The German bicycle industry demonstrated resilience in 2025 despite a challenging market environment. According to the latest market data presented in Berlin by the industry associations ZIV, VSF and Zukunft Fahrrad, the sector has stabilized after the turbulent years following the pandemic boom.
A total of 3.8 million bicycles and e-bikes were sold in Germany in 2025, representing a 3.9 percent decline compared with the previous year. The industry turnover from bicycle and e-bike sales fell 7.7 percent to €5.85 billion, although the drop was considerably smaller than in 2024. Production remained largely stable, with 658,000 bicycles and 1.285 million e-bikes manufactured domestically.
E-bikes continue to dominate the market, accounting for 52.7 percent of total sales, with around two million units sold in 2025. The overall bicycle fleet in Germany continues to grow as well. There are now 90.6 million bicycles and e-bikes in the country, including more than 17 million e-bikes, highlighting the sector’s central role in the wider transition to electric mobility.
“The latest figures show that the bicycle industry is leveling off at a stable level,” said Burkhard Stork, CEO of the industry federation ZIV – German Bicycle Industry. “There are, of course, fluctuations, but the industry again proved in 2025 how robust it is. Demand is less sensitive to economic fluctuations than is often assumed.”
While the e-bike market corrected slightly at a high level, exports increased in both segments, with bicycle exports rising 10 percent and e-bike exports 12 percent. At the same time, both industry and retail continued to reduce inventory levels built up during the previous boom years.
Leasing and Refurbishment Gain Importance
Beyond product sales, new business models are becoming increasingly important for the industry. Company bike leasing remains a key pillar, even though the segment recorded a slight decline in new contracts in 2025. Around 720,000 bikes were newly leased, bringing the total fleet of leased bicycles to approximately 2.2 million units.
“Company bike leasing schemes remain an essential stabilizer for the bicycle industry, especially for high-end bikes from specialist retailers,” said Wasilis von Rauch, Managing Director of Zukunft Fahrrad. “At the same time, the refurbishment market is opening up new prospects, making high-quality bikes accessible to more people.”
Indeed, the refurbishment segment is emerging as a new market opportunity as returned leasing bikes re-enter the market as professionally refurbished products. For specialist retailers, service and workshop operations are also gaining importance. Workshop turnover increased around 13 percent in 2025, reflecting the growing installed base of bicycles and e-bikes.
“In our view, service quality is crucial for the development of bricks-and-mortar specialist retailers,” said Uwe Wöll, Managing Director of VSF. “With strong partnerships between industry, service providers and retailers, we can look forward to positive development across the entire bicycle market.”
Overall, the data suggests the industry is transitioning from rapid growth to a more mature phase, with service, leasing and circular business models becoming increasingly central to future value creation.