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The Official Eurobike Newspaper | www.bikeshowdaily.com September 4, 2019 WEDNESDAY INSIDE: Latest news Show highlights What’s on today PRODUCT ROUNDUPS: Road apparel Heavy-duty e-cargo bikes Mid-drive systems Backpacks e-SUVs Micromobility Bags & panniers Gloves
Wednesday, September 4, 2019 3 CONTACT US TABLE OF CONTENTS A good check-up Advertising Editorial Healthy 2019 bike sales in Germany bode well for Eurobike ........................................ 4 Tom Kavanagh, Publisher Doug McClellan, Editor in Chief tom@bikeshowdaily.com eurobikeshowdaily@gmail.com Day 1 events There’s a lot going on during the opening day of Eurobike ........................................ 5 Eurobike connects Eurobike launches an industry networking and matchmaking platform ................ 6 Pexco is ready for its close-up The new bike company brings its wares to Eurobike ................................................. 10 Greyp has a grip on connectivity Croatian e-bike company is run by coders, not hardcore riders .............................12 Taking the rental market by storm TODAY From nowhere, Greenstorm now dominates the e-bike rental market .............. 14 Heavy cargo Commercial e-cargo bikes are poised to go big ...........................................................20 September 4 Mid-drives from the market leaders FRIEDRICHSHAFEN Bosch, Brose, Shimano and Yamaha work to stay ahead of the pack ................. 24 23 C (73 F) Mid-drives from the challengers 0 0 The e-bike boom leaves room for mid-drive upstarts ............................................... 26 More is more for these e-SUVs Sunny Plush, versatile e-bikes vie to be car replacements ................................................... 28 There’s nothing small about micromobility E-scooter exhibitors reflect Eurobike’s new focus on mobility .............................. 32 TONIGHT TOMORROW Bikewear that can take the heat 10 C (50 F) 17 C (62 F) Apparel brands help cyclists cope with scorching summers .................................. 34 0 0 0 0 Mostly Cloudy Showers A business revolution Eurobike hosts its inaugural Bike Biz Revolution conference ................................. 64 A GUIDE TO EUROBIKE STAND NUMBERS A & B = MAIN INDOOR HALLS DA = DEMO AREA EXHIBITORS COURTS FG = OUTDOOR AREA WEST (“FREIGELÄNDE WEST”) FG-0 = OUTDOOR AREA EAST (“FREIGELÄNDE OST”) INCLUDING DA FW = FOYER WEST F0 = FOYER EAST ÜO = PASSAGE EAST (”ÜBERGANG OST”)
4 EUROBIKE SHOW DAILY Wednesday, September 4, 2019 STRONG 2019 GERMAN BIKE SALES BODE WELL FOR EUROBIKE If the bike market is healthy, so is EUROBIKE — and this year the bike market is very healthy, especially in Germany. Germany, the biggest bike market in the country rose by 6.1 percent in the the European Union, is on track to sell first half, according to the country’s at least 1.1 million electric bikes this Federal Statistical Office, with e-bikes year, surpassing the 1 million mark for accounting for 26 percent of the the first time. imports. Sales of all bikes rose by 3.2 percent Reisinger said the healthy exhibitor in the first six months of the year, levels reflect the relative strength of Siegfried Neuberger, director of the the bike market. German Bike Industry Association “I’m quite satisfied,” he said. “The (ZIV), said Tuesday at the Industry house is full. We have more than 1,400 Discussion Panel, traditionally held on exhibitors from all over the world.” the eve of Eurobike. He noted that Eurobike has evolved And that’s on top of 2018 results, with the industry over the years, which Neuberger said was a “sensa- from its founding as a sports-oriented tional year” for bike sales. mountain bike show to its current Neuberger joined Eurobike head status as more of an e-bike and a Stefan Reisinger along with Fabrizio mobility show. Scalzotto, CEO of Bianchi, [B2-500] “E-bikes dominate the industry, so and Philipp Simon, CEO of online they are also dominating the show,” retailer Bike-Components, for this Reisinger said. year’s panel. ARD-Sports reporter Scalzotto said Bianchi is debuting a Bernd-Uwe Gutknecht moderated the new e-bike line at the show, a develop- discussion. ment that carries some challenges for Neuberger said sales of conven- such a traditional brand. tional bikes are about flat, with growth “It means a double personality. It’s coming from e-bikes. “We think the difficult to convince the customers bike industry without the ‘e’ has that we are a race bike maker and at stabilized at a certain level, and that the same time also an e-bike maker,” growth comes from the e-bike sector Scalzotto said. — which is quite a nice development,” The new line also required new he added. production techniques, he added. E-bike sales of 1.1 million would “It takes a different kind of plant to represent a growth rate of 12 percent produce e-bikes.” over 2018, he said. Still, Neuberger Scalzotto, who took charge of added, about 75 percent of the German Bianchi one year ago yesterday, said bike market is conventional bikes, not he insisted that the brand return to e-bikes. Eurobike after an absence. “We have to keep that in mind,” The former general manager of he said. “The largest part is still Fulcrum Wheels said he has attended traditional bikes – muscle-driven bikes every Eurobike since the beginning. — although by the end of the year that “I think this is one of the most might change a bit.” important fairs in the world. I think German bicycle production is also it is absolutely necessary to be here growing, with manufacturers making to speak with people,” he said. “The about 1.47 million bikes in the first half first decision I took when I arrived [at of the year, an increase of 4.6 percent. Bianchi] was that we have to be back in Imports of bicycles and e-bikes into Eurobike.” ■ DM The Eurobike Industry Discussion panel on Tuesday drew a crowd of international bike journalists.
