Sixth bike fair Bike Brussels is coming up

March 13, 2024

From Friday 22 to Sunday 24 March, Tour & Taxis will host the sixth edition of the bike fair Bike Brussels. In the event location’s ‘Gare Maritime, ‘ more than 150 exhibitors will guide cycling enthusiasts through the latest innovations in the sector, recent accessories that can come in handy for a trip on two […]

Amsterdam considers remote-controlled speed-reducing system for e-bikes

March 12, 2024

Amsterdam is considering introducing an innovative adaptive speed governance solution for e-bikes. The system is intended to remotely slow down the speed of electric bicycles as they approach the city center. Amsterdam’s Alderwoman, Melanie Van der Horst (D66), recently inaugurated a system demonstration. The initiative specifically tackles the challenges of congested bike lanes, aiming to […]

Over a quarter of Belgians ride an e-bike

February 21, 2024

The electric bike is becoming more and more popular. More than one in four Belgians, or 28%, used one in 2023, up 4% from a year ago. This is according to a survey by the FPS Mobility. The rise is particularly striking in rural areas. The regular Flemish cyclist living outside a big city uses […]

Dutch police newly armed to catch overpowered e-bikes

February 14, 2024

The Dutch police have a new weapon against high-speed and high-power electric bicycles. They recently introduced a roadside testing platform to check the speed of mopeds, scooters, and other electric vehicles, such as electric bicycles, speed pedelecs, and fat bikes. The roller test benches also check whether these vehicles comply with the applicable legislation. The […]

Trendy Swedish electric motorbike maker CAKE goes belly-up

February 08, 2024

CAKE, the nifty Swedish maker of premium lightweight, electric motorcycles and mopeds, has unexpectedly filed for bankruptcy on February 1st. The lawyer’s office, Fylgia, says attorney Jakob Callmander was appointed as the bankruptcy administrator, and tender documents are being prepared for the sale of the business. Its Swedish compatriot Polestar, Volvo’s electric sister brand, launched […]

Traxio: ‘For first time, more e-bikes sold in Belgium than classic ones’

January 22, 2024

For the first time last year, more electric bicycles were sold in Belgium than regular bicycles. E-bikes now have a market share of 51,2%. However, bicycle sales have decreased.  After the top year of 2022, bicycle sales dropped by 12,9%. Still, more than 600 000 units were sold (606 017 to be precise), or more […]

Belgian police to legally deploy lure bikes to catch thieves

January 12, 2024

A new legal framework gives Belgian police a legal basis to deploy bicycles with GPS trackers from now on. Previous limited experiments by some police zones with lure bikes were successful but time-consuming and required the intervention of the magistracy as the method could otherwise be considered a provocation. The city of Ghent, in particular, […]

E-scooter operators Dott and TIER to merge

January 11, 2024

The German shared e-scooter operator TIER and the Dutch-French micro-mobility company Dott have signed a preliminary agreement to merge the two companies to form Europe’s leading micro-mobility operator. Both companies reported this in a press release. The joint entity will continue to operate under the Dott and TIER brands. The merger is expected to take […]

Yamaha to set up e-bike battery swapping for Europe

January 04, 2024

Japanese two-wheeler specialist Yamaha Motor has created a new European daughter, Enyring GmbH, headquartered in Berlin (Germany), to offer swappable batteries for ‘compact urban electric vehicles’ via subscription-based services. With these vehicles ‘in the low-speed range,’ it means mainly e-bikes from ‘strategic partner companies’ using a compatible swappable battery. Enyring aims to start operations in […]

2023 second-best year for new speed pedelecs

January 04, 2024

2023 was the second-best year ever for new speed pedelecs and the record year for second-hand fast bikes. That is the conclusion of mobility federation Traxio’s spokesperson Filip Rylant. Last year, a total of 22 477 new and second-hand speed pedelecs were registered. The good news is that there is still room for further growth, […]

Decathlon’s 14 kg ultra-light electric race bike offers 100 km range

December 28, 2023

E-bikes tend to weigh a lot – at least 22 to 25 kg on average – mainly due to their battery and motor, but this can be improved, as the French sports chain proves with its new electric road race bicycle, the Van Rysel E-EDR AF. This one, offered at €2 800, weighs only 14 […]

Limburg drafts final plan for ‘Cycling Underground’ attraction

December 26, 2023

Limburg will soon have a new cycling attraction called ‘Cycling Underground’. As the final plan was drafted, things suddenly seemed to be moving forward for the new tourist cycling project in Kanne/Riemst. Limburg is particularly popular among cyclists. In recent years, the province spared no trouble or expenses to offer tourists special bicycle routes. After […]

