In December this year I will step down from my position as CEO of Cycling Industries Europe. This will wind up my management career and give me the opportunity to have more time for family, while exploring a small number of private projects in the cycling world.
Thanks to the Bicicleta colleagues who offered me this opportunity to give a personal reflection on where we are as a sector, and to cast an eye on the issues and opportunities that lie ahead.
Bicycles and political support
I am delighted that I can step down with an EU Declaration on Cycling finally approved by all the EU institutions, and with cycling’s place secured in many key European advisory bodies and working groups, a huge improvement on where we were just five years ago.
Previous attempts to get an EU strategy adopted fell short because cycling wasn’t seen as significant enough, and in particular it couldn’t demonstrate a strong enough jobs and technology argument to be in the same rooms as other industries like automotive or rail. We did have all the building blocks in place seven or eight years ago, but what we lacked was the confidence, the platforms and presentational skill to show our impact.
I really think that is the most important reason we founded CIE and the momentum that we must carry forward, together. It is so rewarding to hear cycling industry leaders speaking with confidence to public bodies and to hear our words reflected back by politicians and officials. Now we call ourselves an ecosystem with over a million jobs, we are top of the league in deploying electro-mobility globally, our shared bikes and cargo bikes are increasingly visible across all Europe’s cities, and we are proud to say it.
“I learnt that cycling is a job-making machine” said Kerstin Jorna, the EU’s highest official on industrial policy and growth, at CIE’s recent summit. Where did she learn that? From us!
So I remain optimistic that political support for more cycling is embedded in policy and the use of bikes is a long way from peaking. That is very positive for the health of the ecosystem. Where my view is changing is in the way bikes are bought, sold and owned. I think this will evolve rapidly and will be one of the biggest issues for many companies. The rise of the one bike that does everything will mean less bikes per person for the most active cyclists (gravel, cargo for example).
Price, technology and reliability will cause a move away from individual ownership of new bikes. Leasing, sharing, longer life spans and a quality-assured secondhand market is what made cars affordable to the mass market and we will see it more and more in cycling.
Growth opportunities
Therefore the market will grow, but perhaps not as much as we thought. Less new bikes per person will challenge the bike makers and retailers to become service providers and there will be growth in repair and recovery. This creates huge growth opportunities in every part of the services sector.
I am excited by the new companies I meet every week that have so many ideas to make the ecosystem work more effectively. My expectation now is that the smartest companies and retailers will be in highly efficient communities that share services, resources and data regionally, nationally or globally, and frankly those who try to push on alone will struggle.
It is the job of the cycling associations to help those communities evolve and I believe CIE has demonstrated ways in which that can happen.
We must continue to work
My last thought is to return to the efficiency of cycling. Easy to use from adult to child. Such a low impact on the planet relative to its benefits. The ability to go almost anywhere, any time.
I get very frustrated when some commentators tell everyone that our industry must have a revolution in sustainability or efficiency. I agree we must not be complacent. I agree that we must work to further reduce our impact on the planet and definitely we must address some horrible imbalances in cycle use between genders, between regions or income groups.
But there is no means of transport, tourism or leisure that offers so much for so little. Even the most inefficiently assembled bike from globally supplied components has an impact on the planet 200 times lower than a car and it is always going to be more efficient and a lot more fun to use. We must be proud and loud about the sustainability of every bike and every bike trip, not embarrassed.
Not to speak against these technologies that are making our industry politically much sexier, but I do have a personal view that there will always be the opportunity to ride a simple cheap bike, without electronics and apps – perhaps a single speed Dutch roadster of a design that has been with us for over 100 years, retaining the idea that you can just jump on and go.
And maybe simple cycling is what I will be doing much more of from next year. But cycling organisations have always been part of my life, so I don’t expect I will step away completely. My huge thanks to everyone that has been a colleague and a companion in the 27 years since I started to work in the sector.
The people who work and volunteer in cycling are almost family to me, and if a family friend says “can you help”, it is hard to say no, so I am sure I will see many of you in the future, just in a different role. The only rules are that anything I do will be part-time, non-executive, and fun.
And if not? I will be riding my bike.
Kevin Mayne
