FRANKFURT (BRAIN) — Friday was something of a good news, bad news day for Eurobike.
First the good: The show's organizers indicated they are optimistic about continued talks with Germany's two bicycle trade groups, who announced last year that they no longer will support the show.
The bad news came on two fronts: First, Shimano Europe announced it was pulling out of this year's show. Second, even the show's organizers hinted that discussions with the trade groups were focused on earning their support for the 2027 show, not this June's event.
Show organizers met with the German trade groups at a recent event in Brussels to mark the launch of European Cycling Industries, which merges the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI) and Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) organizations.
"The talks in Brussels showed that there is a shared interest in a strong, forward-looking Eurobike. Eurobike 2026 will be an important milestone in jointly laying the foundation for an enhanced trade fair concept from 2027 onwards," said Philipp Ferger, managing director of Fairnamic GmbH, Eurobike's owner, in a statement Friday.
"Over the next few weeks, we will refine the content together with the associations and the international industry," Ferger continued.
Bike Europe reported Friday that Shimano Europe will not attend this year's show, with the company telling Bike Europe, "As the industry continues to evolve, we are prioritizing our customer- and consumer-focused events, where we can have personalised conversations and hands-on interactions.”
Notably, Shimano Europe is the longtime partner of the German distributor Paul Lange, whose managing partner, Bernhard Lange, is a board member of the ZIV trade group that pulled its support from Eurobike last year. Other major exhibitors, including Bosch and Schwalbe, have also withdrawn.
Regarding Shimano's pullout, a Eurobike spokesman told BRAIN, "As a matter of principle, we do not comment on corporate decisions regarding trade fair participation. We regret it when companies decide against participating. At the same time, we are always available for discussions – both directly and within the framework of the exchange formats and committees we have initiated. Our focus is on further developing Eurobike together with the industry."
Eurobike has made concessions to the trade groups, including dropping plans for a separate, concurrent mobility show. Longtime show director Stefan Reisinger left in December and was replaced by Ferger..
In its statement Friday, Eurobike touted "compact routes and clearly bundled theme areas" at this year's show, which is June 24-27.