LIVE FROM THE SHOW 5 WHAT’S ON TODAY WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 4 Show Dates: post them online and on the big bulletin Business Days: Wednesday, Sept. 4 – boards in the West Foyer. 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 Conference Center East/ Festival Day: Saturday, Sept. 7 FO-106 Room Paris Velomobile Show Bianchi press Show Hours Vehicles that close the gap between conference – Lif-E 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. bicycles and cars e-bike premiere A1-105 12 – 12:45 p.m. All Day / Every Day Events Greenstorm Conference Center East/ Enter a lottery for a chance to drive a Room London Foyer East Tesla Model 3 for eight months, and Eurobike Start-Up 15th Eurobike Award many other prizes. Academy Panel Exhibition of the award-winning Discussion — products A7-400 Innovation bicycle: Thule product development Open Air Grounds East/ Buy a Thule Vital hydration pack for through smart Behind Halls B4 and B5 30 euros. All proceeds go to the Apa partnerships Demo Area Sherpa Foundation of Nepal. Recep Yesil, Coboc; Around 100 brands will have road, Marc Gillessen, Hermann cargo, mountain and city bikes, A4-303 Hartje; and Manuel conventional and electric, for visitors to Ortlieb Prager, Chike (In German test on 10km (6 miles) of test tracks. SQlab debuted its first bike shorts at a press tour yesterday. Jonas Deichmann prepares for the Cape with English translation) to Cape Challenge of 18,000km (11,185 Foyer East miles) 12 – 12:45 p.m. Recumbent Bikes and Velomobile 3 p.m. Foyer East/Eurobike Stage exhibition Hase Bikes/FG-B7-1 LEVs @ Eurobike The Hase Bikes Beast Show Hall A1 Scheduled Events ExtraEnergy Cargo Area/E-Mobility Area 3 – 3:30 p.m. 1 – 1:30 p.m. See how cargo and e-cargo bikes offer Wednesday, Sept. 4 Foyer East/Eurobike Stage Bioracer/A7-305 new solutions for urban logistics, along Kristina Vogel Sharea — e-mobility, ready for you with trends and new micromobility 8:30 – 10 a.m. Franz Tepe (In German) vehicles such as e-scooters. Hall A1 is Foyer East/Blogger Base 3:45 – 5:15 p.m. also home to the increasing number Blogger Breakfast with South Tyrol Foyer East/Eurobike Stage 1 – 2 p.m. of suppliers to the e-bike industry, Start-Up Award Pitches: 20 finalists Conference Center East/Room Paris including established and new e-bike 9:30 – 10 a.m. get 180 seconds to pitch their Taiwan Excellence Press Conference drive makers. Foyer East/Eurobike Stage products. Updates on the 2020 Taipei Cycle show, Welcoming Start-up Day with and product presentations from Merida, Foyer East networking 4 – 6 p.m. Kenda, KMC, Buzzrack, and Bryton Blogger Base/The Wriders’ Club Enervit/B5-207 The Blogger Base, supported by the 10 – 10:45 a.m. Italian Aperitivo in honor of 1:45 – 2:15 Wriders’ Club, gives international Conference Center East/Room London Francesco Moser’s 1984 Hour Foyer East/Eurobike Stage bloggers from the bike and travel Eurobike Start-Up Academy Record Kettler Alu Rad new product industries a place from which they can Workshop: What type of support presentation engage with exhibitors and visitors, structure suits my start-up best? 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. (In German) track down trends, and post live on Guido Zinke (in German with English Foyer East/Eurobike Stage social media. The Eurobike Social Wall translation) Eurobike Award Ceremony 2 – 6 p.m. provides an overview of posts published Foyer East/Blogger Base with the hashtag #EurobikeShow. 10 – 10:45 a.m. 5:30 – 8 p.m. Meet the Start-Ups at the Blogger Workspaces, available for accredited Foyer East/Eurobike Stage Entrance West/Show Lake Base bloggers, have free WiFi, coffee and World Bicycle Relief – The Power of Eurobike Social Ride by Shimano catering. Bicycles Take a 43km (28 mile) road bike ride in 2:30– 2:45 p.m. Juana Gräter (in German) the Friedrichshafen area, followed by a Foyer East/Eurobike Stage Foyer West BBQ at the Shimano booth. Bring your Start-Up Day Opening Ceremony Service Area 10:30 – 11 a.m. own helmet and bike. Come early to and panel discussion: Why Eurobike The Service Area, started in 2017, pools VSF/FW-OG100 register is focusing on start-ups products and services to improve AGFW-BW: Establishment Stefan Reisinger, Eurobike; Julian the marketability of bicycle products “Förderkreis Wirtschaft” 5:30 p.m. – on Pfeiffer, Eurobike; Ulrike Saade, for retail and industry. Exhibitors can With BW Transport Minister Winfried Hutchinson/B3-207 Velokonzept. Moderator: Bernd-Uwe help in such areas as merchandise Hermann and AGFK-BW Chairman Booth party, and intro to Racing Lab Gutknecht management, logistics concepts and Günter Riemer range digital sales platforms, along with 2:45 – 3:45 p.m insurance, anti-theft security and 11 – 11:30 a.m. 6 – 8 p.m. Foyer East/Eurobike Stage ergonomics consulting. The Service Rouvy/B3-110 Foyer East Start-Up Day panel discussion: The Area includes a lounge for discussions. New Rouvy App – Now on Apple TV Start-Up Lounge Bodensee bicycle is leading the way — is the New this year will be short presentations and Mac Networking party with a discussion by bicycle industry going along too? given during the day by Service Area 2018 Start-Up Award winners. Panelists: Martin Obers, Swapfiets; Fabian exhibitors. 11 – 11:40 a.m. Carsten Fongen, TriEye; Johnny Smith, Auch, Magenwirth; Katja Diehl, Conference Center East/Room London Velco; and Finn Süberküb, Trenux. Door2Door; Geraint Florida-James, Passage East Eurobike Start-Up Academy Moderator: Bernd-Uwe Gutknecht. (In Mountain Bike Center of Scotland; Start-Up Area Workshop: Legislation pitfalls – how English) Philipp Kessler, Start-up Netzwerk Some 50 start-up companies have start-ups can avoid them Bodensee. Moderator: Isabell Eberlein, small booths to show their inventions Dirk Zedler, Institut für Fahrradtechnik 6 – 8 p.m. Velokonzept. (In German and English throughout the show, while a bar and und Sicherheit GmbH Thule/A7-400 with translation) lounge area encourages networking. (In German with English translation) Beer and networking 3 p.m. Foyer West 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Hosting a party, an athlete appearance Yuba Bicycles/A1-715 Job Fair Foyer East/Eurobike Stage or another special event at Eurobike? Guided tour of Cargo Area for Whether you’re looking for a job in Eurobike Academy: Why we buy Send us your information no later than visitors and journalists the bike industry, or you’re looking to what we buy 3 p.m. for the next day’s Show Daily at hire, the Job Fair is the place to go. Patrick Seitter, Seitter & Partner (In EurobikeShowDaily@gmail.com. Please Individuals and exhibitors can submit German) include your stand number and a contact job postings for free, and Eurobike will name, phone number and email.
