💥Biker Gangs Gone Legit!

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Hey VentureTaler - It’s Alex!

Welcome to our 16th VentureTale. If you only have 4 minutes and 36 seconds to read, don’t worry it’s enough!

The Industry

Ever hopped on a bike lately? You're not alone. Europe's cycling scene is trending like R&B in the early 2000s – but in true European fashion, it's complicated. While 29% of EU citizens pedal weekly, the numbers swing wildly from a whopping 71% in the Netherlands to a measly 3% in Malta. Talk about a split! 🚴 

Governments are finally catching on, though. The 2024 European Declaration on Cycling (sounds fancy, right?) came with a cool €3.2 billion in funding to make cycling a primary transportation option, not just something you do on weekends in spandex.

But here's where things get interesting. While traditional bike manufacturing took a nasty 24% nosedive in 2023, e-bikes are absolutely crushing it, with the market expected to hit €21.28 billion by 2025. One foot on the brake, one on the accelerator. 😁

Also, remember that COVID cycling boom? When everyone and their grandmother suddenly discovered bikes to avoid packed buses? Cities went bike-lane-crazy:

• Sales jumped 22% in 2020-2021

• Berlin and Milan scrambled to paint pop-up bike lanes everywhere

• Cycling shares increased by up to 48% in some cities

• Everyone on Instagram suddenly became a "cycling enthusiast"

But like most pandemic trends (looking at you, sourdough bread and banana bread bakers!), the enthusiasm cooled once restrictions lifted. Those supply chain nightmares didn't help either.

The recent European Declaration on Cycling is actually a big deal, though. It finally recognizes cycling as a "fully-fledged mode of transport" with 36 concrete commitments – including expanding that massive EuroVelo network (17 routes spanning 90,000 km across 42 countries!). Sure, it's non-binding, but when governments commit €4.5 billion, they're probably not just blowing hot air. 💨

E-bikes are where the real action is happening. With an 8.31% annual growth rate expected through 2029, they're transforming how Europeans move. Germany is the big player here, gobbling up 43% of the market thanks to tech-hungry consumers and sweet government perks like that €1,000 Umweltbonus for e-cargo bikes. And Gen Z riders? They're all about connected e-bikes with GPS and anti-theft features – with 68% putting sustainability first when choosing their rides. (Meanwhile, Boomers just want something that won't make their knees explode. 👴)