As I walked towards the main gate of Eurobike, it was in ruins. The slate of temporary bicycle parking lots that years ago overflowed with hundreds upon hundreds of bikes was empty. After going through the doors, I walked about a kilometer through almost empty connecting streets to reach the exhibition grounds. And, years ago, these were also driven into the wall by people trying to get to the main floor at the open air show.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.dcrainmaker.com\/images\/2026\/06\/IMG_8989.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_8989.jpeg\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.dcrainmaker.com\/images\/2026\/06\/IMG_8849.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_8849.jpeg\\"")
<\/p>\n
But ultimately, the most puzzling part of this opening day series was the first thing I saw when I entered the main hall. It wasn’t a bicycle, but rather, a small Fiat electric car for two people. Next to it, the upper quad. Many have said that this is what ultimately killed Eurobike – the attempt by the show’s owners to turn it into an all-in-one bike show, rather than a bike show.<\/p>\n
Eurobike wanted the number of exhibitors for the 2026 edition at 800, down from 1,500 exhibitors the previous year (2025), and 1,800 in 2024. I would also like the number of exhibitors who actually showed up in 2026 to be less than that 800 number. There were lots of empty booths floating around.<\/p>\n
I thought I’d take a moment to pre-write the kind of knots in the show that I’ve attended for 14 years, all over Friedrichshafen and Frankfurt. And later, I will explain why it is dead, despite their empty claims that it is not.<\/p>\n
Why It Breaks Up:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.dcrainmaker.com\/images\/2026\/06\/IMG_8968.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_8968.jpeg\\"")
<\/p>\n
In fact, it was a combination of factors (including) that killed Eurobike. Most of the major industry trade shows were on the decline even before Eurobike added the bikes, but their inclusion is coupled with other factors that killed the show. I won’t make this a very long post, but I want to highlight the main areas:<\/p>\n
A) Transfer from Friedrichshafen to Frankfurt:<\/strong> <\/span>See, too many people have tinted glasses about Friedrichshafen. It was a nightmare for everyone involved. In fact, it is logistically acceptable. Hotels were booked up a year in advance, and even then, you had to travel 60-90 minutes round trip each day to get to the fair from faraway hotels (even across the lake by boat). The buses from the train station to the fair were unbelievably bad at doing the one job they were supposed to do: Transport you 2km. You can probably always go faster, because of the horrible traffic (but you will be soaked in the heat). However, once you were able to get to the fairgrounds, the show was really good. There were great places to ride in the apple orchards. And the party-like atmosphere was also great. Frankfurt doesn’t have that. There is not a soul at the fair in Frankfurt. Less suggestive is the return to Friedrichshafen. Rather, finding a middle ground between the concrete jungle of Frankfurt’s convention center and the nightmare of Friedrichshafen.<\/p>\nB) Major products that leave:<\/strong> <\/span>I’m not even talking about American bike companies like Specialized or the like, which happened many years ago. Instead, the most recent brands are going. SRAM in the last year or two, Shimano and Bosch this year, and too many to count. In itself, there is no one brand that is very important in such a big exhibition (after all, companies like Apple are not present at big events like CES), but many big brands that are missing start to rot. Especially when the essence of the show was that all kinds of bikes were in it.<\/p>\nC) Medium-sized brands also remain:<\/strong><\/span> Let’s take a look at the sports technology section that I cover. Obviously, there may be journalists talking about other parts that are still profitable at the show (for example MTB gearboxes). But, in my place, let’s list my usual suspects that are absent this year:<\/p>\n1) Garmin\/Tacx (it was there all those years ago)
2) SRAM\/Hammerhead (existed until last year)
3) Shimano (was there all those years ago)
4) Wahoo (was there all those years ago, up or down)
5) Elite (existed all years ago)
6) Magene (was present in recent years)
7) Bryton (he was there in recent years)
8) Divisions \/ Giant (existed all previous years)
9) Power2Max (existed last year)
10) 4iiii (was it there all the years ago, up or down)
11) SRM (it was there all those years ago, up or down)
12) All small electric meter companies (almost not there now)
13) All small aero sensor companies (I don’t think they exist this year)
14) Lezyne (was there all those years ago, on or off)
15) Big apps for trainers: Zwift, Rouvy, MyWhoosh, TrainerRoad, Kinomap, etc\u2026 All these groups were in the area, even if some of them had official booths, most of them had booths that were not in the exhibition of the meetings. No one was there, only the icTrainer.<\/p>\n
And again, that’s different from other companies I’d like to talk to myself, like most (all major?) brands of cargo bikes and such that disappeared. And beyond that, this skips all the random sports-tech startups that sometimes make for good news, too.<\/p>\n
