The French bicycle market saw its turnover increase by 10.1% in 2019, to 2.33 billion euros, the move upmarket and the success of electrics having compensated for a drop in the number of machines sold, according to data published Monday by a federation of the sector.
Union Sport & Cycle (USC), which represents 1,400 companies and 3,000 points of sale, notes in its annual "Cycle Observatory", a "significant drop in the number of bikes sold over the year (-2%)".
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388,100 electric bikes sold
But it was offset by several factors, she said, including "a shift in the market in favor of the electrically assisted bicycle (EV)".
The latter "stands out as a pivotal segment of the sector", with 388,100 machines sold (+ 12.1%) and an average price increased by 10% (1,749 euros). It now represents 45.2% of the market in value, according to the federation.
It also notes "the move upmarket of bikes bought by the French": "we are seeing an increasing demand for quality bikes (more comfortable for long-term practice), at a higher price."
A bike boost in view of the deconfinement
With a view to deconfinement, the government decided at the end of April to offer a helping hand to people ready to adopt the bicycle to get around on a daily basis: a package of 50 euros to repair their second-hand bicycle. Repairers will be listed on a platform of the French federation of bicycle users (www.fub.fr), available from May 11.
This aid is part of a more global plan of 20 million euros, which will also be used to finance temporary parking spaces and training to learn or relearn to ride a bicycle.
France lags behind other European countries in the use of bicycles as a mode of transport. "If France has the ambition to become a true cycling nation, it must give itself the means by encouraging citizens to get it more easily," warns the USC nonetheless.
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- Coronavirus
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- Electric bike
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