iik

Hello community!

What are the key e-bike fairs/exhibitions in Europe?
Would prefer France, Italy, Switzerland, but can also get to other places.
Interested to see new arrivals, emerging trends, meet companies, etc.
Any hints and experiences would be appreciated!

iik

This one seems to be a good one:

Eurobike, Sept 2 -5, 2020, Friedrichshafen, Germany

Just on the border of Switzerland and Germany.
Answering to myself, but in case somebody is also interested

2old

The US had an expo series that traveled throughout the country stopping at eight or so cities but seems to have disbanded. I went to one in San Diego and one in Long Beach in successive years, but apparently no more. Now, we have Sea Otter in April, CABDA in a few cities and a couple too far away to be accessible.

iik

Thank you @2old! Not sure why there are not many (hardly any, in fact) e-bike related fairs/exhibitions so far...
Maybe they are just part of bike shows?
Or maybe they are yet to come, as the market develops?

2old

The main "e-only" expos in the US were sponsored by Bosch and had 25 or so booths mostly supported by different e-bike companies, each with a plethora of bikes to test ride on a track set up by the organizers. The track had ramps and a couple of off road type features to give some idea of how the bike would respond. Seemed to be a well-funded exhibition, but only lasted two years. Something wasn't working, either the size or demographics of the "crowd". They were held Friday-Sunday and I attended on Friday when the attendance was lower.

Nightdiver

This is exactly it, especially in Europe where the bike market now completely revolves around electric. So of course Eurobike is the single largest and most influential one, but there are dozens of smaller shows in Europe that will all feature mostly ebikes. Of course there are also some that are more of fairs/exhibitions rather than shows that happen and I think there are a few series that have a few scheduled in various cities around Europe. One thing that you'll need to check beforehand is whether the public is allowed admittance as some of these will be trade shows only for retailers/distributors. Others such as Eurobike are primarily for trade, but also allow the public on one or two of the last days.

iik

Ok, this makes sense Nightdiver ! Will keep looking for the smaller ones, and where the public is allowed.
Did not know that most European bike fairs/exhibitions are already around electric.

iik

I would imagine that this could come back some time soon 2old , as Bosch is only one vendor and the critical mass of e-bike vendors is building up.
So, would say that this is only a matter of time.

2old

Good point; maybe just a temporary hiatus while support builds. The biggest deterrence in my area is the supervisor of local parks has prohibited e-bikes from them (although it's policed in only a few), so the shops are stuck with selling e-bikes for the bike paths (and some of those have signs prohibiting their use) or street use. There is a very vocal community of "e-haters" in my area, some apparently (on the forums) hating with religious fervor to the point one would think they were talking about pedophiles (IMO).

iik

I am almost certain that this is the case 2old . This is normally how markets work

iik

This is unfortunate to hear. And there is certainly public debate going in many places. And there does not seem to be easy solutions yet, as e-bikes and other e-machines bring changes to how people move around.
Here is just one example of such a debate. For Germany, in this case.

2old

We get the same crap about "earning" the hill. Americans seem to have the trait of not enjoying seeing somebody else having fun.

tegnamo

The eBikeChallenge in Minneapolis last weekend of March is entertaining and cheap to attend. You get to ride as many different eBikes as you want on an indoor test track. So...not really realistic but it's a nice way to try a lot of stuff. Plus, lots of things on sale.

Eurobike is amazing. I've been twice.

iik

Thank you for sharing tegnamo ! Put a reminder in my calendar. Still, long time away though - in September.
I imagine, there will be multiple smaller ones during late spring and summer.