D) Product launch change:<\/strong> <\/span>As I’ve talked about for years, for mid- to larger-sized brands, a product launch at a trade show is often a dumb PR strategy. Your launch stories are now being shared with many advertising companies. I remember back in 2019 at Eurobike, and I have something like 14 full in-depth reviews, I somehow had to finish on the morning of the Eurobike launch (trainers, bike computers, power meters, and even some watches). It didn’t happen; others just don’t cut it. And it was the big name companies that didn’t make it. Therefore, companies have switched to presenting their products at small private press events, or by sending out loaner units.<\/p>\nE) Time of year no longer matters:<\/strong><\/span> It used to be that companies presented their products in line with the Eurobike\/Interbike season, before buying for the following season. For example, for the last 10 years, you *always* introduced new coaches in the August\/September period. Always, without fail. These days? You open them whenever you are ready to send. Consumers will buy it when they are ready. People ride all year round, unlike skiing, which only happens for a few months of the year.<\/p>\nF) Installation of non-bike micro-mobility: <\/span><\/strong>In fact I would argue that, as dumb as it was to have cars at a bike show, this is not what killed Eurobike. No one sat in their office and said: “The only reason I’m not going to Eurobike is because I saw an electric Fiat on the stand”. On social media, maybe, but not in real life. Instead, it was all the other things above that killed Eurobike. Having quads in the booths, or electric cars averaging 90KPH on the bike test track (as I actually saw yesterday) was icing on the cake.<\/p>\nFinally, I would suggest going and reading Suvi’s piece on Escape Collective on many other aspects. There are also the organizational aspects of the party within Germany that contribute to it (however, I would argue that by the time these parties entered the offensive, the above factors were already important factors).<\/p>\n
And of course, there are factors like how COVID has brought more companies into meetings as well as digital, but I’m not really buying that here. After all, some bike shows\/events are still as popular as ever. Escape noted the Rouleur Live show as a good example. And indeed, I went there a year or two ago, and it was great. But you know what made it fun? I didn’t write anything about it.<\/p>\n
I went, met everyone I knew in the industry to catch up on everything. But there was no big product launch tied to it. Instead, it was a networking event that the industry wanted, without the responsibility of Eurobike. Buyers are welcome, which gives a marketing reason for the company’s presence, while the strict closure of the area means that individual booths are small (to reduce costs).<\/p>\n
Move forward:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.dcrainmaker.com\/images\/2026\/06\/IMG_8848-1.jpeg\" "\\"IMG_8848.jpeg\\"")
<\/p>\n
Now, about now, some of you may say, ‘Wait, Eurobike isn’t dead yet?!? They announced the dates for the coming year 2027!’<\/em>. And that is true (now back to early September 2027). But what is equally true is that he has quietly announced that the show will not return in 2028, and instead they will try to switch to a year-round format starting in 2029. Of course, they didn’t put that out in the press release on their site, but rather, it’s the daily show notes that don’t make it into the main press release feed.<\/p>\nThe truth is, that’s probably not going to happen. At some point, in autumn or early winter, I can assure you that Eurobike will quietly announce the cancellation of the 2027 show. Companies will no longer subscribe to it. Especially after receiving a report on this years event. Short of them being able to convince all kinds of big brands, and companies like those kinds of medium size to come to the show (and announce this), no one else will fall in line. That’s exactly what happened at Interbike years ago.<\/p>\n
Almost everyone I spoke to at the show felt it was “a huge waste of time” (that’s a direct quote from one company on the list above). And if it weren’t for the interesting Canyon concept bike I covered yesterday, I’d certainly be in the same camp. Maybe there are other little things I can hide in that I had discussions with, but most of them were small updates\/etc, rather than something I used to write in the whole episode. Well, things worth mentioning are a quick gallery, rather than an in-depth episode. Also, the media or vendors who cover other parts of the product may have still received some value this year.<\/p>\n
Still, it’s a shame, because the best part of Eurobike wasn’t the product launch or the new technology – it was meeting the people who are inventing the products. Engineers, product people, and inventors who bring together all these great pieces of technology, and understand how the products came to be, and their thinking about the future. Most of the time, I already had products that weren’t announced for review anyway. Instead, my time there was spent in meetings with people about cool new things coming out of the street, or sometimes, just hearing industry gossip. Maybe Rouler Live is the place for that next, or maybe somewhere else. We will have to see.<\/p>\n
