Symbol of the Transport Revolution: Cargo Bikes Take Center Stage at Eurobike

The growth has been impressive, as a mere glimpse of numerous cityscapes will confirm: According to the German bicycle industry association (Zweirad-Industrie-Verband, ZIV), sales of cargo bikes in Germany rose by 62 percent to 167,000 last year. Today, on the second day of the trade fair, the City Changer Cargo Bike project will present Europe-wide growth expectations for 2022 at Eurobike. "Forty manufacturers took part in our European Cargo Bike Industry Survey in June," explains Kevin Mayne from Cycling Industries Europe. "In 2022, they expect their overall cargo bike sales in Europe to be 68 percent higher than in 2021. The growth comes from both established and new manufacturers, some of which have entered the market with quite large volumes."

Since 2018, the EU-funded City Changer Cargo Bike project has organized cargo bike promotions in 15 partner cities, from Lisbon to Gdynia and Cambridge to Varna, along with Europe-wide lobbying efforts. At the leading trade fair in Frankfurt, the project invites visitors to the European specialist conference "From Niche to Mainstream – How Cargo Bikes Transform Mobility". The program also includes the launch of a European online market overview. "The cargobike.guide is supposed to get people fired up about cargo bikes. Also, it should provide support in finding the right private or commercial cargo bike," says Arne Behrensen from cargobike.jetzt, the German partner of the City Changer Cargo Bike project.

Cargo bikes have long been a topic of German federal policy as well. The National Cycling Plan 3.0 from 2021 represents the Federal Government's most recent, extensive commitment to promote private and commercial cargo bikes. State Secretary Oliver Luksic (FDP) from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport is going to open the four-hour Cargo Academy at the Future Mobility Forum (Hall 8) today. Industry representatives will afterwards discuss political framework conditions, components, parking spaces and safety standards for cargo bikes on four panels.

In the Cargo Area, the Friday motto will be: Logistics Industry Meets Bicycle Industry. Radlogistik Verband Deutschland (RLVD) and the Frankfurt Research Lab for Urban Transport (ReLUT) invite you to the "Cargo Bikes & Urban Logistics" expert panel on the Cargo Area Stage. Head of RLVD, Tom Assmann, and Prof. Oliver Schocke from ReLUT are going to discuss infrastructure and suitable cargo bikes with local bike logistics experts, exhibitors and the international parcel delivery company DPD.

"We will make last-mile parcel delivery more city-friendly and locally emission-free," announces Gerd Seber, Group Manager City Logistics and Sustainability at DPD Germany. "As part of the solution, we will also be relying on modern electric cargo bikes in more and more cities, which will be charged at micro-depots not far from downtown. We will continue to expand this fleet in the coming years."

An increasingly exciting market is emerging for the bicycle industry in this field. The name of the Italian Cargo Area exhibitor "One Less Van" gets straight to the heart of the matter. Other exhibitors will also present alternatives to diesel vans in the Cargo Area. The German company Rytle will showcase its new three-wheel Movr3 with a driver's cabin and a large swap box. Fleximodal from France and its practical Bicyclift will demonstrate that a loaded Euro-pallet can be comfortably lifted and transported with a bike trailer. 

However, trucks are more widespread in private use than in commercial transport. "Children's transport is the most important driver of the private use of cargo bikes," says Hannah Eberhardt from the transport planning office Verkehr mit Köpfchen. "For parents, safety is of course the top priority when transporting children. There are very good solutions here for bike trailers and cargo bikes – including for children's transport." On Saturday, the creator of the web portal "Cycling with a Baby" will give valuable tips for young parents in a lecture on the Cargo Area Stage. 

For example, the new Packster 70 by Riese & Müller – a two-wheel electric cargo bike with cable steering and comfortable headrests for the little passengers – is one of the new private cargo bike models that are going to be presented at Eurobike. The US cargo bike pioneer Xtracycle will also have a European premiere with its three new longtail models. They can fit up to three children on the rear in a long integrated deck.

The grand finale of the cargo bike program is the Cargo EuroCup which will be held on Sunday for the first time. On the outdoor race track, cargo bikers of all stripes will face off in a circuit race with different transport tasks to be completed along the way.            The focus is not on professional sports but on fun and community – especially in the final relay race.

Cargo Bike Program Notes

Thursday, July 14:
10.15 a.m. – 1 p.m.: CityChangerCargoBike Conference (Future Mobility Forum, Pink Stage, Hall 8)
2.00 p.m. – 6 p.m.: Cargo Academy with welcome speech by BMDV State Secretary Oliver Luksic (Future Mobility Forum, Pink Stage, Hall 8)

Friday, July 15:
11.00 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Panel Cargo bikes & urban logistcs (Cargo Area Stage, Hall 8)

Saturday, July 16:
10 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.: Lecture Cycling with a Baby (Cargo Area Stage), Hall 8

Sunday, July 17:
11 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Cargo bike race Cargo EuroCup (Open-air grounds)

About Eurobike:

EUROBIKE is the central platform of the cycling and future mobility universe. Together with visionaries from politics, business, society and the mobility industry, it creates space for communication, new ideas, change of perspective, and strong partnerships for innovative mobility solutions and new business models. With EUROBIKE, the booming and rapidly changing bicycle and future mobility industries have found a common platform. It sets new standards and identifies key topics in the areas of sports, leisure, health and mobility, makes continuous progress and brings the global community together live. Eurobike 2022 will take place on the fair grounds of Messe Frankfurt from July 13 to 17, 2022.

About fairnamic GmbH:

With the founding of fairnamic GmbH, the trade fair companies Frankfurt and Friedrichshafen are sealing a partnership focusing on innovative mobility. The market position in the future markets of bicycles, e-bikes, micromobility and general aviation is strengthened by pooling expertise and market knowledge, global positioning, brand strength and speed. The joint venture focuses on the EUROBIKE and AERO brands and their satellites. The objective is to expand and further develop the two leading trade shows.