6 EUROBIKE SHOW DAILY Wednesday, September 4, 2019 FROM FRIEDRICHSHAFEN TO THE WORLD WITH ‘EUROBIKE CONNECT’ Eurobike is adding a virtual component to the show as it prepares to launch a digital platform to connect bike brands with suppliers and other partners in the bicycle and mobility industries. Called Eurobike Connect, the platform yesterday during the Bike Biz Revolution will launch in October. Participating conference. The German digital agency companies will be able to make contacts, developed Eurobike Connect. find suppliers and compare products, Other potential users, Post said, but will not be able to conduct sales. In included representatives of city effect, it will be a digital extension of the governments or technology firms. He show itself. added that Scholz & Volkmer has plenty “You have the possibility to make of ideas for added features, and said use of the central platform in the digital the platform will evolve based on how world, and in addition it makes sense people use it, and on comments from to meet here personally once a year,” participants. Eurobike head Stefan Reisinger said Unlike other business matchmaking Tuesday. platforms, Eurobike Connect has no Eurobike has been developing apparent plans to upsell participating Eurobike Connect for more than a year. companies to put them at the top of Officials say they want to “supersede search results. “We would prefer to Google as the main source of information implement the next features to help and developing business connections” companies make their information more for the bike industry. useful, instead of having them pay extra With a simple and clean design, the money to be ranked up,” Post said. digital service allows companies to Messe Friedrichshafen has not set easily upload information about their goals for numbers of members. Instead, businesses such as product highlights, it is more focused on other indicators media and contact details. Develop- that show how intensely members use ers created customized search and Eurobike Connect, such as the duration filter functions specifically for the bike of connections and the number of industry, including a filter that shows contacts made. which languages a member speaks. The platform fits with Eurobike’s Companies will be able to subscribe earlier decision to open up some events to Eurobike Connect for 690 euros (about to participants that are not exhibiting $755) a year, but all of the 1,400-plus at the main show. The menu-based exhibitors at this year’s show will approach allows such companies to pick receive a free, one-year subscription. and choose among Eurobike events, Other companies that sign up before such as Eurobike Media and Urban Dec. 7 will receive a 30 percent discount. Media Days and the upcoming ASEAN- Individuals will be able to upload their Bike show in Bangkok, which debuts in profiles for free. October. ■ BS Participants don’t have to be Eurobike ex- hibitors — or, indeed, members of the bike industry. “I would be glad if strange and ‘weird’ people had profiles there, because that would give the platform a different feel than just a copy of a physical event,” Peter Post, managing director of Scholz & Volkmer, said at the platform’s rollout
8 EUROBIKE SHOW DAILY Wednesday, September 4, 2019 GUIDE TO EUROBIKE DEMO AREAS O/206 Csepel O/405 Revonte O/105 APM Marketing O/508 TQ-Systems O/205 O/303 O/404 O/410 SIMPLON M1 PEXCO Brose An- Sport- triebstechnik technik O/302 MERIDA O/204 O/207 FLYER Panas- O/104 onic Stromer O/208 O/507 Amper- Velo de O/403 O/409 Ville um CENTU- BULLS RION O/209 COMPANY STAND COMPANY STAND COMPANY STAND Barbieri O/506 O/103 YouMo FIRMA FIRMA FIRMA Bikee Bike O/210 Heinz- mann O/100 Electric Bike Solutions O/211 Pinion O/404 PEXCO O/203 KTM Fahrrad O/101 Coboc O/212 Alpine Riding O/405 Revonte O/408 O/102 Riese & Müller O/214 Eurosport DHS O/406 SHIMANO Europe O/202 O/301 Continen- O/402 Pendix Alber O/504 O/103 Bikee Bike O/300 Rabeneick O/407 LEISGER Fahrrad O/102 Riese & O/211 tal Bicycle Systems Scandinn Urban Arrow Pinion O/104 Stromer O/300 vsf fahrradmanufaktur O/408 Pendix Müller O/407 LEISGER O/105 APM Marketing O/300 ebm O/409 BULLS O/401 Fahrrad HP O/503 O/201 Carla O/200 Storck Bicycle O/300 Kreidler O/410 Brose Antriebstechnik KETTLER O/212 O/300 Cycle Union, Kreidler, Velo- technik Cargo O/502 O/101 Rabeneick, SWYPE, ebm, O/406 GLEAM O/201 O/300 O/500 Alpine KETTLER Cycle Union ZEHUS Coboc Riding vsf fahrradmanufaktur SHIMANO Europe Technolo- gies O/214 O/202 Alber O/300 SWYPE O/501 Aevon Eu- rosport O/400 Prophete DHS O/203 KTM Fahrrad O/301 Continental Bicycle O/502 GLEAM Technologies O/100 O/501 Aevon O/204 FLYER Systems O/503 Carla Cargo Electric Bike Solutions O/500 O/200 O/205 SIMPLON O/302 MERIDA O/504 Urban Arrow Storck Bicycle ZEHUS O/206 Csepel O/303 M1 Sporttechnik O/506 YouMo O/207 Panasonic O/400 Prophete O/507 Velo de Ville O/208 Amperum O/401 HP Velotechnik O/508 TQ-Systems O/209 Barbieri O/402 Scandinn O/210 Heinzmann O/403 CENTURION 521 ASE Action Sports B5 B4 Electro- nics 420 VICTORIA c/o Hermann Hartje 419 Hercules 520 Bosch 519 Argon 18, United Cycling 418 ANANDA 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 417 TranzX 416 415 414 413 412 411 Outbraker, Rookey BicBuddy Cloud Bike freeflow VAZAL- Star Union Bafang Electric Profile 3t cycling, Open Cycle XCYC_excites BASSO Bikes YORKS OECHS- FINE CHEMICAL Bike AB Wuxing (Suzhou) Design cycling LER TEST TEST TRACKS TRACKS 505 410 409 408 407 406 405 404 403 508 507 506 504 503 502 501 Fazua 500 cycle- Greyp Bikes Hase Bikes RTI Sports Pivot Cycles F.S.A. 402 401 WC ExtraEnergy Mahle Promo- iweech Krykun Private Denver Bike Fantic Schindel- GOLDEN Rohloff YOKLER Motinova HELM- Services, Mac Motor vec Company hauer WASH WHEEL CARGOBIKES Technology AUSGABE COMPANY STAND COMPANY STAND COMPANY STAND COMPANY STAND FIRMA FIRMA FIRMA FIRMA 500 Schindelhauer 511 Rookey Bike 401 Motinova Technology 411 FINE CHEMICAL 501 Fazua 512 BicBuddy 402 YOKLER CARGOBIKES 412 OECHSLER 502 Fantic 513 Cloud Bike 403 Rohloff 413 YORKS 503 Denver Bike 515 VAZALAB 404 GOLDEN WHEEL 414 BASSO Bikes 504 Krykun Private Company 516 Star Union Wuxing 405 F.S.A. 415 XCYC_excites cycling 505 iweech 517 Bafang Electric (Suzhou) 406 Pivot Cycles 416 3t cycling 506 Promovec 518 Profile Design 407 RTI Sports 416 Open Cycle 507 Mahle 519 Argon 18, United Cycling 408 Hase Bikes 417 TranzX 508 ExtraEnergy Services 520 Bosch 409 Greyp Bikes 418 ANANDA 508 Mac Motor 521 ASE Action Sports Electronics 410 cycleWASH 419 Hercules 411 Outbraker 420 VICTORIA c/o Hermann Hartje
10 EUROBIKE SHOW DAILY Wednesday, September 4, 2019 PEXCO IS FINALLY READY FOR ITS CLOSE-UP It takes more than a year, as it turns out, Raymon. Husqvarna to create a new bike company with global bikes are assembled in Taiwan, and R Raymon aspirations. models in Bulgaria by Maxcom. “For two At Eurobike 2017, Susanne and Swedish maker of tractors, chainsaws years now we have Felix Puello — who are as close to and other power tools. been a major Maxcom bicycle industry royalty as anyone — (KTM Industries, known for its customer,” Felix Puello announced the launch of a new bike KTM-branded motorcycles, should said. company, Pexco, at a packed news not be confused with KTM Fahrrad, a For 2020, Pexco conference. separate company that manufactures is looking to expand The Puellos had hoped to return the well-known KTM brand of beyond its “home” to Eurobike last year to show the bicycles.) markets of Germany, first models from the new company. All Husqvarna Bicycle models are Austria and Swit- But starting a new broad-based bike electric, while the R Raymon brand, zerland and other company, with three brands for aimed at younger, more price-sensitive European countries different markets, takes time. cyclists, offers a mix of conventional where it already has Although Pexco began selling bikes and e-bikes, including e-bikes with distribution, including The Husqvarna Gran Tourer GT4 is an urban SUV bike. in 2018, executives waited until this 24- and 26-inch wheels for teenagers. France, Italy, the year’s show, when they could offer a Husqvarna uses the Shimano Steps Benelux region, parts broader line to the global market. mid-drive motor system exclusively, the Winora name. Susanne Puello is of Scandinavia, Poland, and the Czech Their timing is ideal. With other big while R Raymon’s e-bike models will the great-granddaughter of Winora Republic. Pexco will undoubtedly sign brands skipping