Status: 08/31/2021 5:04 p.m.
Two-wheelers are more popular than ever, and manufacturers can hardly keep up with production. The result: delivery bottlenecks and rising prices. From tomorrow on it will be all about bicycles in Friedrichshafen.
Months of waiting for the new bike – delivery problems in the two-wheeler industry are increasingly becoming a test of patience for customers. Now an important German manufacturer has warned of persistent difficulties. A normalization of the situation on the world markets and also in the domestic trade is not to be expected anytime soon, said the managing director of Bosch eBike Systems, Claus Fleischer. Further negative effects are to be expected in the second half of the year – and a medium-term tense situation for raw materials, components and parts.
“The bicycle manufacturers are fighting for every bike they can build because components are always missing,” Fleischer told the news agency dpa. Above all, mechanical components are currently in short supply: frame, fork and brakes. Electronic components for e-bikes are also not available in sufficient numbers – due to bottlenecks at suppliers, but also because of the increased demand.
Trade in bicycles is booming
The corona pandemic had recently helped the bicycle trade to generate high sales. According to the two-wheeled industry association (ZIV), more than five million bicycles were sold in Germany last year, an increase of almost 17 percent compared to the previous year.
The boom in the industry with a continuing shortage of parts will also be a topic at the world’s largest bicycle trade fair “Eurobike”, which begins on Wednesday in Friedrichshafen. According to the organizers, there will be significantly fewer exhibitors this year than last in summer 2019. At that time, more than 1,400 exhibitors came to Lake Constance. Because of the corona pandemic and the associated restrictions, many manufacturers and dealers, especially those from Asian countries, are currently unable to travel to Friedrichshafen, according to a spokesman for the Eurobike project management.
1.2 million e-bikes sold
In Germany, sales of e-bikes in particular rose last year, as industry representatives in Friedrichshafen announced one day before the start of “Eurobike”. Almost two million electric bikes were sold in 2020, an increase of 43 percent compared to 2019. And the dealers could have sold even more, but the manufacturers were unable to keep up with the production, according to the ZIV. The association expects 1.9 million e-bikes to be sold this year.
In the case of classic bicycles without an electric drive, the sales figures in Germany fell by 26 percent in the first half of 2021 because, according to the ZIV, there were delivery problems here too. Because of the bottlenecks, the ZIV anticipates price increases for bicycles of up to ten percent.
Cargo bikes in trend
According to industry information, the market for cargo bikes is also experiencing great demand. Around 103,000 cargo bikes were sold in Germany in 2020, three quarters of them with electric drive, estimates the ZIV. A trend that “Eurobike” picks up. Cargo bikes are presented on a special exhibition area: from foldable, lightweight city cargo bikes to ergonomic child carriers
Other focal points and trends at the fair in Friedrichshafen: so-called “Gravels” – these are wide-tire racing bikes for bad roads in the field. In addition, the exhibitors will be showing innovations in accessories: reflective frames, airbags for cyclists and multifunctional clothing.
Mask requirement and 3G rule for trade fair visitors
The first two days of the fair, Wednesday and Thursday, are reserved exclusively for the specialist audience. On the public days, the so-called “Festival Days” on September 3rd and 4th, a wide supporting program with spectacular shows will be offered on the exhibition grounds. Tickets are only available online in advance. Visitors must be vaccinated, tested, or recovered. Masks are generally required in closed rooms on the exhibition grounds.
Eurobike 2021 will be the last of its kind in Friedrichshafen: After 30 years on Lake Constance, the fair is moving to Frankfurt. The premiere there is planned for July 13-17, 2022. Those responsible named among other things the better accessibility in Frankfurt, more space and more internationality as advantages.