IN BRIEF
From 24 to 27 June 2026, Eurobike returns to Frankfurt amid turmoil. Bosch, the world’s number one in electric bike motors, and Germany’s two main federations (ZIV and Zukunft Fahrrad) have walked out of the show; they are preparing a rival event for autumn 2027. Shimano, gone for a while, is coming back but with a reduced presence. The result: a more compact edition, in which motor maker Avinox — formerly DJI — and its new generation of motors take centre stage. More than a catalogue of new products, 2026 looks like a survival edition.
The blow landed at the end of October 2025. Within a single day, Germany’s two big cycle federations, then Bosch — the world’s leading manufacturer of electric bike motors — announced that they would not be coming. For the biggest bike show on the planet, it is an earthquake. The edition opening on 24 June in Frankfurt therefore looks set to be smaller, more uncertain, and heavy with threats to its very future.
Bosch and the federations slam the door
On 30 and 31 October 2025, in quick succession, first ZIV (the cycle industry federation) and Zukunft Fahrrad, then Bosch eBike Systems, made their withdrawal from the 2026 edition official. The cause: the failure of negotiations over a ten-point reform plan meant to refocus the show on the industry’s needs. Claus Fleischer, CEO of Bosch eBike Systems and a member of the ZIV board, justified the departure by explaining that he no longer saw the “fundamental changes” needed for a “successful future” for Eurobike.
Tyre manufacturer Schwalbe followed suit. These defections come on top of longer-standing absences: Specialized, Scott and SRAM have stayed away from the show for several years. Since its move from Friedrichshafen to Frankfurt in 2022, Eurobike has watched its exhibitor and visitor numbers erode. In December, management even changed hands, with Stefan Reisinger giving way to Philipp Ferger.
A rival show is taking shape for 2027
The most worrying thing for Frankfurt is not the 2026 edition, but what comes next. The two rebel federations are working on a show of their own, European in scale, targeted for autumn 2027; ZIV and Zukunft Fahrrad are also due to merge that same year. “We are working with determination to build our own leading international show, on a European scale,” said Burkhard Stork, director of ZIV.
Aware of the danger, Eurobike has given ground. It has dropped Mobifuture, its planned parallel show devoted to micromobility, and promises a “more compact, more focused” edition. Talks have resumed in Brussels, but they are mainly about 2027.
The talks in Brussels showed that there is a shared interest in a strong, forward-looking Eurobike.
Philipp Ferger, director of Eurobike
Three days for the trade, one Saturday for everyone
A show remains, and a programme with it. From Wednesday to Friday (24 to 26 June), the days are reserved for trade visitors. On Saturday 27, Eurobike opens to the public with its festival, at €18 for admission (€49 for a family ticket), against €72 a day on the trade side. On the floor plan, hall 11 gathers performance and sport, hall 12 everyday and cargo bikes, and hall 8 products on the border between cycling and eco-mobility. Outside, a test track, demo zones and the Drop and Roll trials show, with Danny MacAskill, liven up the weekend.
Avinox fills the gap, Shimano returns in a minor key
Bosch’s absence leaves an open road for a name that is still recent. Avinox is DJI’s former motor division — the Chinese drone giant — which the group spun off into a separate company to escape the US restrictions targeting drones; the technology is still that of the DJI teams, and Amflow is its in-house bike brand. In April, Avinox unveiled its second generation of motors. At peak power, the M2 tops out at 1,100 watts and 125 Nm of torque, the M2S at 1,500 watts and 150 Nm — half as much power again as the previous model, for a near-identical weight (2.6 kg).
The figure is spectacular, but misleading: these motors are still homologated as ordinary pedal-assist mountain bikes, with a nominal power of 250 watts and a cut-off at 25 km/h; the peak only serves for accelerations. The leap has nonetheless revived the debate over a possible cap on the power of electric bikes. The fact remains that with Bosch absent, Avinox takes the spotlight: its Amflow brand and Canyon are among the confirmed exhibitors, and the electric mountain bike halls look set to be the show’s real centre of gravity.
On the road side, Shimano is making its return after having also threatened to leave — but in a minor key, with nothing more than an outdoor test area. “Shimano will have an essential and more focused presence this year,” says its European marketing director, David Greenfield. The big unknown remains its future Dura-Ace groupset: rumour, fed by patents, credits it with a fully wireless drivetrain moved up to thirteen speeds to counter SRAM. Nothing is official — and any presentation is in any case expected around the Tour de France rather than at the show. SRAM, its great rival, will not be there to reply in any event.
What to watch for in the aisles
With fewer heavyweights, the quieter brands gain visibility. Electric bikes are still chasing light weight: gentler assistance, compact batteries, simplified charging — last year, Estonia’s Ampler made an impression with its Nova, the first electric bike on the market to charge from an ordinary USB-C charger (140 watts), with no proprietary power brick. Motor maker Mahle, also present, is pushing its lightweight systems.
Gravel and road are gaining ground, in the wake of the show’s refocus on its “sporting core”. On the mountain bike side, still-experimental ideas — inverted forks borrowed from motorcycling, and even the 32-inch wheels spotted on cross-country prototypes — are trying to break through. The organisers are also promising a bigger place for recycled materials and the circular economy. All of them avenues to be confirmed once on site.
For visitors, Eurobike 2026 will therefore read on two levels: a show still rich in new products, Avinox first among them, but stripped of several of its pillars. The real contest will play out in 2027, when the historic event and the federations’ rival show go head to head to decide who now sets the benchmark in cycling.