Eurobike, Pexco [B2- be equipped with Yamaha’s new founder Engelbert Wiener, and the up distributors for other countries at 400] will be a significant presence in mid-drive range for 2020. The only Puellos had overseen the Winora Eurobike. the halls. exceptions are some of its juvenile brand under Accell. The company is also launching a The company is showing more bikes, which use a less expensive hub The Puellos were also the brains new service app for IBDs, so mechan- than 100 models across two brands, drive from SR Suntour so they can behind the launch of Haibike, the ics can connect directly with Pexco Husqvarna and R Raymon. The rollout reach price points as low as 1,499 Accell brand that went on to sensa- employees for help. of its third brand, R2R (for “Ready to euros ($1,680). tional success and helped drive the Pexco is also entering the growing Race”) has been delayed. ”R Raymon is the launch partner boom in e-MTB sales. Susanne Puello new segment of e-bike leasing, which Officials say Pexco’s top priority for for Yamaha’s new mid motors,” said at the time that she disagreed it believes could open up the e-bike 2020 is to deliver on time. Susanne Puello said. “It’s a commit- with Accell’s strategic direction. market by making access to bikes “For us as a newcomer, delivery ment between us and Yamaha that we Several Winora employees followed less expensive. “We want to make ability is a central point,” Bernd Lesch, are strongly connected to.” the Puellos to Pexco. e-mobility affordable to everyone,” director of sales, said earlier this year. The first Husqvarna models were The name Pexco is short for “Puello Susanne Puello said. “To reach this target, we have so- e-mountain bikes, but for 2020 the eMobility Crossover Company.” Pexco It’s a triumphant return to Eurobike called ‘All Stars’ models. This selected brand expands into gravel and urban is a joint venture between the Puello for the Puellos, who shocked the range is going to be most likely in segments. “The expanded ranges family, KTM Industries, and Stefan industry in 2017 when they severed stock during the entire season.” means reaching out for new customer Pierer, the CEO of KTM Industries. ties with the Accell Group, owner of The Husqvarna brand is Pexco’s groups to increase volume sales,” she ■ Jo Beckendorff flagship. Pexco co-owner KTM Indus- said. tries licenses the Husqvarna name Pexco is even launching a collection for motorcycles and bicycles from the of Husqvarna bike apparel, created in collaboration with KTM Industries’ motorcycle division. The new range includes performance and urban pieces, including co-branded products such as helmets from Bell [B3-203] and eyewear from 100% [B4-200]. Astro Engineering in Vietnam, a longtime manufacturing partner for the Puellos, produces the From left to right: Susanne & Felix Puello, Ralina Mitkova, Ilie Mitkov, Nina Mitkova, frames for Husqvarna and R Maxim Mitkov & Viktor Mitkov. Maxeurope assembles all R Raymon bikes at its plant The GS4 is part of Husqvarna’s new ‘Gran Sport’ line. in Bulgaria. (Photo by Jo Beckendorff)
12 EUROBIKE SHOW DAILY Wednesday, September 4, 2019 GREYP ’S E-MTB IS STRIKING, BUT ITS APP IS GROUNDBREAKING One of the hottest new exhibitors at Eurobike He added, “We connect the bike to declares in its slogan that it is “not a bike the cloud and the entire internet — not just for sharing purposes, but also company.” Its young staff is more into coding to log the use of our products and and electronics than riding bikes. Its new help optimize it, to do small software electric mountain bike, while striking, isn’t the updates for the battery, or to notify customers that a firmware update is main attraction. Instead, it ’s the bike’s built-in available.” electronics and the app that comes with it. Another difference between the G6 and typical e-MTBs is also invisible, The company, Greyp [A1-502] hails owner’s smartphone to the bike. but significant: Greyp insisted that the from Croatia. It’s a subsidiary of Rimac With front and rear cameras, riders drive system manufacturer open up its Automobili, which builds electric hyper can record and share ride videos. In source code so Greyp programmers cars that sell for 1.5 million euros ($1.7 case of accidents or other unexpected could modify it. Mate Rimac at the launch of the Greyp G6 in million) and up, and has attracted events, they can also rewind and view The big names were unwilling to Croatia earlier this year investors including Porsche Engineer- the last 30 seconds or so of video. do so, “but Taiwanese mid-motor ing, Kia and Hyundai. Rimac’s 31-year- Greyp is now developing a way of manufacturer MPF happily agreed, so Greyp engineers worked on the G6 old mastermind, Mate Rimac, has been letting cyclists livestream their rides. our coders were free to add functions for about three and a half years and called the “Elon Musk of the Balkans,” An embedded eSIM module ensures not seen thus far on a bicycle, and unveiled it to the public this March, on in a nod to the founder of Tesla. the bike is always connected to the to optimize the way the motor works the Croatian island of Brac. At Eurobike, Greyp is showing internet. with our own 700Wh battery pack,” The company is working on other its newest e-MTB, the G6. Extreme “With Greyp, it really is about said Irene Weber, brand and marketing versions, including a more affordable riders would dismiss the G6 as a bit the experience riding the bike and manager for Greyp. hardtail, the G6 C, and a performance- too heavy, with a geometry that is too sharing it with others, not just about The G6 is unusual, but the e-MTB oriented version, the G6 X, with a short and steep. But at Eurobike Media the performance. We are no hardcore it was derived from is even more 29-inch wheel up front and a 27.5- inch Days, journalists — and representa- mountain bikers, but we are mad about out-there. wheel in back. The G6 models will tives of other brands — were most digital technology and we are not That bike, the G12, is a wild cross- retail for prices ranging from 6,499 to impressed with the Greyp app. afraid to use it,” said Zvonimir Sucic, breed between a pedal-driven bike and 7,499 euros. Owners will need to buy a While most e-bike displays tell the chief technology officer of Greyp. an electric motocross machine. It was separate plan from T-Mobile for mobile rider how much range is left, the G6 Sucic is particularly proud of the a passion project of one of Rimac’s first services delivered through the eSIM displays what Greyp calls the “reach eSIM chip, which today is used by employees, who had been working on it chip. potato” — a graphic visualization of the only a handful of high-end carmakers, in his spare time. Greyp is also taking an unconven- remaining range that is overlaid on a including Tesla, BMW and, of course, The employee called it the tional approach to distribution. It is map of the area. (And, yes, the shape Rimac. Greyborg. Rimac was fascinated by its skipping national distributors to work can somewhat resemble a potato.) “While other manufacturers ride dynamics and decided to put the directly with bicycle retailers. And it A “kill switch” lets the owner connect their e-bikes to the owner’s Greyborg into production through a is exploring retail channels outside of remotely shut down the drive system smartphone, that is just one tiny aspect new subsidiary. Rimac called the new cycling. To promote the eSIM card, for on a stolen G6. The only way to restore for us, as the smartphone is the bike’s company Greyp in a nod to “Greyborg.” example, T-Mobile will sell the G6 bike the bike’s function is to plug the display anyway,” Sucic explained. Greyp now employs a staff of 70, at select shops in Germany, starting 22 of whom are programmers or IT this month. ■ LvR specialists (compare that ratio to most bike brands). The G12 delivers electric support up to a speed of 70 kph (43.5 mph), powered by a rear hub motor that cranks out a humongous 12kW of power. You can buy one today for as little as 9,000 euros. “As the G12 could only be ridden on private property, sales were limited to rich people who bought a hyper car from us and a G12 to go with it,” Rimac said. “So we decided to scale down the G12 in order to bring a product to the market that complied with all relevant regulations and thus could be sold as a normal e-mountain bike.” The G6 app is one of its most impressive Greyp showed journalists the G6 at Eurobike Media Days. features.
