Europe’s bike industry hits bumps as cycling craze cools

Special offers were on display at this year’s bicycle trade fair in Stuttgart, Germany, as industry players tried to unload stocks – Copyright AFP THOMAS KIENZLE

Léa PERNELLE

At a bicycle trade fair in Stuttgart, steep discounts on brand-new models hint at the turmoil roiling the industry now that a pandemic-fuelled cycling craze has faded.

Price cuts of 20 to 30 percent were not unheard of at this month’s event in the southwestern German city, where sellers sought to offload surplus stock in the face of falling demand.

Long gone are the days when Covid-related shutdowns inspired a surge in bicycle sales in 2020-2022, as people looked for more outdoor recreation or tried to avoid using public transport.

At Electrolyte, a company that makes customised electric bikes in southern