The latest trends and innovations in the bicycle industry were on display at Eurobike 2023 this past week in Frankfurt, Germany. With more than 1,900 exhibitors in attendance this year – a record number – the new location in Frankfurt is proving itself capable of providing better access and infrastructure than the former Friedrichshafen location. While the urban setting of Frankfurt may not be as panoramic as the Friedrichshafen location, it clearly has advantages as a business hub for the bike industry.
Overall, Eurobike 2023 was bigger and shinier than previous editions with many of the larger brands going all-out with their booth displays. Similar to previous years, e-bikes of all types dominated the show and brands took full advantage of the outside test track to give attendees the opportunity to try out their products.
Sustainability was again an overarching theme of the show and more noticeable than in previous years. Brands were eager to not only discuss the sustainability of their finished products, but also how their operations were meeting sustainability standards in production, packaging, and logistics.
Highlights
Ebikes were once again everywhere at Eurobike. Especially strong was the ebike commuter and cargo market with grand displays from leading brands in the DACH market: Riese & Müller, Velo De Ville, and Kalkhoff. It’s clear that the ebike market is becoming the centerpiece of Eurobike and that this trend will continue in the future. It’s also apparent that the market is becoming very competitive and that a number of factors – regionalism, government support, infrastructure, demographics – will all play a role in determining the future ebike market.
Component brands Shimano and SRAM both had powerful displays. Shimano showed off Cues, its new range of drive train components that allows for compatibility between Shimano’s lower-end groups: Alivio, Acera, Altus and select Deore components. Similarly, SRAM introduced new innovations for its entry-level group Apex with options of 12 speed and wireless now available. In contrast to Shimano and SRAM, Campagnolo unveiled its new high-end Super Record Wireless drive-train. It was a very minimalist display by the Italian brand: a set of levers, a crank arm, a derailleur, and a BMC bike on a revolving platform. On the wall, a large screen played the same video from their website of the new wireless system. Other than that, there was little else to experience at the Campy booth and the overall impression was that of a brand that has gone down the rabbit hole and disappeared into the boutique world.
Tire and wheel brands were in full force at the show, with DT Swiss promoting their new FR 1500 MTB downhill wheels and Fulcrum giving us an in-depth look at their Speed 42 and 57 road wheels. Equally impressive was the tire technology on display by Continental, Schwalbe, Goodyear, Pirelli, and Maxxis. With tubeless tires now more widely accepted than ever before, 2023 marks a turning point especially for high performance road tires. The tubular tire technology of the past – cotton casings and glued on treads – is being replaced by technology that produces a tubeless tire with better grip and less rolling resistance.
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