1/1 A-Pro Tech
14 EUROBIKE SHOW DAILY Wednesday, September 4, 2019 GREENSTORM TAKES E-BIKE RENTAL MARKET BY STORM A company that gives hotels premium electric bikes in exchange for the right to sell their vacant rooms has, in just two years, become one of Europe’s biggest sellers of e-bikes. Now, Greenstorm Marketplace refurbishes it, and sells it on the [A1-105], formerly known as second-hand market. It then replen- Greenstorm Mobility, is expanding ishes the IBD’s inventory with a new its e-bike exchange program to IBDs rental e-bike. with a program it calls Green4Rent. It By August, Hirschhuber said will provide a fleet of new e-bikes to Greenstorm had signed up more than participating IBDs, who can offer them 1,800 IBDs, mostly in the German- for test rides and rentals. speaking market. “We hope to increase Greenstorm general manager Richard Hirschhuber poses with refurbished e-bikes he sells at “While our IBD partner can get more this number within a short time to the company’s headquarters in Kuftein, Austria. (Photo by Jo Beckendorff) customers interested in e-bike mobility, 3,000,” he added. 30 percent of the rental price goes into The company, in Kufstein, Austria, Greenstorm’s business model has details on specific investments.) his pockets. The remaining 70 percent is already working with nearly 1,000 attracted a capital infusion from Bregal The program is so successful that is for us,” Greenstorm co-founder hotels in central Europe. It provides Milestone, a European private equity Greenstorm ordered 15,000 new e-bikes Richard Hirschhuber said. “If there are e-bike fleets, along with charging firm. Bregal invested an undisclosed for the 2019 season. The company any repairs while these e-bikes are at stations and some electric cars, to the amount in Greenstorm, which works with a host of brands, from the IBD, we will pay for the labor.” hotels that they can then offer to their Hirschhuber said exceeds 10 million Bergamont, Corratec, Cube, and Ghost After an e-bike is used for no more customers. In exchange, the hotels give euros. (Bregal says it typically invests to Haibike, Husqvarna, KTM and than two seasons or 1,500km (930 Greenstorm the right to sell some of between 20 and 60 million euros in its Raleigh — and many more. miles), Greenstorm takes it back, their inventory of unsold rooms. partner companies, but declines to give In April, Greenstorm will start
Wednesday, September 4, 2019 15 reselling those 15,000 e-bikes on the The store will not only sell Green- the products on an online platform For Hirschhuber, Greenstorm is a secondary market. How will it move all storm’s fleet of second-hand e-bikes, with a million-plus visitors a month,” big change of pace from his previous of these second-hand bikes? but will be open to its IBD partners, he said. job. He ran a family hotel business in First, the e-bikes have to be who will also be allowed to sell new In addition to working with hotels Kufstein for 18 years before founding refurbished. Greenstorm has estab- e-bikes there. and IBDs, Greenstorm is rolling out an Greenstorm, with partner Philipp lished a subsidiary in Slovenia, where Unlike other online merchants, e-bike rental program for corporations Zimmermann, in 2016. it can repair and refurbish the bikes Hirschhuber says Greenstorm will not that it calls “My Job — My Bike.” He’s since sold the family business cost-effectively. charge IBDs a commission on sales, Among the companies taking part to concentrate on Greenstorm, which The more important part is the and will help them advertise through in the program is the big Austrian firm has seen exponential growth since creation of a new online marketplace, Facebook and Google. Swarovski, a famous manufacturer of the company launched its hotel rental which Greenstorm launched on Aug. IBDs will also be able to use crystal used in jewelry and apparel. program in 2017. 28. Hirschhuber calls the store, at Greenstorm’s logistics and automated “Swarovksi can now equip its employ- “In 2016, we started with four www.shop.greenstorm.eu, “Europe’s payment system. Finally, and most ees with green e-mobility at most people. Today we have a total of 160,” largest online e-bike marketplace.” important, “they will be able to offer attractive prices,” Hirschhuber said. he said. “Isn’t that great?” ■ JB WIN 8 MONTHS WITH A TESLA FROM GREENSTORM Visit Greenstorm Marketplace and you could E UR OB IK LO T S E N GRE CHA win exclusive use of a Tesla Model 3 for eight E E- O U 0% EW LL Y R OUR N SE WE YOU EFOR TAK months. WE SE NEW LL YOU 0% E-BIKE R EIN ! TAKE YOUR PR STEL 1.800 OVISO L- FOR OUR GRE CHANCE REGI N DEAL STERED The use of a Tesla is the top with the IBD. EN FUTURE! ERS prize in a lottery that Greenstorm Winners four through eight GREENSTORM Weidach 4 · MOBILITY GMB 6330 Kufstein H AUF [A1-105] is holding during Eurobike. R · Austria · Plane will get to advertise their logos on T: +43 5372 www.greenstor 66888 · haendler@green t Erde EISS m.eu · DIRE KTINFO: +43 storm.eu EN 664 44 88 880 &G EW The company will give out a total of Greenstorm’s new online marketplace ! INN E N! 888 prizes (Greenstorm co-founder for one month at no charge. Winners Richard Hirschhuber considers 8 to nine to 88 can advertise for a day, and be his lucky number.) winners 89 to 888 for an hour. The second- and third-place Trade visitors can enter the lottery prizes are intended for IBDs, who will throughout Eurobike, but consumers receive a Green4Rent rental station who attend Festival Day are not and four e-bikes that they can rent eligible to participate. out for a year without paying commis- Greenstorm will announce the sions to Greenstorm. The company winners about a week after the show typically splits rental income 70-30 ends. ■ JB
16 EUROBIKE SHOW DAILY Wednesday, September 4, 2019 BREXIT IS A CHALLENGE, BUT BROMPTON HAS SEEN CHALLENGES BEFORE With a British factory that can turn out up to 100,000 of its iconic folding bikes a year, Brompton is a strong player in Britain’s bicycle industry. And while it faces much uncertainty amid the country’s seemingly endless Brexit odyssey, Brompton has overcome more difficult challenges before. Today, Brompton [A2-309] sells Brompton’s marketing department. its folding bikes in 1,450 shops across In its home market, Brompton 50 countries. Its stores include 15 benefits from a rise in consumers who flagship stores, called “Brompton are more concerned about the environ- Junctions,” in major cities including ment, and from an effort by cities to New York, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, reduce car traffic in their crowded Singapore, and Barcelona. urban cores and thereby reduce smog All bikes come out of a complex and gridlock. in Greenford, England, that opened Low-slung Brompton folding bikes in October 2016. Brompton has its can be seen all over London, and headquarters there as well as a factory hardly one bike is exactly like the Brompton’s new factory and headquarters opened in October 2016. that handles everything from welding other. That highlights another of the frames to painting, wheel building and company’s strengths: While the frame (1.09 million euros; $1.2 million). The wealthy friends and created a business final assembly. and fork are identical throughout parts are stacked to the ceiling on plan to restart Brompton. “While the annual production capac- Brompton’s model range, consumers heavy-duty shelves in Brompton’s Brompton, Chapter 2, was launched ity of our new factory could max out at can choose from among some 16 mil- headquarters. in 1987 — in a 