Bicycle shops purchased much less in 2023 due to large stocks after corona

bicycle sales

Belgian bicycle dealers purchased almost a fifth fewer bicycles last year than in the absolute top year of 2022. This was evident from new figures from the mobility federation Traxio on Tuesday. However, this does not mean that fewer bicycles were sold, because bicycle shops had large stocks after the corona crisis.

Last year, 569,605 new bicycles were delivered to bicycle shops from wholesalers and manufacturers. That is a decrease of more than 18 percent compared to 2022.

“After the absolute top year of 2022, it was in line with expectations that the market would take a hit in 2023: a large stock had been built up, which meant that bicycle dealers placed fewer orders,” says Filip Rylant, spokesperson for Traxio. “When we look at the trend line over the different years, we remain in a structurally growing bicycle market.”

Striking: for the first time, the e-bike has a market share of more than half (51 percent). “Electrification continues to gain in importance for both urban and sports bicycles,” says Rylant. “The speed pedelec is nowhere as popular as in our country.”

Electric city bicycles (131,430) and electric trekking bicycles (88,249) together account for 38.5 percent of all delivered units. Electric longtail bicycles (bicycles with an extended luggage carrier that can accommodate several children, ed.) are also gaining in popularity.

Sporty bicycles remain very popular with Belgians, accounting for 27 percent of the total (28.5 percent in 2022). It is remarkable that 38.2 percent fewer mountain bikes (54,929 units) were sold. On the other hand, the gravel bike, which is a cross between a classic road racing bike and a mountain bike, is gaining ground. Last year, 19,832 gravel bikes were sold, compared to 17,664 in 2022.

Electrification is also underway in the sporty segment. The Traxio figures show that 5,397 electric racing bicycles were sold last year. In 2022 there were 4,697.