Even in Italy, as in Europe, the way of cycling is changing

The 2016 bicycle market data, both traditional and pedal-assisted, in Italy, show a trend similar to what is happening in the rest of Europe. The data of the traditional bicycle is contracting but that of the E-Bike is growing strongly.

From this year, also in Italy, the market data regarding e-bikes shows a decidedly "European" trend, 124.400 e-bikes equal to +120% compared to 2015. It is a data of internal market availability which we have always calculated the number of bicycles produced by adding the number of imported bikes minus those destined for export. It is the second parameter, the one relating to imports, which explains the growth of ebikes in 2016 and which reveals that it will most likely be even greater in 2017. In the 4th quarter of 2016, in fact, we imported a number of electric bikes ( 40.800) almost equal to that of the first 9 months (60.000) of 2016. A sign that a lot was sold in 2016 but that much of what was imported in 2016 will be sold in 2017. Slight decline on the normal bike (-2,6%) but better than in other European countries (-8/9%) where we are now witnessing a real "change of bicycle". The sale of E-bikes, for the moment, only benefits specialized dealers. Large-scale retail trade is not yet ready, especially in terms of vehicle assistance and after-sales services.

The numbers of Italian E-bike production have also increased: from 16.600 in 2015 to 23.600 vehicles last year. An entire supply chain of Made in Italy vehicles is also born, both in terms of assembly but above all in the construction of engines and electrical and electronic components. In fact, there are several companies that produce e-bike systems and will make their voices heard in 2017. Exports also went well, going from 3.400 e-bikes in 2015 to 8.000 in 2016. The interesting data, from our point of view as a trade association, is not only that linked to the production data of these systems but also to their design and production of patents. All this gives us the concrete hope of seeing an "electric" Made in Italy capable of competing on equal and non-unfair terms with international competition.

The reasons for this European success lie in the aesthetics of these vehicles which are now increasingly similar to traditional bicycles thanks to the increasingly smaller dimensions of the motor and battery and their integration with bicycle frames. The speed of these vehicles (25km/h) represents a good compromise for moving in urban traffic, especially in the most traffic-congested areas where the speed differential with cars and motorbikes is significantly reduced, making mixed circulation safer. Furthermore, the sophisticated levels of power delivery (250Watt) allow you to choose how much effort you want to make and this allows you to use the bike more and more in mountain areas. The E-Mountain Bike is now the undisputed leading sales market segment. Finally there is also an advantage over theft. If we remember to remove the computer that manages the electronics, the bike becomes unusable, while if we also take the battery with us, it makes no sense to steal a vehicle for which, subsequently, we have to spend a few hundred euros to purchase an after market battery.

On traditional bicycles we recorded a decline of around 2,6% which is a better figure than the general decline of 8/9% in the rest of Europe. Confirming that the panorama and scenario of the bike user is changing and veering towards new forms of cycling. The decrease in sales of traditional bikes marks, as a consequence, the decrease in the data of bike components which suffers, especially in exports, from this decline in the international market. The export of parts thus suffers a decline in value in line with the European market numbers. Thanks to the e-bike effect we observe increases in value both on the import and export of complete bicycles. However, the export values ​​of traditional bikes remain in line with the previous year. Our export trade balance is in surplus of 16 million euros.