New speed pedelec registrations slow down, used ones accelerate

December 11, 2023

The market of the new speed pedelecs experienced a further delay in November, with -20,9% to 1 018 units, which is 269 less than in November last year. The persistently negative figures reduce the cumulative annual total over the first nine months to -9,9% below the previous year’s figure. Private individuals (-33,2%) and companies (-15,8%) […]

Blue-bike gets more expensive

December 05, 2023

Most rides on a Blue-bike, a bike-sharing project of which the Flemish public transport company De Lijn is the main shareholder, will become one euro more expensive from next year. This is because the concession from the Flemish government will disappear. Indeed, for each 24-hour ride, the Flemish government has reimbursed one euro. From 1 […]

Belgian coastal bicycle highway is taking shape

November 28, 2023

The F34 bicycle highway between Ostend and Zeebrugge (Belgium) is taking shape. It will connect Nieuwpoort and Knokke-Heist and bicycle traffic will be guided via a 4-meter wide and comfortable bicycle highway, seperated from motorized traffic. Cyclists will always have priority at intersections on this highway. In 2019, Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works, […]

Speed cameras also to catch speed pedelecs in cycling zones

November 27, 2023

Municipalities will soon be allowed to install fixed speed cameras and average speed checks in bicycle streets. The Flemish government has decided this, reports the newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, among others. It is already happening in some Flemish municipalities. In the Bodukap police zone in the Antwerp region, for example, 22-speed pedelec users were recently cautioned […]

D’Ieteren’s bicycle shop chain expands in Malines and Louvain

November 23, 2023

D’Ieteren‘s bicycle division Lucien announces strengthening its position in the Belgian bicycle market by acquiring two renowned bicycle shops – Bike Planet Sport and Bike Planet City – in Malines (Mechelen). In Louvain, there will be a new store at the Diestsestraat 88. The two stores in Mechelen have built a strong reputation for offering […]

Honda presents first electric mountain bike concept

November 06, 2023

Japanese car manufacturer Honda recently presented its first electric bicycle concept, the Honda eMTB Concept, at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo. The mountain bike has a fairly realistic design and could possibly reach production in the short term. Debuting the eMTB concept bike at the Japanese Mobility Show is a big step for Honda, […]

Ghent University to install Bicycle Chair with Flanders’ support

October 30, 2023

Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) plans to install a new Bicycle Chair at Ghent University from December 1st, with financial and substantive support from the Flemish government. Mobility experts who want to contribute to cycling policy in Flanders with their academic work can apply for the vacancy of part-time guest professor. The […]

European Court: ‘E-bike is not a motorized vehicle’

October 13, 2023

According to the highest European Court, an e-bike is not a motorized vehicle. Speed pedelecs and other electric bicycles are, therefore, not covered by compulsory insurance for motor vehicles because they are not driven exclusively by mechanical power. That is what the European Court of Justice states in a judgment in a Belgian case. The […]

Sharp dip in Belgian speed pedelecs sales

October 06, 2023

Sales of new speed pedelecs fell 31,4% in Belgium in September compared to the same month last year. This is reported by sector federation Traxio. In September, 1 212 speed pedelecs were sold, compared to 1 767 in the same month last year. However, on the second-hand market for speed pedelecs, a clear increase of […]

Belgium increases bicycle allowance for commuters

October 02, 2023

The federal government will increase the bicycle allowance for those who commute by bicycle from 0,27 euros to 0,35 euros per kilometer. In addition to the increase, there will be an annual ceiling for the tax exemption of 2 500 euros per year. According to figures from HR service provider SD Worx, almost one in […]

Kawasaki enters electric motorcycle market with Ninja e-1 and Z e-1

September 25, 2023

Kawasaki has unveiled its first two production electric motorcycles: the Ninja e-1 and the Z e-1. Both models are meant for city use with a 9 kW motor, which makes them equivalent to the 125 cc class and around 72 km of range. Electric motorcycles are slowly gaining traction, with models like the Harley-Davidson LiveWire […]

MINI partners with French Angell for exclusive connected e-bike

September 22, 2023

The British iconic MINI brand, which saw the light of day in 1959 and rebirth under the wings of BMW since 2000, is launching itself into electric bicycles ahead of becoming a fully electric car brand itself. It partnered with the French start-up Angell Mobility, founded by Marc Simoncini, to bring two exclusive connected e-bikes […]

Acerta: ‘One in six Belgian employees gets bicycle allowance’

