Callout Bike Shops - The Hidden Strain on Small Players in the Cycling Industry
- Jaana Ylikoski
- Sep 17
- 3 min read
Smaller bicycle shops, especially in rural areas, are struggling to keep up with the pace set by larger players. Not every shop wants to scale into a big chain — many exist simply to provide essential, local service to their communities. Their goal is straightforward: stay in business and serve customers reliably.
But here’s the reality:
They are forced to compete with larger players who have more staff, inventory, and resources.
Many operate with only one or two employees, often working long hours just to keep the doors open.
On top of repairs and sales, shop owners must also comply with EU directives and produce manuals rarely localized in their language — adding unpaid administrative hours.
They cannot hire extra staff like bigger competitors.
They cannot order the newest bike models in the quantities customers want — manufacturers often charge extra for delivering just a few bikes.
Many are hesitant to embrace new business models — not out of resistance, but because survival takes precedence. On top of daily operations, small shops also carry compliance burdens designed for much larger players, including:
Creating or translating product manuals to meet EU standards
Handling WEEE and battery recycling obligations for e-bikes
Managing packaging waste reporting and environmental fees
Administering warranties and consumer rights processes
Other requirements tied to labor safety, tax, and environmental reporting
For a shop with one or two employees, these obligations mean **unpaid hours on top of already long days — and no extra resources to manage them.
The point is not to blame small shops. It is to acknowledge that moving the Circular mobility ecosystem forward cannot come at the expense of those keeping communities on two wheels. Every bike shop owner still has to pay their bills. Circular mobility must create opportunities for local players — not leave them behind.
While exact data for all of Europe is difficult to verify, one dataset lists ~33,452 bicycle shops across the continent as of 2025 — though many of these are very small operations or part-sellers. Whatever the exact number, the scale of bike shops is large, but the vulnerabilities are widespread.
When other actors in the ecosystem ignore these realities, small shops are left at a disadvantage. But this doesn’t have to remain a weakness — it can also become an opportunity. For policymakers, manufacturers, and retailers, supporting local bike shops is not charity, it’s strategy. Without them, the ecosystem cracks. With them, circular mobility can thrive. These pressures are not isolated — they are systemic pitfalls. When small bike shops are left behind:
Families lose access to trusted local service.
Manufacturers lose essential distribution channels.
Cities lose the community-level hubs that keep cycling alive.
This isn’t just theory. In practice, I’ve seen how fragile the balance is: one local shop overworked, manufacturer charging extra for small orders, one family left waiting because the system doesn’t serve them. These aren’t abstract pitfalls — they are daily realities across the mobility ecosystem.
That’s why the Playbooks exist: to identify these pitfalls before they sink services, and to show Operators & Policymakers (Bike Shops, Manufacturers, Retailers, Policymakers) how to build systems where shops, families, and cities all win.
Jaana Ylikoski
Founder, Author of the Playbooks
Compliance requirements remain fully applicable under the General Product Safety Regulation (2023/988), EN ISO 4210 / EN 15194 standards, WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU), the new Batteries Regulation (2023/1542), EU Consumer Rights and Sale of Goods Directives, and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC), alongside other labor, tax, and environmental obligations in force across member states.
