Or else, whole production lines have been held up by a single, missing component, like a fork or chainset. The bike industry was obviously happy to sell bikes and spares to these people, but the unforecasted demand, combined with worldwide factory shut-downs saw huge stresses on the supply lines.Īs those have eased, the order times are still long (two years if you’ve not already got an order in…) but equally, for those companies that put in hurried, or perhaps over-optimistic pre-orders at the start of the pandemic, those chickens are now coming back to roost, a container of bikes at a time, every week. It’s no secret that the world got on a bike in 2020, and many of them have discovered the joys of daily cycling. There were a lot of new things to see, and there was also a lack of new things to see. Or, at least I tried to stride it’s hard to stride when you bump into someone you’ve not seen for two or three years every 50 metres… Tahnee Seagrave’s stunningly painted Canyon was on display at the Shimano booth. I strode the halls to see what was new and what the mood of the bike industry was. To this end, the German government sponsors seven cycling policy professors to help shape transport policy. The show’s theme this year was based around increased, mostly urban, mobility, with talks on the cycling cities of the future and evidence that (finally?) governments are taking cycling very, very seriously. It wasn’t all electric cargo bikes, though there were hundreds there! There were 33,780 trade visitors from 105 countries and hundreds and hundreds of booths. It was all-change for Eurobike 2022: after around 25 years, it had moved from the sprawling aircraft hanger halls of Friedrichshafen to the city centre show complex in Frankfurt, which was more like being in a massive airport, with different levels and travelators between halls.Īfter the pandemic put a stop to the 2020 show, and saw a half-size show in 2021, Eurobike was BACK.

Chipps reflects on the best, worst and out-there inventions of the 2022 Eurobike Show (his 25th visit!) and the bike industry in general.

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