The Electric Bicycle Industry in Switzerland Grew Significantly in The First Half Of The Year

In the first half of 2021, the Swiss electric bicycle industry saw significant growth, with electric bicycle imports increasing by 16.5% and bicycle sales increasing by 8.9%. In addition to increased sales, exports also increased. Despite the substantial increase in sales, many factories are reducing production or suspending production due to a shortage of bicycle parts.

In countries with long winters such as Switzerland, unprecedented evidence of bicycle sales usually ends in a decline in bicycle sales. However, the opposite effect appeared in the first half of 2021. The bicycle industry takes advantage of the shortage of winter sales to keep up with long-term out-of-stock orders and repairs. It is worth noting that some backlogs can even be traced back to 2020. The data shows that compared with last year, the delivery volume has increased.

The customs administration also showed a significant increase in the import and export of bicycles. Sales of electric bicycles increased by +15.6%, or 37,000 units, and bicycles increased by +29.6%, or 35,000 units. Specifically, in the first half of the year alone, imports of electric bicycles increased from 95,416 to 111,105. Accounted for the full-year growth of 2018. As far as bicycles are concerned, the number has increased from 186,404 to 200,861.

Despite the substantial increase in production, manufacturers have had to accept long booking times. According to reports, companies such as Shimano, Sram, DT Swiss, Suntour, Schwalbe, Maxxis and Fox are splitting production, so the entire bicycle market will not stand still when trying to deliver products to a few major customers. All of the above companies are manufacturers of brakes, gears, suspensions, wheels and tires, of course these are the main components that make up bicycles.

Although companies are diversifying their production loads, due to severe restrictions on access to container ports in Asia, there is still a shortage of packaging materials, containers, and freight and port capacity. As companies all over the world are competing for scarce ships, these lead to uncertain delivery dates and transportation costs. Flyer Bikes even took a two-week holiday for the company-wide for the first time in its history, even though the order was full. Customers are advised to plan in advance to purchase electric bicycles or bicycles, and choose models that are already in stock. In addition, due to the limited industry environment, delivery should be delayed.