In this blog, we are excited to share the highlights of our recent trip to Eurobike 2023.
Eurobike claims to be the largest bike show in the world but we were still not prepared for the actual scale of the event. So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and we’ll give you a few glimpses of this exhilarating exhibition! (Also saving you from the total sensory overload of being at the show.)
We're not in KOM country anymore. (Hope Valley contrast to Frankfurt Central Station.)
Where is Eurobike?
Eurobike 2023 was held in Frankfurt. It is easy to get to. The city is served by two airports and very good city infrastructure. (You don't need a car to get about in this city and bikes are welcome on the trains and underground.)
Eurobike is an annual trade fair and exhibition that recently moved from Friedrichshafen (in the extreme south of Germany) to Frankfurt. It's where the global biking community comes together to showcase the latest products, innovations and trends in the industry.
This year, we had the privilege of attending Eurobike and immersing ourselves in the commercial, colourful and corporate world of the biking industry.
First Impressions: This show is massive
Frankfurt's massive Exhibition Centre. It's a long walk from inside the front doors to where the show actually begins.
We were prepared for 'large' but the size of the show exceeded our expectations. You certainly can't see everything in a day. It would probably take a week. Some halls have the normal trade show feel but there are some stands with a footprint better measured in hectares than square meters.
All the brands you would expect were there as well as some enormous stands from brands better known in Germany than the rest of the world. (eg. Bulls bikes.)
Other areas of the show had the normal trade show feel.
The show spills outside where you can test ride bikes, e-bikes and cargo bikes
The test riding area is quite large with a (largely observed) one way system around a group of stands and buildings. Crossing the street needs to be done with care.
E-Bikes
E-bikes of course make up a large proportion of the bikes on show and motors & batteries a large part of the bike equipment and supply chain series of stands.
Some of the stands had great illuminated riding images. (Brose-ebike website.)
Green Credentials
There was a hint of green wash at the show but precious little environmental policy was on display given the size of the show.
I had a chat with somebody on what was almost a sub stand on an outside corner of the larger Brose stand. I had often wondered what happened to the enormous pile of ebike motors that are replaced by the industry. Sad to say nearly all are scrapped.
However, Brose claim to be aiming to change that by reusing some of the components that would otherwise be scrapped. It sounded like a great initiative but the guy from Brose seemed especially careful not to spook anybody. "All parts that are re-used will be very carefully checked and must be perfect." Let's hope that pile of failed motors can be put to better use.
One thing missing was a hub set strong enough for e-bikes.
KOM Xeno hubs should be at the heart of a stronger wheel set for e-bikes.
The Xeno's revolutionary design is explained in this video animation. Hopefully KOM will be exhibiting at Eurobike next year to spread the word worldwide.
The impressive thing was the sheer range of things on display
The great thing about composites is that you can make some fancy shaped moulds.
Time-trial bike. Striking looks, but is it's aero shape really low drag?
Weird Bikes
There were many weird bikes in the show some with especially dubious riding properties.
Quite what the advantage of these bike is hard to say.
How does the combination of bike, sun lounger and large circular space for a fold up tent handle downhills. I have no idea. But this does lead me on to the award for the ugliest bike at the show. There were many contenders but sadly no offical award category. I guess at the end of the day beauty is in the eye of the beholder so here are a few to judge for yourself.
Weird wonderful...ugly?
Fully laden this bike would be hard to pedal without an electric motor
Was this designed by a bike designer or bus shelter architech?
Yellow, but in what way is it advanced?
Cargo Bikes were surprisingly popular too
There were lots of cargo bikes inside and outside the show.
I had never considered the cargo bike a large segment but the number and variation of this genre was truly impressive. It's so hard to give a real feel for the variation but these two bikes looked like they were in real use in Frankfurt hopefully not just for the show.
Wooden Bikes
Wooden bikes were at the show but they represent a tiny slice of a small segment. There are questions about their true green credentials as well their structural integrity. Interesting questions, that were not fully answered. A common method of manufacture seems to be CNCing components from plywood but one manufacturer does things differently.
This exhibitor (Arcada.com.co) had come all the way from Columbia.
As carbon composite frames have got chuckier, sometimes to conceal batteries, the wooden frame starts to look very normal in its dimensions. At first glance the bike in the background above looks very much like a carbon frame painted with a wooden grain.
The wooden frame has won a competition too and the bike above could easily pass for a carbon frame.
The manufacturer told me that his family has run a saw mill in Columbia for over 30 years and that his frames use off cuts and are thus far greener than those other frames cut out by CNC from sheet plywood.
The handle bars are a composite of various woods with some man made fibres too
The bike frames and handle bars from Acada certainly look very destinctive, are surprisingly light and one of their wooden framed bikes has won a mountain bike race too!
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