93-square-meter 100,000 units, the current production lion variations of colors, components, While managing Brexit is a huge (1,000-square-foot) building under a is closer to 60,000. Apart from the and other specifications. Brompton challenge for British firms, Brompton railroad bridge in the West London optional titanium forks and rear also produces special editions, such has survived more serious difficulties. suburb of Brentford. Ritchie tweaked triangles for our Superlite models that as the sporty, well-equipped CHPTR3 Its story began in the late 1970s, in the original design to create the Mark are being welded in Sheffield, the steel editions designed with former road the aftermath of the oil crisis. Andrew II, and the rest is history. frames and forks are being soldered at professional David Millar. Ritchie, a newly minted engineer Today’s Bromptons are largely the factory, with two production lines Brompton hasn’t ignored the e-bike from Cambridge University, wanted similar to the Mark II design and still and about 30 frame builders working trend, either. Its solution is a typically to get people out of their cars. He offer a unique parking option — where in our spacious headquarters. Most distinctive one that doesn’t rely on designed a high-quality folding bike the bike sits on its own and leaves the of those welders have been trained well-trodden solutions from famous that he hoped would spark interest in rider’s hands free — between its riding by ourselves,” said Tom Hobbs, who suppliers. multimodal mobility. Yet he couldn’t and fully folded positions. ■ LvR at the time of a recent visit worked in Instead, the Brompton Electric uses convince Raleigh, then Britain’s biggest a front hub motor that it developed bikemaker, or banks to back his idea. with Williams Advanced Engineering, a In 1982, Ritchie founded a company British company with a long history in with one other employee and made motor racing. The motor uses a 300Wh about 50 of his original folding bike, battery that’s hidden in a bag in front of called the Mark I. But a recession the steering column. proved to be too difficult to overcome, Sensors and the brains of the drive especially after a key supplier — a system are also hidden in the bag British metal processing firm that made mount. The cadence sensor is the only the main hinge on the frame — went drive component that is visible on the out of business. main frame. Ritchie gave up and took on a job By relying on domestic suppliers as a landscape gardener to make ends and production, Brompton has meet. Then, fate intervened. sidestepped the ongoing trade conflicts A wealthy entrepreneur, Julian between China and the EU and Vereker, docked his yacht in the French United States. Yet its extensive export harbor of Cherbourg and saw another business faces a different challenge in yacht owner pedal away on his Mark Britain’s never-ending Brexit saga. I. Vereker — founder of the company To hedge against the uncertainty of that makes Naim high-end amplifiers exactly whether and how Britain will — wanted one of his own and wouldn’t leave the European Union, Brompton take no for an answer. With a range of colors and component has stockpiled parts and components Vereker tracked down Ritchie, choices, Brompton customers can worth more than a million pounds pulled together financing from other customize their bikes up to 16 million ways. Brazing frames at Brompton
Wednesday, September 4, 2019 17 A SMALL DANISH BIKEMAKER TAKES ON A BIG ISSUE WITH RECYCLABLE CARBON BIKES Coh&Co Copenhagen is so small you can count same composite and weighs a much more its employees with your fingers and still have competitive 1.1kg. a digit or two left over. But it ’s punched well The Erik, now in above its weight with bikes made of unusual production, is distinc- tive for another materials. Its Wooca line, for example, uses reason: The frame frames crafted of thin veneers of ash or walnut has one seatstay interleaved with carbon fiber. and one chainstay. That makes it easy to At Eurobike, Coh&Co [A2-507] the end of the bike’s life, leaving the maintain. hopes to land another punch with a fibers available for other uses. “They “When you line of carbon fiber bikes that it says are not going to make new bikes. They live in a city like are completely recyclable — thus are being downcycled,” he said. “But Copenhagen, and you tackling one of the biggest drawbacks for once, we finally have a recycling ride 24/7, 12 months of carbon usage in an industry that process that’s interesting for a few a year with winter, prides itself on its environmental reasons.” gravel, dust, and friendliness. Typical carbon fiber frames use dirt, nobody cleans The recyclability is just one of the resins that break down only under their bikes until the distinctive features of the new bikes. very high temperatures, imposing a spring because it’s Frames are made of a combination of high “cost” in energy usage and CO2 just a horrible ugly carbon and basalt fibers — basalt, as emissions. The resin used by Coh&Co process,” Cohen said. in stone. breaks down much more easily. “An open chainstay “It’s crushed-up rocks that have Coh&Co calls the frame material allows you to get been melted and extruded into fiber, StoneWeave. At Eurobike, it’s showing in with a rag in 10 StoneWeave Mattis gravel bike and then woven into a textile, just an urban bike, Erik; a gravel bike, seconds.” like carbon,” said Paul Harder Cohen, Mattis; and frames for a forthcoming More important, use enormous carbon fiber blades. co-founder of Coh&Co. “If you put raw road bike that are made of the stuff. the design allows the frame to flex in a Why basalt? Cohen says it is very carbon [fiber] and raw stone next to At about 2kg (4 lbs., 6 oz.), the Erik’s way that enhances the bike’s response. similar to wood in its ability to deaden each other, you’d think that one was frameset is relatively heavy. Cohen Cohen, whose background is in road noise, without having to rely just a dirtier version of the other.” said that’s by design, not because of materials engineering, used to design on, as he puts it, “weird seatstays or These carbon and basalt fibers the basalt. “We want something that racing yachts. He noted that Denmark rubber inserts or disconnecting the are embedded in a degradable you can hit with a hammer. It’s sup- has a thriving composites industry seat tube from the seatstays” or other resin system, developed by a Chinese posed to be used in the city,” he said. because it was once the world’s largest “active damping” systems touted by supplier, that can be “dissolved” at The new road bike frameset uses the manufacturer of wind turbines, which bike brands. ■ DM