With that – thanks for reading, and all the RV rental memories!<\/p>\n
DID YOU FIND THIS POST HELPFUL? SUPPORT THE PLACE!<\/h3>\n
Hopefully, you found this post helpful. The website is truly a labor of love, so please consider becoming a DC RAINMAKER Supporter. This is for an ad-free experience, and access to (mostly) our bi-monthly “Shed Talkin'” behind-the-scenes video series.<\/p>\n
Support DCRainMaker – Buy on Amazon<\/p>\n
If not, maybe consider using the link below when shopping on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on eligible purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but your purchase helps support this website greatly. It could just be buying toilet paper, or that pizza oven we use and love.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As I walked towards the main gate of Eurobike, it was in ruins. The slate of temporary bicycle parking lots that years ago overflowed with hundreds upon hundreds of bikes was empty. After going through the doors, I walked about a kilometer through almost empty connecting streets to reach the exhibition grounds. And, years ago, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15588,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15587","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wearables"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15587"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15589,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587\/revisions\/15589"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/p>\nB) Major products that leave:<\/strong> <\/span>I’m not even talking about American bike companies like Specialized or the like, which happened many years ago. Instead, the most recent brands are going. SRAM in the last year or two, Shimano and Bosch this year, and too many to count. In itself, there is no one brand that is very important in such a big exhibition (after all, companies like Apple are not present at big events like CES), but many big brands that are missing start to rot. Especially when the essence of the show was that all kinds of bikes were in it.<\/p>\n C) Medium-sized brands also remain:<\/strong><\/span> Let’s take a look at the sports technology section that I cover. Obviously, there may be journalists talking about other parts that are still profitable at the show (for example MTB gearboxes). But, in my place, let’s list my usual suspects that are absent this year:<\/p>\n 1) Garmin\/Tacx (it was there all those years ago) And again, that’s different from other companies I’d like to talk to myself, like most (all major?) brands of cargo bikes and such that disappeared. And beyond that, this skips all the random sports-tech startups that sometimes make for good news, too.<\/p>\n D) Product launch change:<\/strong> <\/span>As I’ve talked about for years, for mid- to larger-sized brands, a product launch at a trade show is often a dumb PR strategy. Your launch stories are now being shared with many advertising companies. I remember back in 2019 at Eurobike, and I have something like 14 full in-depth reviews, I somehow had to finish on the morning of the Eurobike launch (trainers, bike computers, power meters, and even some watches). It didn’t happen; others just don’t cut it. And it was the big name companies that didn’t make it. Therefore, companies have switched to presenting their products at small private press events, or by sending out loaner units.<\/p>\n E) Time of year no longer matters:<\/strong><\/span> It used to be that companies presented their products in line with the Eurobike\/Interbike season, before buying for the following season. For example, for the last 10 years, you *always* introduced new coaches in the August\/September period. Always, without fail. These days? You open them whenever you are ready to send. Consumers will buy it when they are ready. People ride all year round, unlike skiing, which only happens for a few months of the year.<\/p>\n F) Installation of non-bike micro-mobility: <\/span><\/strong>In fact I would argue that, as dumb as it was to have cars at a bike show, this is not what killed Eurobike. No one sat in their office and said: “The only reason I’m not going to Eurobike is because I saw an electric Fiat on the stand”. On social media, maybe, but not in real life. Instead, it was all the other things above that killed Eurobike. Having quads in the booths, or electric cars averaging 90KPH on the bike test track (as I actually saw yesterday) was icing on the cake.<\/p>\n Finally, I would suggest going and reading Suvi’s piece on Escape Collective on many other aspects. There are also the organizational aspects of the party within Germany that contribute to it (however, I would argue that by the time these parties entered the offensive, the above factors were already important factors).<\/p>\n And of course, there are factors like how COVID has brought more companies into meetings as well as digital, but I’m not really buying that here. After all, some bike shows\/events are still as popular as ever. Escape noted the Rouleur Live show as a good example. And indeed, I went there a year or two ago, and it was great. But you know what made it fun? I didn’t write anything about it.