EUROBIKE REPORT 2014 – ON THE MOVE!

The bicycle market is very much on the move. The E Trend is relentless, demand is rising ceaselessly, more and more people are discovering for themselves the E-Bike as a form of transport. This trend is enormous, but it has also become well known. More interesting, however, are the trends that will be triggered as a consequence. The bicycle world is becoming more professional, sales figures as well as the sensitivity and demands of the consumer are increasing, new products and methods of production are being developed and becoming more affordable. A further clear sign of the expected expansion of the bicycle market is the many automobile suppliers who are introducing bicycle products. In the future, providers of assembled universal pushbikes will have, at best, a chance in the production market. Whoever wants to be established as a recognized brand must provide quality, performance and design. We have outlined in the four trends below how this may be achieved.

Whoever wants to be established as a recognized brand must provide quality, performance and design.

4. Distinction by Style

A bicycle is no longer a necessary evil merely because it is practical, environmentally friendly or cheap. A bicycle is a statement. It is either a fashion, lifestyle or sport statement and the design must both convey this statement clearly and at the same time be distinctive. A fashion accessory tells a concrete story, it says something about the owner, and it is this aspect which is increasing in importance in the bicycle market.

3. Integration

We have already dealt with the issue regarding locks: the theme of integration is enormously important, the era of bike racks with a multitude of screwed on equipment, cables and tubes is over. The quality is seen in the bicycle market by the integration of the individual components, especially the tubes. A more integrated bike design is a more coherent bike design and this ultimately makes the bike more valuable.

2. Quality and safety

Urban transport on two wheels is, as before, more dangerous than four-wheeled transport. This is why active and passive security issues continue to be in the spotlight. The existence of a backlog of demand for active security items has arisen from the fact that indicators, brake lights and additional illumination of the cyclist are being introduced this year for the first time. The age-old problem of not being seen can be counteracted by the use of these products. Furthermore, the overall quality of bicycles is improving and this is favourable to the improvement of active security: brakes, frame stiffness, tyres etc. Helmets also come in all kinds of designs. Carrera are counteracting the problem of stowing away items during the time spent out of the saddle with a foldable helmet. Protection against theft is the final aspect of this theme: intelligent locks are clearly on the rise – giant and cumbersome padlocks, which you cannot stow anywhere, will soon be a thing of the past. Instead, concepts are gaining ground, which allow items to be concealed in a component or in the frame but which are also easy to use.

1. Bike life

Bicycles are no longer viewed as a necessary evil but are rather being used everyday as the transport mode of choice. The cumulative use and the conscious buying decision of the consumer are contributing to the fact that everything around the bicycle, as well as the bicycle itself, is being continually developed. This is because the ever-increasing quality demands mentioned above have to be met. Helmets and security relevant aspects are being treated as one single theme. The most important issues are transport – this includes bags, luggage racks und boxes. They must have a maximum capacity and they must be practical and fashionable. This also applies to the child seats, which are also a form transport in the broadest sense of the term. Of course, other demands of security and comfort are also relevant. Cycling clothes, which combine the demands of fashion and functionality, are a further demand of the new buyer. The Eurobike Gold Award winner Bikemode of Labal triple2 deserve a mention here as an example. The excellent Schaap Jacket unifies functionality and fashion.