18 EUROBIKE SHOW DAILY Wednesday, September 4, 2019 HUB MAKERS RUSH IN AS THE DT SWISS STAR RATCHET PATENTS EXPIRE It was 1995 when DT Swiss [A3-400] bought wheel giant launched its ID360 SRAM XD drivers. freewheel mechanism. A closer look Hügi, a fellow Swiss company, and expanded at the inner workings of these “Instant Taiwan hub specialist Chosen its portfolio from spokes and nipples to hubs. Drive” hubs shows a star ratchet-like [A5-203] also has developed a star But DT Swiss hadn’t just acquired a hub system with serrated interlocking ratchet-like freewheel system that it discs. These come with 40 teeth each, calls TC, for “toothed coupling.” Its manufacturer. It also acquired Hügi’s valuable resulting in an engagement angle of 9 serrated discs each have 36 teeth for intellectual property for the star ratchet degrees. Mavic says its new freewheel an engagement angle of 10 degrees — freewheel mechanism. system does a much better job of fast enough for almost all applications coping with high torque. without sacrificing durability. Shimano, [B5-300] another heavyweight in the OE market, had planned to launch a star ratchet freewheel system with its new XTR groupset in 2019. Originally, the ratchet-style Scylence freewheel system was designed for silence, making no noise at all when coasting and thus offering less internal drag. While Bear Pawls Clutch 24t schematic early samples of these new hubs worked well at media events, Shimano faced The patent proved to be a boon More important, the star ratchet reliability and durability DT Swiss Spline 190 Ratchet EXP & DT Swiss Ratchet for DT Swiss — even more than the system allows for simultaneous issues for production models EXP parts company perhaps expected. It turns engagement over a larger area, and has shelved the Scylence out that star ratchet freewheels are distributing peak loads much better hubs for now. Other manufacturers rely on well-suited to the demands of electric than conventional pawl-based hubs. But Shimano didn’t shelve its Face conical springs or magnets to move bikes and electric MTBs, which That allows them to handle the Ratchet system. The system, which the ratchets, while Chosen opts for a didn’t exist in 1995. That’s because higher torques generated by mid-drive uses angled serrated discs, offers a compact tooth spring made of steel for these freewheels can cope with the motors. tight engagement angle of 7 degrees secure power transmission. And like extra torque dished out by mid-drive Some smaller manufacturers such that should appeal to competitive many other hub makers, Chosen says motors. as Chris King, exhibiting at Cosmic riders. Since most moving parts are a planar engagement is more reliable Thanks to its star ratchet system, Sports [B1-308], Syntace, Newmen, made of alloy, the weight is attrac- when increased forces and more DT Swiss has found much success on Foss, and Tune [A2-301] managed tively low as well. Shimano offers the torque come into play. the OE market for its hybrid e-MTB to find ways around the DT Swiss Face Ratchet freewheel mechanism on wheels and, now, for its e-gravel and patents and create similar ratchet its Micro Spline hubs for XTR, XT and With the Ratchet EXP system, e-road bike wheels. But its star ratchet SLX groupsets. While the Face Ratchet DT Swiss is taking a less-is-more patents expired in August, and a flurry system may not be silent, it offers a approach to its top-of-the-line hubs. of hub makers is launching their own secure engagement that can easily Instead of two ratchet discs that products based on the system. deal with high torques. move alongside the axle with conical DT Swiss is not standing still. It springs, the inner ratchet disc is fixed is rolling out the new Ratchet EXP At this year’s Taipei Cycle Show, to the hub shell. Only the outer disc system that it says is lighter and more the new Bear Pawls [A5-206] hub moves along the axle. reliable and adds stiffness to the rear brand from Alex Global debuted its Because there are fewer moving hub. “Tens of years of experience with Clutch 24t freewheel mechanism. It parts, DT Swiss says the freewheel this system are part of our DNA, and is clearly a ratchet system because it mechanism is more reliable. And it took DT Swiss quite some time and uses serrated discs for engagement. Shimano Face Ratchet system because it permits the axle bearings effort to get things exactly right,” said By using discs with 24 teeth, Bear to be moved further outboard, the Friso Lorscheider, a mountain bike Pawls has opted for durability and reli- Ratchet EXP also increases rear hub marketing specialist for DT Swiss. ability rather than the fastest possible mechanisms based on serrated discs. stiffness. “No doubt our competitors will find engagement — a sensible choice for But the bigger players shied away from In fact, some World Cup mountain out that getting 90 percent of a new e-MTBs with mid-drive motors. The the challenge for fear of being sued bike teams are now using Ratchet system right is not that hard, but get- Clutch 24t fits any Bear Pawls hub with and labelled as copycats. Now that the EXP-equipped rear hubs with ceramic ting the remaining 10 percent exactly an axle that runs on four bearings, patent is no longer in force, that’s no bearings, usually considered too right is the real challenge.” giving OE customers more options. longer an issue because anyone can fragile for use on rough terrain. DT The star ratchet system relies on use the technology. Swiss opted for ratchets with 36 teeth, ratchets instead of pawls for fast and Kun Teng [B3-503] is another finding the sweet spot between fast safe engagement. The ratchets — ser- Taiwanese heavyweight in the OE hub Mavic may not be exhibiting at engagement and internal drag. ■ LvR rated metal discs with interlocking market that has rolled out a ratchet- Eurobike, but its wheels can be seen teeth — make a distinctive rattling based freewheel mechanism. on a lot of the bikes here on display. sound when coasting. Its Disc Drive, or DD, For the 2019 model year, the French system features the serrated and interlocking discs that typically provide the reliable engagement with ratchet- style freewheels. While the Disc Drive system does not show up in Kun Teng’s 2020 OE catalogue, the QL-DD4MR aftermarket mountain bike hub comes with this variety of the star ratchet system. It’s available in a non-boost version with a 142mm axle width, and in a boost version, with IS or centerlock disc Kun Teng Disc Drive schematic Chosen TC components mounts and with Shimano or
Wednesday, September 4, 2019 19 THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD TO BENNO BIKES Samuel Weishaupt didn’t know anything about the bike business. But he did know how to convert delivery vans into tricked-out “expedition vehicles,” rugged enough to tackle off-road paths or beaches and luxurious enough to sleep, feed, house, and entertain four people. He set up his company on the In Switzerland, Weishaupt built a grounds of his family’s century-old busi- bike trailer, attached it to the back of a ness in Appenzell, Switzerland. His first small Suzuki van, and set off to visit bike customer was Benno Baenziger — the shops. After he had production models co-founder of Electra Bicycle Company to show, Weishaupt switched to the Land — who asked him to convert a Mercedes Rover and wound up visiting about 200 Sprinter van into a “surf mobile.” Swiss IBDs. Baenziger lives in southern “There were periods of frustration, California, and he and his partner had but I didn’t want to give up,” he said. sold Electra to Trek in 2014. But he was “First, I chatted with the dealers about already drawing up plans for a new bike the Land Rover and the trip around brand, Benno Bikes [A1-518]. the world. Then — very important — I “While we were planning his Sprinter rolled a bike into the shop. The Boost together here in Appenzell, Benno kept E quickly became an eyecatcher, and telling me about his latest bicycle plans. the IBDs immediately saw that this bike That’s when I first came into contact was different. Some guessed the Electra with bikes,” Weishaupt said. background right away.” Weishaupt didn’t think more about He began delivering Benno bikes them until he saw the Benno Boost E in 2018, and orders doubled for 2019. electric cargo bike for the first time. “I “In March 2019, we had 50 dealers in thought it was really cool. I had never Switzerland. In May it was up to 55,” he seen such a