September 18, 2023

Today, 1,62% of Belgian employees has a leased bike to commute. That is one-quarter more than last year (1,29%) and more than ever. The figures come from HR service provider Acerta and are based on a survey among 320 000 employees working in 37 000 private sector companies. The reason for this extensive study was […]

Lucien expands with Fietsen King’s Danish cargo bikes

September 08, 2023

Lucien, the bicycle shop chain under the wings of Belgian’s most significant car importer D’Ieteren, is expanding its territory again with the recent acquisition of ‘Fietsen King’ in Louvain. It will be the 17th Lucien shop. Until now, D’Ieteren’s bicycle subsidiary was mainly active in and around Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent. Later this year, the […]

Brussels residents more afraid in traffic due to shared e-mobility

September 06, 2023

You don’t have to live in Brussels for road safety, and certainly not since the rise of electric shared mobility. As many as 64% of Brussels residents blame the rising number of road accidents on this trend. More than half (54%) of the capital’s residents also think shared e-mobility, such as rental e-scooters, should be […]

McLaren Applied acquires bust Dutch VanMoof e-bikes

September 01, 2023

On Thursday, the British e-scooter manufacturer Lavoie, backed by Formula 1 supplier McLaren Applied, announced that it will acquire the recently bankrupt VanMoof e-bike business. Lavoie intends to combine and integrate their capabilities “to create a next-generation e-mobility business and establish a world-leading premium e-mobility offering”. The move is part of Lavoie’s global growth strategy […]

Ghent goes for big cycling festival and congress

August 30, 2023

Next summer, Ghent wants to organize Velo-city, a significant cycling festival and congress. The city council has set aside 180 000 euros for it. The highlight should be a bike ride with 2 000 participants. From 18 to 21 June 2024, Ghent will briefly be the epicenter of international cycling. The major cycling conference Velo-city […]

Wallonia regulates shared e-scooters and bikes in public spaces

August 25, 2023

The Walloon government has adopted a decree to regulate fleets of shared bicycles and e-scooters in cities and to ensure more sustainable management. The text provides for the Region to grant licenses only to operators who meet various technical requirements, such as vehicle characteristics, but also the sustainability of fleet management. The Walloon municipalities will […]

Dutch insurers exclude fat bikes due to numerous thefts

August 22, 2023

For the time being, Dutch insurer ANWB will stop ensuring fat bikes, electrically powered bicycles with thicker tires. The insurer says it is doing so because of the “extremely high” number of stolen fat bikes. The financial damage recovered from insurance has now risen to 800% of the premium, says ANWB. “This is not bearable […]

Dutch ‘deadly’ Stint executives risk life imprisonment

August 18, 2023

Five years after the accident with the Stint electric cargo cart in Oss (the Netherlands), in which four children died in a collision with a train, two company executives are accused of “marketing and selling a harmful product, which they knew was harmful”. They risk life in prison now that the Dutch court prosecutes them […]

Retailer Decathlon offers ‘automatic’ e-bike with Belgian tech

August 18, 2023

Sports retailer group Decathlon presented an e-bike with variable transmission on Thursday. The automatic shifting has been developed by E2 Drives in Wavre, in the Brabant Wallon province. The heart of the LD920 e-bike is a newly developed all-in-one solution for the bike drive, which was developed for three years with the Belgian start-up E2 […]

Bike chain Lucien also moves into Wallonia

August 07, 2023

The listed company D’Ieteren, which is best known for importing and distributing cars of the Volkswagen Group and Carglass, is further expanding its bike chain, Lucien. Having already opened Lucien shops in Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent, it is now also setting its eyes on Wallonia. It plans to open its first shop in the heart of […]

Traxio reports drop in new speed pedelec registrations

August 07, 2023

Sales figures of new speed pedelecs fell sharply in July by 17,4% to 1 362 units or 287 fewer than in July 2022. As a result, the cumulative annual total over the first seven months is 0,9% below the figure from last year. The figures come from the mobility federation Traxio. One of the explanations […]

Americans prepare take-over bid Dutch VanMoof e-bikes

August 01, 2023

The American company micromobility.com, a global pioneer in sustainable transportation as it claims, is preparing the take-over of the recently declared bankrupt Amsterdam e-bike manufacturer VanMoof. The company has already made a so-called ‘non-binding’ offer that would have been positively received. The news was announced on the company’s website, but financial details were not disclosed. […]

Bolt goes social in Brussels

August 01, 2023

Estonian mobility company Bolt wants to make Brussels more inclusive, so under the banner ‘Bolt for All,’ they want to make their e-scooters and e-bikes more accessible to everyone. From now on, all students, job seekers, and people dependent on one of the 19 Brussels Social Services who receive a living wage or its equivalent […]

