Optimism abounds as Velofollies returns

KORTRIJK, Belgium – “Super”, “Amazing”, and “The best event ever” were some of the comments from exhibitors at Velofollies in January. Signs of market disruptions, cash flow problems or inventory worries were far from centre stage at the main tradeshow for the Benelux, which was returning following a 2-year absence. Could this outpouring of optimism be masking the real problems in the industry?

Rosie Burgin

The Kortrijk Xpo in Kortrijk, Belgium, is the venue for the annual Velofollies event, held in 2023 from 20-22 January. Long before the start of this year’s event, all exhibitor space was fully booked. For this year’s fifteenth edition, Velofollies relied on the elements that have proven to be successful: a well-filled exhibition floor, seminars, well-known (former) professionals, and a large, covered test course. The sportive segment, which has taken a back seat to urban mobility and e-bikes at other industry tradeshows, was represented by the presence of Canyon, Trek, Wilier Triestina and Lapierre. Notable absentees, however, were Specialized, Cannondale and Ridley. E-bikes, (e-)cargobikes, (e-)folding bikes and kids’ bikes were all thrown into the mix, too. Some 330 exhibitors welcomed just under 40,000 visitors over the 3-day period. This was a slight decline from the 41,000 visitors during the (pre-corona) 2020 event. Although most visitors were Belgian, a growing number visited from the Netherlands and France, the organisers announced.

Inventory issues downplayed

Some exhibitors offered full-on optimism with sentiments like “Consumers no longer have to wait for bikes, and that’s a good development” , “Dealers who are not positive are not here” , and “We have stock; we are ready for business.” But, it’s clear the market is at a turning point. Whether that turning point is just lower than the corona boom years, or worse than that, remains to be seen. “Everybody is levelling down,” explained Remco Post of tyre manufacturer, Vit- toria. “We saw the market was turning after the summer and contacted our customers to check that orders still reflected what they needed. We wanted to make sure there were realistic back orders.”

Changes in the market are evident, though, he admits. “As a tyre manufacturer, we sell an essential part that consumers need to ride their bike. Now they might opt for a lower-level product from the range, but they still need the tyres. Also, there are more products in the market than there have been in the last two years, so this will make the market slower in general. That said, we expect the same level of sales this year as last.”

Post, however, does highlight that companies selling non-essential products such as clothing, helmets and bags might run into problems. “In general, I hope not too many companies suffer in the next few months, and by April, everyone is screaming that they need products.”

Milestones reached Velofollies marked the 5-year existence of Advanced Ebike. In 2018, together with John Vermeulen and Ronald Breeman, Rob Laarman started the company as the Benelux importer for e-bikes from Germany’s Ebike Das Original. Their approach of being a ‘dealer brand for dealers’ turned out to be successful: within a year, they already had 100 dealers. Later the name was changed to Advanced Ebike, and the brand now has around 235 points of sale in the Benelux. During Velofollies, their latest model, Reco One, was on display. This is one of the first bikes commercially available using the plastic composite technology of V Frames. This was featured in Bike Europe’s Sustainability Moves video series. The company had a flying start, with continued growth and a couple of corona years with explosive growth. “If we have the same year in 2023 as last year, we’ll be happy,” explained Laarman. He did, however, point to overstocks faced by some brands. “I hope all brands keep their prices clean,” he warned for the coming season.

International presence

Despite being a show for the Benelux, a good number of French, German and Italian companies also exhibited at Velofollies. French brands included Moustache, O2Feel and Eovolt. “We’re exhibiting for the first time at Velofollies,” explained Eovolt CEO, Baptiste Fullen. “It’s

No B2B day on the cards

While other exhibition concepts sometimes opt for a separate trade day for the B2B channel, Velofollies deliberately does not do that. Although the idea has gone through the head of Pieter Desmet, organiser of Kortrijk Xpo, a clear decision has been made. “We have a very wide range of exhibitors, many of them purely consumer-oriented, such as bicycle tour providers and book publishers. They are not waiting for a trade day.”

In addition, there is the fear of negating the current success. “We know that there are just as many supporters and opponents of a B2B day. What decision do you make then? Now we’re in the right place; there’s something familiar. On Sunday evening, there is the traditional closing, and then everyone goes home satisfied. If you added a professional day to it on Monday, that could be an anti-climax. You drop from an average of 14,000 visitors to, say, 2,000 people, and that on an exhibition floor of 40,000 square metres. I find that a difficult one. We prefer to stick to what has now proven to be successful.” a good vibe; everybody is happy. This is a good event to grow the awareness of Eovolt outside of France.” The young company had 30% exports in 2020 and aims for 55% this year. Classified Cycling used Velofollies as an opportunity to announce its newest ambassador and investor, former professional cyclist and fellow Belgian, Philippe Gilbert. He joins former riders, including Tom Boonen and Anna Van der Breggen, as ambassadors of the drivetrain inno- vator. On a very busy booth, Classified Cycling demonstrated its Powershift Technology, a wireless shifting technology that allows the rider to shift gears instantly and under full load. The product line is available originally equipped on a growing number of bicycles from exclusive partner brands, and as an aftermarket upgrade to existing bicycles. In December, the Belgian company announced it had raised €22 million from UK investors to expand into the e-bike market.

TBA appoints new chairman, KMC’s Robert Wu

TAIPEI, Taiwan – The chairman of KMC, Robert Wu, has been elected as chairman of Taiwan Bicycle Association (TBA). He takes over the role from Michael Tseng. Wu has been part of TBA for many years, actively participating as executive director.

During an election in December, the TBA’s 368 corporate members elected a total of 36 directors and supervisors. During his election speech, Wu said he is committed to promoting the development of Taiwan’s bicycle industry on the global stage. He identified 10 challenges that the bicycle and e-bike industry will face over the next 10 years that will have the most