Are Italian companies still among the leaders in the bike industry? That’s the question we came away with from the latest Eurobike in Frankfurt. A simple question—perhaps a provocative one—but one that, at that moment, seemed anything but obvious to us. In Germany, we saw an industry quite different from what we were used to. Not only because of the number of exhibitors—which had dropped significantly compared to the past— but also because there were far fewer new products on display. What struck us most, however, was their origin: components, frames, handlebars, motors, and eBikes. Increasingly, the most interesting offerings are coming from outside Europe—and, in particular, from Asia (among the major players at the latest edition were undoubtedly Gobao and Avinox). And what about Italy? There were a few Italian companies present, of course. But the feeling—perhaps for the first time so clearly—was that we were no longer at the center of the international stage. That we had left the task of leading the pack to others. Then we returned home. And, once we’d shaken off the “Teutonic hangover,” we began to look at things from a different perspective. We realized that perhaps the problem isn’t that Italy has stopped having something to say. It’s that the world around us has changed—and, with it, the role we can play in the bike industry.
In Italy, we still know how to make things. And often, we do them very well. This is precisely the starting point for the “Italy Special” featured in this issue. This choice of terminology is no accident: we’ve decided to move away from the term used in recent years, “Made in Italy,” and simply refer to “Italy.” Not because “Made in Italy” has lost its value—far from it. But because today that concept, if interpreted strictly in terms of production, risks telling only part of the story. The idea that a bike, a component, or an accessory is designed, developed, and manufactured entirely within the same country increasingly belongs to a bygone era. The bike industry is a global supply chain: companies collaborate with international partners, manufacture where the necessary expertise and industrial conditions exist, and sell worldwide. That’s the reality. And there’s no need to deny it to defend Italian identity. In fact, perhaps the opposite is true. If we stop measuring “Italianness” solely by the percentage of a product made within our borders, we’ll discover that we still have a great deal to share. Italy is engineering, product culture, manufacturing capability, research, design, knowledge of materials, and ingenuity. It is that combination of technical expertise and creativity that has built the global reputation of our companies for decades.
It is no coincidence that the “Made in Italy” brand continues to be highly valued in the food industry as well as in the automotive sector, in fashion as well as in sports. A product can have an international supply chain while, at the same time, retaining an identity deeply rooted in the country where it was conceived. The same is true for bicycles. There are brands that have written chapters in the history of cycling, as well as companies less known to the general public that, every day, design and manufacture products capable of competing in international markets. These companies may no longer be able to claim an absolute “Made in Italy” label, but they do possess something just as important: Italian know-how. And it is often precisely from that wealth of expertise that innovation springs. Take, for example, the Nalini Aerobag Bibshort, which we discuss on page 24: the first cycling bib shorts with an integrated airbag system, a project that combines research, technology, materials, and racing culture into a previously unexplored solution. Or take Peruzzo’s new Pure Instinct Icon, a tow-hitch bike rack developed to meet the demands of modern mobility. These are two very different products, yet they share one common element: the ability to transform established expertise into new solutions. In other words, that Italian “know-how” and problem-solving approach that today may be worth more than the mere geographical origin of each individual component. Underpinning this industrial culture is another element we often take for granted: in Italy, there is still a deeply rooted cycling culture.
Garmin’s 2026 Cycling Data Report, which we discuss on pages 10–11, shows that Italian cycling enthusiasts ride an average of 55.89 kilometers per ride. That’s more than in Belgium and Spain, and significantly more than the global average, which stands at 46.01 kilometers. This data is based on users of the Garmin Connect platform and should therefore be interpreted as such. Still, it remains an interesting indicator of how cycling, at least among the most active users, continues to play a significant role in our country.
On the one hand, then, we have a network of companies that preserves expertise, product culture, and the capacity for innovation. On the other, a community of enthusiasts who continue to live and breathe two-wheeled vehicles with passion. So perhaps the initial question was wrong. We shouldn’t be asking whether there’s still a place for Italy in the bike industry, but rather what role we want to play. Trying to turn back the clock would make no sense. Asia will continue to play a central role in global production, with increasingly international supply chains. Competition will be global, and the very concept of an “Italian product” will inevitably continue to evolve. The game, therefore, isn’t about nostalgia, but about our ability to renew our heritage without merely celebrating it.
In a global market, simply being Italian is no longer enough to be competitive. Perhaps, after all, at Eurobike we looked at the issue from the wrong perspective. Perhaps we are no longer necessarily the ones called upon to lead the pack. But staying in the peloton also means knowing how to read the race, choosing when to attack, and still having the strength to do so. In the bike industry of tomorrow, it won’t be enough to remember how strong we were yesterday—we’ll have to prove that we’re still strong
by Davide L. Bertagna davide.bertagna@mag-net.it