Upway to help out e-bike customers of bankrupt Dutch VanMoof

July 28, 2023

The French platform for refurbished e-bikes, Upway, offers owners of a VanMoof bicycle to repair it. The company used to partner with the now-bankrupt VanMoof, so Upway’s mechanics know how to repair the bikes. Earlier this month, the court had declared the Dutch bicycle manufacturer VanMoof bankrupt. The company was founded in 2009 by Taco […]

Dutch trendy e-bikes VanMoof declared bankrupt

July 19, 2023

“VanMoof on the verge of bankruptcy,” we wrote just a week ago. Last Wednesday, the company was granted a two-month payment postponement by the Amsterdam court, but, in the meantime, the court has declared the Dutch e-bike manufacturer VanMoof bankrupt. Despite their ambitious plans to develop the perfect city bike and “get as many people […]

Flanders launches safety campaign for 30 km/h speed limit on towpaths

July 17, 2023

Last Sunday, Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) kicked off a new courtesy and safety campaign for users of the many towpaths in Flanders. The campaign calls for courtesy, safe behavior, and respect for the maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour on the more than 2 000 towpaths and dyke roads. Speed pedelecs, […]

E-bikes VanMoof on the verge of bankruptcy

July 14, 2023

The Dutch manufacturer of e-design bicycles, VanMoof, is on the verge of bankruptcy. The financial problems are so dramatic that the company can no longer pay its bills. Instead of making a billion people addicted to cycling, the company succumbs to a loss of millions. On Wednesday, VanMoof was granted a two-month payment postponement by […]

BMW’s eParkourer: ‘neither e-motorbike nor e-scooter for the city’

July 10, 2023

Two years after the full-electric CE 04 ‘kicked off BMW Motorrad’s electric urban mobility future, there is a new full-electric sibling on two wheels: the CE 02 eParkourer. The bike, with its chassis with a double-loop tube frame, telescopic forks, single-sided swingarm, and cast light alloy wheels, looks somewhat like an oversized fat bike. Created […]

F24 bicycle highway between Louvain and Boutersem opened

July 06, 2023

The new bicycle highway – F24 – between Louvain and Boutersem was officially inaugurated on Wednesday. Plans and preparations for the project were launched eleven years ago, and now the bicycle connection is finally ready. The new section is 4,5 km long, and 4 meters wide, and follows railway line 36 between Louvain and Tirlemont. […]

BMW to offer six new gravel, road, and urban bikes

July 03, 2023

BMW has joined forces with long-established Italian bicycle manufacturer 3T to create three types of bikes for various use cases. Customers can choose from a gravel bike, road bike, or urban bike; each of which can also be ordered with an electric motor. All models offer a unique combination of state-of-the-art technology and progressive design. […]

D’Ieteren’s Lucien adds two Ghent shops to its bike chain

June 16, 2023

Plum, Ghent’s best-known bike shop, has a new owner. The shop on Verlorenkost has been taken over by Lucien, D’Ieteren’s bicycle chain. Lucien also takes over the Remory-Van Heddeghem shop in Wetteren from the Remora family. This reports the business newspaper De Tijd. With the two acquisitions, Lucien now has 16 branches in Belgium, but […]

Bolt to offer an additional 400 shared bikes in Ghent

June 13, 2023

Bolt will be the third company to offer bike-sharing in Ghent. Four years ago, Donkey Republic started in the Artevelde City and has 500 city bikes on offer. Last year, Dott proposed 600 electric bikes and 45 cargo bikes. Bolt is joining the club, starting with another 400 electric bikes. The Bolt bikes will be […]

Wit-Gele Kruis nurses on e-bikes to avoid traffic congestion

June 08, 2023

Twelve nurses of the ‘Wit-Gele Kruis’ in Hasselt (Limburg) use leased electric bicycles to visit and take care of their patients in the city center. This way, they can avoid the hustle and bustle of the city and their eternal search for a parking space. The home nursing service has decided to invest 20 000 […]

Belgian Specter introduces 170 km ‘long-range’ speed pedelec

June 07, 2023

Specter, a Belgian start-up with a production unit in Wondelgem (East Flanders), designs and builds unique, high-end, lightweight, and connected speed pedelecs. On Tuesday, the company introduced a ‘long-range’ version of its Specter 1 speed pedelec, launched end of 2022. The vehicle has an increased driving range of up to 170 kilometers. It is equipped […]