transport bike before,” he said. recalled. Weishaupt has set up a duty-free He liked it so much he decided to warehouse from which he can serve the become Benno Bikes’ distributor for European Union, and currently distrib- Switzerland, even though he didn’t know utes Benno in Austria and northern Italy. anyone in the industry, much less the This year, half of the bikes he’s sold are bike dealers he would need to convince the Boost E, about 30 percent are the to carry the brand. eJoy — a more compact cargo bike with He went about it the old-fashioned a step-through frame; and 20 percent way. After establishing Benno Bikes the eScout, a rugged commuter bike. Swiss GmbH, Weishaupt began visiting Benno Bikes recently received a IBDs one by one and showing them three marketing boost when Air Zermatt — prototypes of Benno models, including one of the world’s oldest helicopter the Boost E. rescue services — ordered Boost E bikes Although he was a stranger to the painted in its signature red and white retailers, Weishaupt had quite a story star design. to tell. From 2008 to 2010, he and a At Eurobike, Benno Baenziger hopes buddy had driven around the world in a to line up distributors for Germany and colorful Land Rover. At one point, they other European markets. It’s a good had paid a visit to Baenziger, a distant bet he won’t find anyone as colorful as relative, in California. Samuel Weishaupt. ■ JB Samuel Weishaupt and his Land Rover, which he drove around the world and now uses to promote Benno Bikes. (Photo by Jo Beckendorff)
20 EUROBIKE SHOW DAILY Wednesday, September 4, 2019 OVERVIEW: COMMERCIAL CARGO BIKES THE CARGO BIKE MARKET IS ABOUT TO GET BIG — REALLY BIG So many families are giving up cars in favor of Yet these XL cargo bikes can handle loads of 300kg (660 cargo bikes that bike manufacturers can’t keep pounds) or more — including up. Some brands report lead times of up to 25 cargo, bike and rider. Some weeks for new orders because frame builders are governments offer financial incentives for companies to running at full capacity. purchase cargo bikes. For example, the German govern- ment subsidizes 30 percent of the cost of a large cargo bike, up to 2,500 euros. The bike must be intended for commer- cial use and have a minimum cargo capacity of 1 cubic meter Urban Arrow Tender Post & Parcel 1300 (35 cubic feet). Regulators and the cargo bike industry still need to Powering the A-N.T. is a fully resolve some issues before the market integrated Erzmo MS1 mid-drive motor can truly take off. One is a lack of with a built-in three-speed transmis- suitable infrastructure: Nearly all big sion. Made by German supplier cargo bikes use three or even four Elektromotorenwerk Grünhain GmbH, wheels, so they need more room in the motor provides plenty of torque to which to operate. get a fully loaded bike moving from a Another problem is that the stop. European Union has not yet set The front cargo platform holds up to standards for such important issues 100kg, and the rear platform takes an- as the maximum power output of other 60kg, allowing the A-N.T. to easily an electric motor for commercial meet the 1 cubic meter requirement. cargo bikes, or their maximum weight. The platforms have plenty of space for Because of this uncertainty, some large modular containers of varying sizes. bike manufacturers have been wary of To reduce charging times for its big entering the market. 810Wh battery, the system runs on 48 Yokler U Germany is in the process of adopt- volts. ing a new standard for commercial One remarkable detail of the A-N.T. But family-oriented cargo bikes are ies, including Stockholm and London, cargo bikes, DIN 79010, and there’s a is its parallelogram steering system, just the start. Now, the cargo bike mar- are restricting traffic coming into their good chance it will also be adopted developed by a retired engineer who ket is poised for big growth — literally city centers. That’s a challenge for throughout the EU. previously designed the suspension as well as figuratively. Many brands vans and larger trucks, which already Instead, specialized manufacturers system for the iconic Porsche 911. are rolling out oversized electric cargo have to cope with scarce parking and have stepped into the breach. They The system places the pivot of the bikes for commercial use, as logistics pedestrian-only zones. include Rytle, which makes bikes for steering axle ahead of the front wheels companies seek urban-friendly Enter these oversized cargo bikes. UPS, and Velove, manufacturer of the to stabilize the trike’s handling and alternatives for last-mile deliveries of They are narrow enough to fit onto a Armadillo cargo bikes used by DHL. steering. everything from mail to Amazon and bicycle lane and squeeze past traffic Perhaps the most serious challenge Zalando shipments. jams, and operators don’t need driver’s has less to do with regulations and Urban Arrow, [A1-706] a A growing number of European cit- licenses. more to do with manufacturing and recognized name in conventional cargo servicing, as Franz Tepe, marketing bikes, has reworked the design of director for ZEG, explained: the oversized Tender bike that it first SPONSORED BY “In a pilot study that UPS did with launched in 2017. the University of Nurnberg, ordinary The original Tender has been used cargo bikes caused repair costs by supermarkets for home grocery exceeding 7,500 euros per year, and deliveries, and by other logistics a lot of downtime,” Tepe said. “These companies for delivering parcels. The downtimes are a serious no-go in Dutch cargo bike specialist used these logistics. A cargo bike that cannot be real-life test cases to improve the bike’s used due to some mechanical issues design. WE BUILD YOUR BIKE equals a loss in logistics — even without any repair costs.” For its newest version, the three- wheeled Tender Post & Parcel 1300, Tepe added, “For these customers Urban Arrow offers a flatter cargo Looking for a new Ebike supplier? Sample specs: GEM2701 we need first a product that has been compartment with a capacity of 1.3 We can solve your problems! Frame: Aluminum 27.5" fully optimized for reliability and util- cubic meters. The new compartment We’ve specialized in the bike Motor: Bafang mid-drive motor 332, ity, and second a service solution that improves the rider’s view of the road business for more than 25 years 250W solves any issues quickly and reliably ahead; Urban Arrow’s original boxy and have satisfied customers in Battery: Greenway 36V 10. 4AH, Europe, Middle East, South America Samsung Cell to get the bikes back to service as fast compartment created a large blind and USA. We can offer CKD parts, Display: Bafang LCD-Display DP as possible.” SKD shipment, 95% assembly C18 shipment, from the Far East Brake System: Shimano Disc Brake That’s why ZEG is debuting a large (without anti-dumping) or Europe. Derailleur: Shimano Altus 9-Speed commercial cargo trike that it designed We can offer full QC check before from scratch. It has also launched a shipment. B4-311 new brand, A-N.T. [A1-703] to produce The bike shown has and distribute it. one of our newest The burly A-N.T. trike uses only frames. All specs can be changed a few components from traditional according to your bicycles, including the saddle, handle- request. Joyland bar and pedals. Sports Technology To handle the bike’s 300kg capacity, Co., Ltd. (China & which includes cargo, rider and bike, Taiwan) the three-wheeled A-N.T. borrows its wheels, tires and disc brakes from A-N.T. Cargo Bike motorbikes.
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