Bicycle industry robust in challenging times

«The economic situation remains strained in our industry. And it is not over yet. The declines were not as large as expected though,» stated ZIV CEO Burkhard Stork on 12 March 2025, on the occasion of presentation of the market data for the bicycle industry in the 2024 financial year.
The ZIV has published the economic figures for the German bicycle industry every year for more than 50 years now. The ZIV market data is the central source for surveys, monitoring and analyses of developments within the industry and also provides outlooks on trends within the sector and the future of the market.

In 2024, the share of e-bikes sold in Germany remained at the previous year’s level (53%). A total of 3.85 million units were sold in Germany (2.05 million e-bikes and 1.8 million bicycles), which corresponds to a 2.53% decrease compared to 2023 (2023: 3.95 million). Sales remained relatively stable: the revenue from bicycles and e-bikes totalled more than €6.33 billion (2023: €7.06 billion). While this corresponds to a decline of 10.3% compared to the previous year, it is still significantly higher than the sales volume in 2019 (€4 billion).

Across all sales channels (specialist retail, online, hypermarkets, etc.), the industry saw gross average sales prices of €500 for bicycles (2023: €470) and €2,650 for e-bikes (2023: €2,950) in 2024. The discounts offered by retailers reduced e-bike prices by an average of 10.1%. The prices for bicycles without a motor rose by 6.4%. According to the ZIV, the share of stationary specialist retailers in the bicycle industry remained very high at 70% (2023: 74%). They play an important role for customers as competent in-person advisors.

The German bicycle industry produced 1.97 million units in 2024. Meaning that production is roughly at the same level as in 2019. 11.7% fewer bicycles were produced, 641,000 units in total (2023: 726,000 units). E-bike production fell by 14.8% to 1,330,000 units (2023: 1,561,000 units). In light of the crisis in the German economy as a whole, the cumulative decline of 13.8% compared to 2023 in the number of both bicycles and e-bikes produced is relatively moderate. «E-bikes remain the backbone of units made in Germany,» says Katharina Hinse from the ZIV.

The number of bicycles in Germany increased to 73 million in 2024. Last year, the ZIV estimated the number of e-bikes at 11 million for 2023. It actually revised the totals from previous years upwards retroactively based on new findings on the scrapping old bicycles. It now estimates that around 15.7 million e-bikes were on the roads in 2024. Meaning that there were 89 million bicycles and e-bikes in Germany in total.

In the individual product categories, gravel bikes and road bikes performed particularly well. The ZIV differentiated between these in its data for the first time. Bikepacking, i.e. travelling by bike with one’s luggage, is becoming increasingly popular among tourists throughout Europe. Bikes for children and youths are also doing well on the market.

The German service and bicycle association Verbund Service und Fahrrad (VSF) recorded an almost 3% drop in sales compared to the previous year, consistently high stock levels and significantly lower average sales prices. «The decline in sales was to be expected following the boom in the previous years and does not unsettle us. What’s more, almost 80% of the retailers surveyed expect stock levels to normalise before the end of the current financial year. This is good news for bicycle retailers and for the industry – they will benefit from a change in the ordering behaviour,» tells VSF Managing Director Uwe Wöll. The drop in sales can primarily be attributed to the large discounts that were offered. However, despite the losses in sales and revenue, more e-bikes and bicycles could be sold. These are obviously also being used – as the workshops’ full order books show. Bicycles are by all means being used: «Almost 90 percent of businesses recorded a significant increase in workshop revenue,» reports Wöll on behalf of the VSF, which represents a significant portion of the stationary specialist bicycle retailers together with BIKE&CO.

«2024 was challenging, but we are gradually beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. We expect the situation to remain strained in 2025 and are hoping for good spring business. The first signs of improvement can already be seen in the repair and accessories business. We anticipate a significant improvement for our industry from 2026,» Katharina Hinse concludes. «The majority of bicycles and e-bikes sold in Germany are also produced here. We expect the new federal government to recognise this and to foster our future-oriented industry’s potential as part of the domestic economy,» ZIV CEO Burkhard Stork adds.

• ZIV market data for the bicycle and e-bike market in 2024
• Sharepic «Production»
• Sharepic «Sales»

ZIV market data: the bicycle market in figures

The ZIV has published the economic figures for the German bicycle industry every year for more than 50 years now. The ZIV market data is the central source for surveys, monitoring and analyses of developments within the industry and also provides outlooks on trends within the sector and the future of the market.