Jan-Willem Van Schaik

Giant Group has announced the acquisition of approximately 36% of D.Mag (Kunshan) New Material Technology Co., Ltd. for RMB 597 million (€ 76 million) raising its consolidated stake from 60.39% to 96.63% upon completion. D.Mag is a manufacturing subsidiary of Giant Group and the Samoa-registered investment firm, United King Limited.

As FSA Europe celebrates its 25th anniversary, the company reflects on a quarter-century of innovation and partnership within the cycling industry. According to Claudio Marra, Global Vice President of FSA-Vision, the anniversary is an important milestone that underlines the relevance of the European organisation and its long-term commitment to supporting bicycle and e-bike manufacturers with high-quality components and engineering expertise.

The appointment as President of Shimano Europe Group was like coming home for Fabio Takayanagi. At the start of his career at the Japanese component manufacturer in 2006, he was assigned to Shimano Europe, based in the Netherlands. He stayed here for one year to gain experience in the bicycle business. Since then, he has travelled the world for Shimano before coming back to Europe. A brief introduction of this industry insider and his view on the European market.

The move back to the June/July time window for Eurobike 2027, as Bike Europe reported last week, was only part of the new show concept Fairnamic developed. CEO Philipp Ferger and show director Matthias Pietsch have now explained what they learned from the previous show and how they implemented that in the 2027 edition. In a new turnaround, "the date and the rhythm of Eurobike had to be reviewed," they said.

The relaunch of Austrian custom bike builder Simplon by Austrian SOL Capital Management GmbH in February 2025 appears to be failing. The company, now known as 2Rad Produktions GmbH, formerly Simplon Fahrrad GmbH, filed for insolvency proceedings without self-administration. Reopened claims from the previous insolvency proceedings appear to have been an insurmountable burden for the young company.

The German bicycle market rose 10% year on year between January and June, while e-bike sales increased slightly by 2%. Despite this positive market development, the German industry association ZIV is careful in its reporting and calls it only a 'slow recovery'.

In response to rising raw material, energy, and logistics costs, the industry's largest component supplier, Shimano, announced a temporary 3% surcharge on all orders with a delivery date between 1 August and 30 November 2026. How does the industry absorb these costs while consumer prices are already under pressure? Are there still enough options for alternative sourcing, component specifications, and efficiency improvements, or will it just kill margins, as Giant Bicycles announced in their half-year results?

hGears Schramberg GmbH has filed an application for insolvency proceedings under self-administration with the Local Court of Rottweil, Germany. According to a company statement, the aim is to advance the necessary restructuring of the Schramberg site within an orderly legal framework and to create the conditions for a viable structure for the future.

Accell Group's bankruptcy has shown how essential information is for effective purchasing planning. Insufficient supply-chain information led to excessively large order volumes between 2020 and 2022. Excess inventory continued to drain Accell Group's financial position for several years and ultimately led to the demise of the once-largest bicycle factory. The Global Bicycle Purchase Index (GPBI) gives you insights into the supply chain thanks to the industry's input.

Accell Group's bankruptcy has created significant uncertainty in the industry. Throughout the value chain, companies are closely following all developments around the potential takeover. September is the best time in Europe for retailers to decide which brands to offer in their shop next year and to order 2027 models. Retailers are now unsure what to do, as they can't wait too long.