2025 WRAP UP
2025 WRAP UP
2025 has been defined by narratives that have not always been of our own creation. Mark Sutton revisits some of the talking points that stirred conversation around cycling and asks the experts if we have answers…
We seem to suffer a lot of bad press and rarely get a window to sell the positives. Have we got a marketing problem?
We seem to suffer a lot of bad press and rarely get a window to sell the positives. Have we got a marketing problem?
Steve Garidis, The Bicycle Association We’ve got an immediate and serious PR problem when it comes to eBikes. That’s why the Bicycle Association and the Association of Cycle Traders have come together to bring the whole industry behind an assurance scheme – called E-Bike Positive – which aims to show consumers which products are safe and legal, and where they can buy them. This is not just important because of the eBike category’s significant value to the UK cycle market, but because eBikes are a game-changer in opening up access to new customers and new uses. It’s so important that we believe it to be potentially existential for the UK cycle industry, so we are urging all UK cycle businesses to get involved.
More broadly, our Market Data Service sales data from this year show that market recovery is being driven by family and recreational cycle sales, especially at the lower-priced tiers. The industry should do much more to target potential customers beyond the existing enthusiast base: children, families, women, plus leisure and utility cycling offer significant growth opportunities.
Dan Parsons, Fully Charged We will continue to have a marketing problem while the media continues to misunderstand the definition of and therefore misrepresent what an electric bike is.
Collaboration through campaigns is great – look at the eBike Positive campaign as an example – but these only get you so far. What is needed is a change top-down, with better governmental support for the industry, starting with a proper review of the Cycle to Work scheme, and establishing a proper definition of an electric bike, plus dissemination of this information to insurers and the press. Lazy journalism and demonisation of the eBike in the press and by some insurers is scandalous. The effects will be long-lasting.
Adam Tranter, Fusion Media The sector tends to talk to the same people over and over, which is why we end up in races to the bottom in certain categories. If we keep targeting a shrinking enthusiast niche, we can’t expect different outcomes.
Reaching new audiences means being culturally relevant, turning up where people already are, and telling a more human story about cycling. Collaboration helps – it’s one reason BikeIsBest worked so well during Covid – but it only matters if it’s aimed at new demographics, not rehashed for insiders.
Sham Vesamia, A&S Cycles Cycling gets hammered in the media, and independents feel it instantly. One negative headline undoes weeks of good work.
During BikeIsBest, the industry spoke with one voice, simple, positive and effective. We’ve lost that momentum. Car companies spend millions on convenience; cycling, which actually is freedom, needs a louder, unified voice.
I’d like to see the industry come together again, including independents, with honest, relatable stories. When the whole sector pulls in the same direction, everyone benefits.
What’s your view on eMTB motor strength and the associated countryside access risks?
What’s your view on eMTB motor strength and the associated countryside access risks?
Steve Garidis, The Bicycle Association The EAPC regulations set out very clear rules for when an eBike is legally classified as a cycle, and that's key to maintaining access rights, which underpin a healthy off-road cycling sector. Some eBikes are now quite powerful, but the vast majority of those that stick within the EAPC regulations do not, in our view, cause major issues.
What does real damage is the anti-social use of non-road legal 'eBikes' which in reality are unregistered motorbikes rather than EAPCs - either because they've been tampered with or de-restricted, or because they were never EAPCs to start with. Irresponsible riding can do real damage to goodwill.
Dan Parsons, Fully Charged I would say that anything that encourages people to get out in the countryside, on two wheels and safely is a good thing. There will always be naysayers and NIMBYs fighting to limit access and usage, especially with new and relatively unknown sports, but if riders are respectful, there’s no reason why our green spaces cannot be shared by everybody.
Adam Tranter, Fusion Media The risk narratives are often overblown. Most riders are responsible, and the technology isn’t the enemy. The real issue is clarity and consistency in access rules. If we bring landowners, trail groups and manufacturers into the same conversation, we can manage risk sensibly without shutting out an entire category that’s brought a lot of people back to the outdoors.