cycle industry.

Attending ‘that’ German, European, bike show has never been more important.