It was a very good year. Without the well-known tight supply situation, it could have been an excellent year. In retrospect, this is how Germany’s bicycle industry assesses 2021. According to the statistics now presented by the German Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV) and its Managing Director Burkhard Stork, production and imports of bicycles each reached a ten-year high. And sales did stabilise at a very high level as well.
In 2021, about 4.7 million bicycles were sold in Germany. Two million of these were ebikes. Their share of the total market thus rose from 39 per cent to 43 per cent. Behind the increase is a growth of about 50,000 units or three per cent. However, the shares have shifted in favour of the ebike primarily due to the fact that the number of bicycles sold without electric assistance dropped by about 400,000 units to 2.7 million.
The number of bikes with and without electric assistance sold in Germany from 2019 to 2021
Optimistic forecast
With regard to ebikes, the ZIV expects the upward trend to continue in the coming years. Since the sales statistics for this type of bicycle were recorded in 2011, a new record has been reached every year. The corresponding press release states that the ZIV expects “ebikes to reach a share of around 50 percent of the total market in the medium term” in Germany.
The number of ebikes sold in Germany from 2017 to 2021
It is likely that the good figures will continue because new target groups are turning to ebikes, which are younger and more sport-oriented. Slight indications of what the association is talking about can be found in the overview of the different types of ebikes sold. For a long time, the city ebike and the trekking ebike fought for the top position. In recent years, the e-mountain bike has joined the fray more and more. In 2021, for the first time, the e-mountain bike took first place. At the same time, trekking ebikes and city ebikes lost three and a half and two percentage points respectively compared to 2020.
The shares of the different categories of ebikes in the total quantity sold in 2021
Trendy cargo bike
E-cargo bikes are also among the winners in these statistics for 2021. Their share rose from four to six per cent. At first glance, that doesn’t sound like a lot. However, behind it is an increase from 78,000 to now about 120,000 units. Cargo bikes without e-drive were also sold in almost double the amount. According to the ZIV, this was accompanied by increased sales of bicycle trailers and other transport options for bicycles.
The number of cargo bicycles with and without electric assistance sold in Germany from 2018 to 2021
Cause for decline obvious
While the balance sheets for ebikes are positive, sales of all bicycles are slightly down. The total volume fell by five per cent from 5.04 million to 4.7 million. The reason for the decline is thus solely the weaker sales figures among regular bicycles. The comment of the ZIV unmistakably shows where the shoe pinched last year. “If more had been available at all times, even more would have been sold.” Nevertheless, the association does not seem really dissatisfied. After all, one thing is certain: the results surpass all years before the start of the Corona pandemic. Only in 2020 were higher numbers ever reported before.
Especially as the association certainly welcomes further figures. Among them, for example, the recent increase in the average sales value. In 2021, we Germans paid around 1,395 euros for a new bicycle – whether with or without electric assistance. Mobility is apparently worth quite a bit to us. To be precise, it’s worth nine per cent more than it was in 2020.
The development of the sales value of bikes with and without electric assistance sold in Germany from 2019 to 2021
Around the corner rather than on the net
In terms of sales, stationary bike shops have regained lost ground in the past year. In 2020, the effects of the temporary closures forced by the lockdowns were reflected in declining sales figures. With the continuous openings, more people came back to the shops. They bought three out of four bicycles on site. All other sales channels covered by the statistics recorded declines of two and three per cent, respectively, compared to 2020.
The share of different distribution channels in bicycle sales in Germany in 2021
Production and imports at record levels
The ZIV should have been particularly pleased with the development of the local bicycle manufacturers. Never in the past ten years have so many bicycles been manufactured in Germany. In 2021, the companies produced 2.37 million bicycles, an increase of ten per cent that was particularly remarkable because it was achieved under “the most adverse circumstances”. Eight per cent more ebikes were produced, and 13 percent more regular bicycles.
At the same time, imports continued to rise. With 4.14 million units, about eleven per cent more new bicycles arrived from abroad than in 2020, which is also a ten-year high. This time, the statistics work in the opposite direction to the number of bicycles produced in Germany. In terms of imports, the increase of 26 per cent for ebikes is greater than that of five per cent for regular bicycles.
In total, there are now about 81 million bicycles on our roads. It is not possible to say exactly how many of them have an electric drive. The ZIV estimates the number at around 8.5 million. That would mean that every tenth bicycle in Germany would be one with motor assistance.
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- The number of bikes with and without electric assistance in Germany from 2017 to 2021
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- The number of ebikes in Germany from 2017 to 2021
Big question marks with a view to 2022
According to the ZIV, it is difficult to predict how the bicycle market will develop this year. With the current Russian attack on Ukraine in mind, there is a fair amount of uncertainty. It is unclear what impact political and economic decisions will have. Especially since the Corona pandemic and its aftermath would still pose enough challenges for the German and international bicycle industry in 2022. The German bicycle industry is striving to maintain and expand production at the current level. One of the sticking points in this endeavour is the shortage of skilled workers, which is already being felt on a massive scale. In order to cope with this, the ZIV is calling for modern training opportunities that are specifically aimed at lateral entrants and immigrants, for example. Without such measures, the expansion of production in Germany and Europe would be unrealistic.
Pictures: Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV)