Flemish increasingly opt for cycling, but car remains king

June 06, 2023

The Fleming increasingly prefers to cycle and walk. This emerges from a study into the travel behavior of the Flemish population by the Department of Mobility. Although the car remains the most popular means of transport, the share of the car drops below 60% for the first time. It is the sixth time since 1994 […]

VDL to produce bicycle frames in Breda

June 06, 2023

Dutch industrial group VDL is going to produce bicycle frames for the Dutch manufacturer of electric bicycles Qwic and the Limburg bicycle manufacturer Belgian Cycling Factory (BCF), among others. The latter is known for its Ridley and Eddy Merckx products. VDL will also produce carbon front forks for a new BCF cyclo-cross bike model. The […]

European transport ministers want to make 2024 Year of the Bicycle

June 05, 2023

Seven European transport ministers want to make 2024 the year of cycling. They launched this call on World Cycling Day. The United Nations has declared the 3rd of June World Cycling Day in 2018 to draw attention to the benefits of bicycles. The seven mobility ministers are asking Europe to develop a genuine cycling policy. […]

Sporty bikes are gaining ground again

May 25, 2023

According to sector federation Traxio, 198 095 sporty bikes were delivered in 2022, 28,5% of the total bikes delivered for 2022. That’s a rise of 23 623 units compared to 2021. There was also a sharp rise in electric bikes in some subsegments of these sporty bikes, while the so-called ‘last-mile’ segments are also growing […]

E-bike manufacturer Cowboy goes also offline

May 23, 2023

Cowboy, the Belgian manufacturer of city e-bikes, drops its online-only strategy. By the end of the year, the company wants a retail network of at least 300 independent bike shops in 60 Belgian and foreign cities. In Belgium, contracts will be closed with “some ten retail partners”. Names will follow later when their personnel has […]

Brussels MR wants ban on bikes and e-scooters in busy pedestrian areas

May 17, 2023

The Brussels MR has proposed a bill to ban bicycles and e-scooters in busy pedestrian zones in the capital. Currently, the maximum speed allowed there is officially 8 km/hour. Cyclists and e-scooter users who ride too fast through the pedestrian zones risk a fine of 174 euros. The MR justifies the ban by “the explosion […]

Belgian bicycle market sprints to top result: +19%

May 17, 2023

After a slight decrease in 2021, mainly due to delivery problems, the Belgian bicycle market has grown by a substantial 19% to almost 700 000 units (695 871 to be precise), or 110 958 more than in 2021. The corona problems are clearly behind us, and plenty of bicycles and spare parts are available. According […]

Limburg to invest €13 million in ‘coal track’ bicycle highway

May 09, 2023

The province of Limburg (Belgium) has applied for an environmental permit to construct the ‘Kolenspoor’ (coal track) bicycle highway between Genk and As. The project represents a €13 million investment. The old coal track connects Maasmechelen with Beringen and runs via Heusden-Zolder, Houthalen-Helchteren, Zonhoven, Genk, and As. The construction of the first 12-km-long stretch, from […]

‘Cafetaria plan’ pushes bike ahead for commuting Belgians

May 09, 2023

Belgian employees with flexible remuneration are increasingly opting for cycling. This emerges from an analysis by HR service provider SD Worx of so-called cafeteria plans, a personalized pay package with extralegal benefits that companies now offer. More than one in ten employees opt for a bicycle, for example. Individual pension savings and extra holidays also […]

Brussels working on new bike sharing system without Villo!

May 08, 2023

There is a hitch in the marriage between the Brussels Region and Villo! Operator JCDecaux. Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) suggested last year that Villo! no longer met the expectations of the Brussels Region. The Brussels Region is now launching a study to replace Villo! So writes the business newspaper L’Echo. The […]

Arval: ‘Mobility offer is important factor in employment search’

May 02, 2023

In Belgium, a comprehensive mobility offer is a decisive factor for seven out of ten employees in choosing their employer. That’s the result of a European survey of the Arval Mobility Observatory interrogating employees in the private sector. The observatory questioned 2 905 European employees for this Employee Mobility Survey, living in Belgium, France, Germany, […]

Bicycle bridge between Vilvoorde and Brucargo to encourage commuting

April 28, 2023

A bicycle bridge over the Haachtsesteenweg (N21) has been inaugurated in the Flemish Brabant town of Steenokkerzeel. The bridge is part of the bicycle highway F214, which connects the center of Vilvoorde with Brucargo, the cargo zone of Brussels Airport. “Thanks to the bridge, hundreds of airport employees will be able to get to work […]