by Mark Sutton
Is Velofollies the new Eurobike? That’s been a question on the lips of many for a few years now. BikeBiz caught the Eurostar in the morning and had a conclusion to the question by the train home in the evening…
Comparisons between Eurobike and Velofollies cannot be treated as apples to apples, but that hasn’t stopped the bike industry asking questions of the status quo when it comes to event attendance.
Late in 2025, Eurobike was rocked first by a joint statement from German bicycle industry leadership groups ZIV and Zukunft Fahrrad announcing an intention to cease collaboration, then shortly after, long-term trade fair organiser Stefan Reisinger departed his leadership role, having steered the event through many years in Friedrichshafen and then in Frankfurt.
Meanwhile, as the years have ticked by, brands have been undertaking a deeper and more meaningful assessment of their event spending since COVID rocked the world. Already by this time, some brands were pulling back, hosting both dealers and press at their headquarters instead. This model, it has broadly been considered, focuses time more readily on individual relationships, all the while saving a not insubstantial amount of cash.
Is this model perfect, or indeed the future of trade shows? Some would still argue yes, but others seem to be going to Velofollies, or indeed other national shows in Europe like CyclingWorld Düsseldorf.
One of those people is Clément Bonneau, the Global PR and Media Manager for Moustache Bikes, who has been coming to Belgium since 2017 for Velofollies.
He told us, “It’s now much larger than back then, but what is good is that it has kept its original spirit. It’s very lively and passionate, both for the consumer and our visiting dealers; you can feel it in the mood. The time of year is perfect for us, too, because the consumer is starting to think about spring, and it’s quiet for business activities. Right now, two similar shows that we like a lot are Velofollies and CyclingWorld Düsseldorf.”
So, what about exhibiting at Eurobike? And if not, why not?
Clément says, “We were at Eurobike last year, but are not yet decided for 2026. The price is super high, and in return, we often feel lost amongst the hundreds of exhibitors, so visitor attention is spread thin. As it stands, we are among those brands doing more private shows where it’s 100% our brand and focused, quality time. I wonder now that some big names are gone, whether the publicity has become too adverse for a bounce.”
Sentiment can count for a lot, but so too can cost, more so now than ever. The bike industry remains laser-focused on return on investment. This, says rising folding bike star Ahooga, has given food for thought. Massimiliano Colosimo disclosed to us that, for a small brand, all in costs, inclusive of staffing, hotels, booth building and other costs, were tallying the best part of €40,000 at Eurobike.
“This is major for a small brand,” he starts, clearly pondering how widely a pool of cash like that could be deployed elsewhere. “We are undecided at the moment whether to go back. The quality was good for us last year, but we were lucky to have Frankfurt’s main newspaper promoting our folding bikes in the lead-up to the event, so our traction was better. Sometimes Eurobike feels like a mandatory event, but it has to deliver results. The beginning of July is not great. Ten years ago, maybe we could get pre-orders at this time, but by now we are having to revisit dealers in September to nail down a follow-up commitment.”
Commercially, Ahooga says that Velofollies has delivered a better return on investment Euro for Euro. “Velofollies feels now like the place to do business; we had more leads last year at this show than maybe three years in Eurobike,” he adds.
Another electric bike label clearly enjoying the attention at Velofollies was Yuba, whose large booth enabled the brand to get heavily into the spirit of decorating its cargo bikes in many use cases – from all-terrain ski lift replacements to parent and child vehicles.
Haral Marzolf of Yuba says that presence has made a big difference when comparing shows. He said, “At a past Eurobike, we were bundled into a cargo area that had a real mix of suppliers, including motor brands. We felt lost, and the price was high. Of course, it’s hard to judge the result and know the onward impact, but my feeling is that the show got too large, and it became difficult to have quality communication with the visitors. Eurobike has become hard to hit with a family on account of its size. I think it was silly to open it up to a consumer audience. Here at Velofollies, we can present a large bike range very well, and we are not categorised.”
Velofollies, inclusive of its stage talks, awards ceremonies and its test track proposition, is seemingly able to match Eurobike’s appeal and, with each passing year, is carrying fresh momentum. The halls were bustling to the brim on the Friday of our arrival, which was achieved without the carbon footprint of flying and without any hotel cost, inclusive of multiple staff travelling in via London on the Eurostar.
If you are curious, a round-trip economy flight from London to Frankfurt generates about 0.4 tonnes of Co2 per person. Being able to get the train saves two lots of costs.
Once docked in France, it’s an approximately 30-minute taxi ride over the border to the front door. In purely travel and accommodation terms, Velofollies would seem a no-brainer for anyone in the UK still with the energy for overseas exhibitions. The question is, will this winter event now become the default, and can it grow without encountering the same issues that have become the Achilles heel of larger and more established shows?
Will you go to Velofollies or Eurobike in 2027? What did you think of Velofollies this year? Let us know in our BikeBiz Industry Chat WhatsApp community (to join, email ljenkins@datateam.co.uk).
