“Eurobike is dead, it feels empty” – Europe’s biggest bike show is in crisis. I went to Frankfurt to find out why

Eurobike is in crisis. With the 2026 show drawing to a close last weekend, having attracted only half as many exhibitors and visitors as last year’s event, the writing could now be on the wall for Europe’s biggest cycling trade show.

With the news that Eurobike will move to a two-year cycle after the 2027 event breaking during this year's show, there’s concern that it might not come back after its 2028 hiatus.

I’ve been visiting Eurobike since 2023, a year after the show moved from its long-standing Friedrichshafen home to Frankfurt, and, walking to the Messe this year, the entrance queue was shorter than I’ve ever seen on the opening day.

While previous shows have taken up a huge share of the available space at the Frankfurt Messe, this year's event was limited to three halls. After one lap of the Messe, it quickly became apparent how much the show had shrunk in only a year.

Shimano – a Eurobike stalwart – was one of the major exhibitors to scale back at the 2026 show, restricting its presence to an outdoor testing area, having previously pulled out altogether. Last year, two of Germany’s most influential cycling trade bodies withdrew their support from Eurobike. 

I caught up with the founder of No. 6 Racing Wheels, Ken Goh, who was unequivocal in his verdict: “It’s dead,” said Goh. “Maybe it was busy for the first two days, but it feels empty in here.”

Goh’s opinion was shared by plenty of exhibitors I spoke to at the show. The general sense was there simply weren’t enough people there, even if productive industry meetings could still be held.

One noticeable difference between the 2025 and 2026 shows for this roving reporter was the security guards closing off the travelators between hall 11 and 12, funnelling visitors through the main hall in what may have been an attempt to make it look busier.

Despite this, the crowds were thinner than ever, except around the mega-booths of Avinox and Gobao, who stole the show with their eCVT electric bike motors.

There are knock-on benefits of a smaller show, though. Finding the new tech was easier; as was speaking to brand representatives, because there were fewer people fighting for pictures and talk time.

For some of those exhibiting, the show was still a success. Amflow’s communication manager, Brittany Huckaby, told me: “It has been really good for us, we’ve had plenty of meetings, and it’s been good to see the cycling industry come together.”

While challenger brands such as Avinox and Gobao, which stole the show with a 1,500-watt, gearbox-like motor, used the event to further stake a claim in the European market, ‘traditional’ brands were more conspicuous by their absence.

For Susanne Puello, managing director and co-owner of Raymon Bicycles, the lack of established brands represented an opportunity. “With several major market players absent, we were able to take full advantage of the platform and present our innovations and strategy to a broad trade audience,” she said.

Canyon was one of the major bike brands to commit to the 2026 Eurobike show, using the event to launch its new Aeroad CFR road bike, alongside its vision for the future thanks to a wide-ranging display of concept bikes. 

“We came to Eurobike to connect with our customers, the bicycle industry, and the wider world, to showcase our innovations, and to share our story globally,” said Roman Arnold, Canyon’s founder and executive chairman in a Eurobike press release headlined with a rather dubious claim of “More momentum than ever”.

“Eurobike 2026 far exceeded our expectations. We strengthened a core part of Canyon’s identity and are very satisfied with everything we were able to achieve," the brand added.

Philipp Ferger, managing director of Fairnamic, the company that runs the show, defended Eurobike’s 2026 results. 

“The international profile of our visitors was particularly strong, with roughly two-thirds coming from Europe and one-third from other global markets,” he said.

“At the same time, visitor quality improved significantly: 71% were executives, compared with 58% in 2025.”

The reality is Eurobike still has value for some of the cycling business. It remains one of the few places where brands, distributors, retailers and media from across the industry can meet face-to-face over a few days. 

For emerging companies with products to launch and relationships to build, that opportunity still exists, even if the crowds are smaller than they once were.

Whether that's enough to secure the show's long-term future is another question, and the future is far from bright. 

The cycling industry has changed, with brands increasingly favouring their own launch events, digital marketing and year-round product releases over the traditional trade show and model-year cycle. Eurobike simply doesn’t have the pulling power of old, with my colleagues sharing stories of the entire industry – and our team at BikeRadar – setting off to the shores of Lake Constance for the Friedrichshafen version of the show.

Eurobike's move to a biennial schedule may give organisers the breathing room they need to reinvent the event. It is, in many respects, a simple acknowledgement that the old formula is no longer working. Eurobike is on notice.

In 2027, Eurobike will also face competition from the newly established Cologne Bike Show, proposed for 6-8 September, following Eurobike’s 1-4 September date. Countless key industry players, including all of the major retail associations, have already confirmed, according to organisers. That could be the final nail in the coffin for Eurobike.

The next two years will determine whether Eurobike can adapt, or whether this year's quiet halls were a glimpse of its future.