<\/p>\n I went, met everyone I knew in the industry to catch up on everything. But there was no big product launch tied to it. Instead, it was a networking event that the industry wanted, without the responsibility of Eurobike. Buyers are welcome, which gives a marketing reason for the company’s presence, while the strict closure of the area means that individual booths are small (to reduce costs).<\/p>\n Now, about now, some of you may say, ‘Wait, Eurobike isn’t dead yet?!? They announced the dates for the coming year 2027!’<\/em>. And that is true (now back to early September 2027). But what is equally true is that he has quietly announced that the show will not return in 2028, and instead they will try to switch to a year-round format starting in 2029. Of course, they didn’t put that out in the press release on their site, but rather, it’s the daily show notes that don’t make it into the main press release feed.<\/p>\n The truth is, that’s probably not going to happen. At some point, in autumn or early winter, I can assure you that Eurobike will quietly announce the cancellation of the 2027 show. Companies will no longer subscribe to it. Especially after receiving a report on this years event. Short of them being able to convince all kinds of big brands, and companies like those kinds of medium size to come to the show (and announce this), no one else will fall in line. That’s exactly what happened at Interbike years ago.<\/p>\n Almost everyone I spoke to at the show felt it was “a huge waste of time” (that’s a direct quote from one company on the list above). And if it weren’t for the interesting Canyon concept bike I covered yesterday, I’d certainly be in the same camp. Maybe there are other little things I can hide in that I had discussions with, but most of them were small updates\/etc, rather than something I used to write in the whole episode. Well, things worth mentioning are a quick gallery, rather than an in-depth episode. Also, the media or vendors who cover other parts of the product may have still received some value this year.<\/p>\n Still, it’s a shame, because the best part of Eurobike wasn’t the product launch or the new technology – it was meeting the people who are inventing the products. Engineers, product people, and inventors who bring together all these great pieces of technology, and understand how the products came to be, and their thinking about the future. Most of the time, I already had products that weren’t announced for review anyway. Instead, my time there was spent in meetings with people about cool new things coming out of the street, or sometimes, just hearing industry gossip. Maybe Rouler Live is the place for that next, or maybe somewhere else. We will have to see.<\/p>\n With that – thanks for reading, and all the RV rental memories!<\/p>\n Hopefully, you found this post helpful. The website is truly a labor of love, so please consider becoming a DC RAINMAKER Supporter. This is for an ad-free experience, and access to (mostly) our bi-monthly “Shed Talkin'” behind-the-scenes video series.<\/p>\n Support DCRainMaker – Buy on Amazon<\/p>\n If not, maybe consider using the link below when shopping on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on eligible purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but your purchase helps support this website greatly. It could just be buying toilet paper, or that pizza oven we use and love.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As I walked towards the main gate of Eurobike, it was in ruins. The slate of temporary bicycle parking lots that years ago overflowed with hundreds upon hundreds of bikes was empty. After going through the doors, I walked about a kilometer through almost empty connecting streets to reach the exhibition grounds. And, years ago, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15588,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15587","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wearables"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15587"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15589,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587\/revisions\/15589"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
2) SRAM\/Hammerhead (existed until last year)
3) Shimano (was there all those years ago)
4) Wahoo (was there all those years ago, up or down)
5) Elite (existed all years ago)
6) Magene (was present in recent years)
7) Bryton (he was there in recent years)
8) Divisions \/ Giant (existed all previous years)
9) Power2Max (existed last year)
10) 4iiii (was it there all the years ago, up or down)
11) SRM (it was there all those years ago, up or down)
12) All small electric meter companies (almost not there now)
13) All small aero sensor companies (I don’t think they exist this year)
14) Lezyne (was there all those years ago, on or off)
15) Big apps for trainers: Zwift, Rouvy, MyWhoosh, TrainerRoad, Kinomap, etc\u2026 All these groups were in the area, even if some of them had official booths, most of them had booths that were not in the exhibition of the meetings. No one was there, only the icTrainer.<\/p>\nMove forward:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nDID YOU FIND THIS POST HELPFUL? SUPPORT THE PLACE!<\/h3>\n