How would you describe the current state of the bicycle? What are the current main challenges?

Our industry is currently going through a hard impasse between an artificial blooming and an unprecedentedly difficult situation. It is taking so long and runs so deep that it should be made compulsory to shift the paradigm.

The balance between our mistakes and our facts should not lean toward the former when scrutinising the reasons why.

At street level, discounting as a value is driving businesses to a financial decline, even when people keep riding bicycles in a growing trend, but it seems not to be enough to mitigate stocks, either for vendors or the distribution network warehouses.

Workshops are becoming a pillar for dealers, and internet operators seized the occasion for some categories.

The much-expected/wished shift towards the bike-as-a-tool approach should take us to a more fruitful panorama, but it is not happening at the desired rate.

This new urban/nearby/leisure/cargo promised land is not being a goal for some brands, whereas others try to hop on that train by barely mimicking a bike pattern with zero innovation and a sense of urgency in the fact.

In many cases, our efforts point to a sport, racing and gram contender product far from a new user/usage’s specs, format, adaptation, or price point.

The global geoeconomics situation is not of help by any means, but could mean a new opportunity for local fabrication.

The main challenge for us is to survive our mistakes and be able to catch up with the times, given the amount of resources and ideas.

How do companies in your region deal with these challenges? What concrete steps have companies taken?

Spanish bike brands are being bold and innovative by coming up with advanced whilst well-suited to the situation products. This allows us to be competitive and succeed in the fight, especially in Europe, where mid-range offerings, some of them historical, seem to be diluted.

Our role as a bike-producing country and our competitiveness put us in a good position to thrive at home and abroad. Spanish companies in the fabrication arena have been sharp and clever by providing really well-executed offers at a good price. IT means that value and fair price play well for us.

Our brands have been in the making for a (solvent) long time, and this has brought the well-deserved consolidation as a reliable option beyond our borders, too.

Our brave dealer network has also been able to cope with the challenge, and the number of closing stores (3%) shows that shops have been able to survive.

Are there any signals that the market might be stabilising or recovering? Which signals do you see?

Depends on what you read, the day on which you do it, you might think of a positive outlook or a persistently negative one. Both can be true, but the bad side of our situation is still heavier.

I also think that we do not really, and perhaps will never know, the reach and depth of the problem.

Generally speaking, we are in a fight and survive scenario that can be considered a victory on its own, but not a recovery sign. As said, the ballast of our decisions is still too heavy to compensate for the blessing of an upcoming promised land.

As facts, you can see some companies collapsing by the end of 2025, others can keep it up at the expense of profits, and a feasible reduction of stocks that could make you feel optimistic, given their huge (former?) dimension.

I also want to see a future in the aforementioned advent of new users and their joining the bike users community.

Some companies have come to the bike industry from outside. It does not only mean random investments or weird M&A, but true innovation from other sectors to do things completely different, to prove that we have a vast room for structural and strategic improvement ahead of us. It would not happen if our perspective did not show potential somewhere ahead.

How do you assess developments on the bicycle trade fair scene? Which trade shows are currently the winners? Which ones are struggling? What are the reasons for this?

There is not a single true or one-size-fits-all approach. Every trade fair model should be reconsidered. Professional or user-focused ones need to offer a realistic proposal that fits brands, their go-to market, budgets, and goals.

From the brand’s perspective, there should not be a matter of I-must-be-there, but a consideration of what it takes to reach your intended addressee, how, when, and how to maximise reach and engagement.

The dinosauristic standpoint of legacy trade shows has confirmed that the layout is not applicable anymore. Also, the pure test event should be analysed because of its costs, geographical reach and real output.

On the other hand, well-designed communication and event tailoring must be the new ways to explore. During the Pandemic, the car industry discovered that digital formats can be a good companion for/instead of other options.

Once you find out what you want to achieve, who you want to reach, and what your budget is, custom events and still-to-learn formulas should come up without the fear of their unexpectation.