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Special Reports
ZIV Market Report:
Balance Returns to
Germany’s Bicycle Market
The German bike industry is
at a crossroads. Once known
for steady, organic growth, the
sector saw an all-time high during
the pandemic years, but then the
market had a more sobering cor-
rection afterward. At this point,
demand is returning to normal and
structural changes are taking hold.
The industry is recalibrating, not
shrinking, but changing.
The German bicycle indus-
try spent 2024 adapting to new
circumstances following a period
of expansion during the pandem-
ic. Due to excessive inventory,
some sales decreased, prices were
adjusted, and strategic adjust-
ments were required. However,
there were signs that the market
was strong below the surface.
Since 2023, E-bikes have been
outselling bicycles in Germany.
48% 53% 53%
H %LNHV H %LNHV
%LF\FOHV %LF\FOHV %LF\FOHV
52% 47%
2022 2023
152
This was especially true with the
rise of e-bikes and the strength of
local service networks.
The amount of inventory
should get back to normal in 2025,
and early signs suggest that cus-
tomers will remain interested in the try Association (ZIV) reports that
next season. Leaders in the field
say that growth could begin again
in 2026 if the economy and gov-
ernment policies work together.
The average price of an
e-bike in stores went down by
10.1%, to $2,860 USD from 2023,
due to heavy discounting by re-
tailers in response to high stock
pressure and an oversupplied mar-
ket. Overall industry turnover fell
from $7.63 billion to $6.84 billion
USD year-over-year, largely due
to this price pressure. The average
E-bike demand has remained stable since the pandemic, with
bicycle sales dropping off.
5.0 (Unit: Millions of vehicles)
4.7 4.6
4.3
H %LNHV 3.0 3.1 2.7
1.4 2.0 2.0
47% 2019 2020 2021
2024
6RXUFHƝ=,9 %LF\FOHV 瀎 %LNHV 7RWDO
Global E-Bike Source 2025-2026
Text: Editorial Dept.
price of a non-electric bike, on the
other hand, went up by 6.4% to
$540 USD, which shows that the
lower end of the market is recov-
ering and correcting itself.
The German Bicycle Indus-
3.85 million bikes and e-bikes were
bought in 2024, which is only 2.5%
less than the previous year. Even
though sales went down, 53% of
all sales were e-bikes, which shows
how important they are in Ger-
many for getting around.
Who are ZIV?
ZIV, a growing organization
representing the interests of the
German and international bicycle
industry, covers approximately
4.0 3.9
2.2
2.4
2022 2.1 2.1
1.9 1.8
2023 2024
6RXUFHƝ=,9