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The German bicycle industry is spoiled for success.
Your sales have increased steadily over the past few years.
In 2020 they literally exploded.
Sales of bicycles and e-bikes rose by 60.9 percent compared to 2019 - to 6.44 billion euros.
"The past year was unprecedented for the German and international bicycle industry as well as for the bicycle industry as a whole," says Ernst Brust, Managing Director of the Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV).
Source: WORLD infographic
“It has never been as good as 2020.” Brust expects it will be similar this year.
"We are confident."
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As in other areas, the double-digit sales growth also means in the bicycle industry: There are problems with supplies.
In industry circles it can be heard that many suppliers, such as the component manufacturer Shimano, are no longer accepting orders.
They put their customers on waiting lists.
This has consequences for manufacturers and retailers.
They depend on gears, calipers and brakes.
Source: WORLD infographic
"Whereas manufacturers used to have to wait three to four months for their parts, now it's eight to ten months," says ZIV managing director Brust.
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"We are already partially busy planning for 2023. That is actually absurd," says Dennis Schömburg, managing director of the brand importer Messingschlager.
In the bicycle industry, the so-called pre-order is common.
This means that the dealers order the bikes for the coming year in summer and autumn.
Now they do not know whether they will get what they ordered in 2020.
Source: WORLD infographic
Another problem for dealers is that bike workshops are open even in lockdown, but this does not apply to bike dealers everywhere.
Many businesses are lost like that, says Brust.
Because a bike that a retailer doesn't sell now may be sold online.
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However, part of the truth is that retailers currently don't have much to sell.
Last year, many warehouses were already empty in late summer.
Source: WORLD infographic
5.04 million bicycles and e-bikes were sold in Germany: 16.9 percent more than in the previous year.
E-bike sales even rose by 43.4 percent.
"Together with the components and accessories area, this results in a sales volume of almost ten billion euros across all sales channels," says Brust.
The average sales price per bike has risen significantly, from 929 to 1279 euros.
Reason: the strong increase in the share of e-bikes.
Because these often cost more than twice as much as a conventional bicycle.
“The dealers also earn more per bike,” says Brust.
Source: WORLD infographic
In the pandemic, bicycles and e-bikes have become important means of transport.
"Two-wheelers, with and without an electric drive, were and are the means of transport of the hour and were able to benefit greatly from the unprecedented situation of the past year," says the association head.
Will Germany one day become a cycling country?
Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) recently presented corresponding plans.
Source: WORLD infographic
After all, two German municipalities are now among the ten most bicycle-friendly cities in the world.
In Münster and Bremen you already get an idea of what Germany's urban traffic might look like in the future.
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