FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) – The booming bicycle industry in Germany is further slowed down by delivery bottlenecks. “Once again this year, companies are fighting for every bicycle that can be built,” said the Managing Director of Bosch E-Bike Systems, Claus Fleischer, on Tuesday at the Eurobike bicycle fair in Frankfurt.
In the past year, mechanical parts in particular were not available in the desired quantities, i.e. frames, gears, brakes or suspension elements. “In the third quarter of 2021, electronic components became scarce, also in the bicycle industry. So we have been fighting for every component since the fourth quarter of last year.”
There are two reasons for the tense situation: On the one hand, the electrification and connectivity of products is being promoted in many sectors. More and more control units, cameras and sensors are being installed in a car to enable assistance systems, for example. “With the existing capacities, this need cannot be covered across all sectors. And the change of course on the chip manufacturer side is complicated.” The construction of a new chip factory takes years.
Fleischer identified the consequences of corona lockdowns as the second cause, especially in Asia. If a chip factory has to be shut down, not only the actual production is stopped. “In the process, important preliminary products also break, so that the entire production can only be restarted with great difficulty.”
At Bosch, electronic elements for battery management, but also for drive control, are in short supply. “We can only pass on the backlog from our suppliers to the bicycle manufacturers. This will keep us busy for the coming months and will not be over by the end of the year. At least we will probably be able to meet the foreseeable demand for ABS systems.”
Bosch does not produce any bicycles itself, but with its parts for e-bikes it is the leading European system manufacturer for pedelecs. Almost 100 bicycle brands worldwide use the Bosch system. In addition to the electric motor, this also includes the control electronics, displays and apps.
Among other things, Bosch is presenting a completely revised version of its anti-lock braking system (ABS) for e-bikes at the Eurobike. It is intended to prevent a front wheel from locking up and slipping sideways when braking hard. The system also monitors whether the rear wheel is lifting. This is to prevent the wheel from rolling forwards in the event of emergency braking.
A newly developed anti-theft device from Bosch will also premiere at the trade fair. The alarm function warns e-bike owners of attempted theft and allows the position of the bike to be determined./chd/DP/men