ZIV – Die Fahrradindustrie

What ZIV – Die Fahrradindustrie does

ZIV – Die Fahrradindustrie (legal name: Zweirad-Industrie-Verband e.V.) is a registered German trade association founded in 1890 and headquartered in Berlin (Reinhardtstraße 7). It represents approximately 140 member companies active in the German bicycle and e-bike industry — including manufacturers such as Canyon Bicycles, Riese & Müller, Coboc, and PUKY, alongside component and systems suppliers such as Bosch eBike Systems, Shimano Europe, and Busch & Müller. According to the association, its members collectively account for roughly 90% of bicycles and e-bikes produced in Germany and export approximately 1.4 million units annually, while the broader German bicycle industry employs some 280,000 people directly or indirectly.

The association's core activities center on political advocacy in the EU and Germany, technical standardization at DIN, CEN and ISO levels, and market intelligence. Its product and service surface is non-commercial and member-oriented: ZIV operates the ZIV-Marktdatenservice (MDS) — a market data service providing over 50 years of longitudinal industry statistics — as well as the member-exclusive ZIV-Intern intranet, the "towards tomorrow" flagship industry congress (next edition scheduled 5 November 2026 in Berlin), and digitalization initiatives including DiBike and the ZIV-Netzwerk Digitalisierung (launched April 2025). The association also runs sector-level infrastructure: an e-bike battery return system with GRS Batterien Service GmbH (in operation since 2010), standardized cycling infrastructure data via radinfra.de, a VSME-Leitfaden sustainability guide, a Supply Chain Code of Conduct, and parliamentary/policy engagement vehicles.

ZIV's revenue model is subscription-based: the association is funded primarily through membership dues from its ~140 member companies, supplemented by revenue from congresses, paid market-data services, and corporate events. As a registered nonprofit (eingetragener Verein), ZIV is governed by a Vorstand and Präsidium of member-company representatives and operates with a small professional staff of roughly 15 people organized into functions including policy and advocacy, technology and standards, economic and industrial policy, sport/leisure/tourism, communications, and event management. The organization is currently undergoing strategic consolidation: in April 2026 members approved a merger mandate with Zukunft Fahrrad, and a new world-leading trade fair — "More Euro. More Bike." — has been announced for 6–8 September 2027 in Cologne.

Name

ZIV – Die Fahrradindustrie

Legal name

Zweirad-Industrie-Verband e.V.

Website

https://ziv-zweirad.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ZIV – Die Fahrradindustrie is a German trade association founded in 1890 representing ~140 bicycle and e-bike manufacturers, component suppliers, and service providers. It provides political advocacy, technical standardization, 50+ years of market data, and industry events, with members producing roughly 90% of German bicycles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Motorcycle, Bicycle, and Parts Manufacturing (336991)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Motorcycles, Bicycles & Parts (3751)

akta.pro primary industry

E-bikes & E-cargo Bikes Manufacturing (IMACAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cycling & Bike Retail (Sales, Service & Accessories) (CRAMABAH)

Keywords

• Bicycle industry association
• Cycling trade association
• Bicycle market data
• Cycling industry standards
• Bicycle industry advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ZIV generates revenue through membership fees from its ~140 member companies, which include bicycle and e-bike manufacturers, component suppliers, and service providers in the cycling ecosystem.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ZIV – Die Fahrradindustrie (Zweirad-Industrie-Verband e.V.) is the German trade association representing the bicycle industry. It was founded in 1890 and operates from Berlin as a registered association (eingetragener Verein). Its core business is membership-based industry representation: it serves approximately 140 member companies operating in bicycle manufacturing, components, accessories, and related services by delivering industry representation, market data services, standardization work, political advocacy, and the organization of industry events.

Product overview

ZIV – Die Fahrradindustrie (Zweirad-Industrie-Verband e.V.) is a trade association representing the German and international bicycle industry, not a product company with commercial offerings. The organization provides market intelligence services including the ZIV-Marktdatenservice (MDS) for industry data collection and analysis, operates the member-exclusive ZIV-Intern intranet, organizes industry events such as the towards tomorrow congress, and leads digitalization initiatives including DiBike and the ZIV-Netzwerk Digitalisierung. ZIV represents approximately 140 member companies vis-à-vis legislators, government, authorities, media, and organizations across the EU and Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Industry representation and political advocacy Continuous representation of the German bicycle industry's interests to national policymakers, EU institutions, retailers, and other counterparties; conducted on behalf of approximately 140 member companies. Targets bicycle manufacturers and industry stakeholders requiring collective lobbying and regulatory engagement.
• Market data and statistics services Aggregation, analysis, and publication of German bicycle market statistics and industry data for member companies and the broader industry. Used by bicycle manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, and analysts requiring authoritative sector market intelligence.
• Standardization and technical committee work Coordination of technical standardization activities for bicycles, components, and accessories, including engagement with national and EU-level standards bodies. Serves member companies needing alignment on technical norms and regulatory specifications.
• Industry events and trade-fair participation Organization of and participation in industry events and trade fairs on behalf of the German bicycle industry, including coordination of the sector's presence at major cycling trade fairs such as Eurobike. Serves member companies seeking shared visibility at sector events.

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CONEBI (Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZIV represents its members' interests on the European level as a member of CONEBI, the Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry, working on joint advocacy and standardization efforts at the EU level.
• ECI (European Cycling Industries)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormerly known as CONEBI, ECI represents European cycling industry interests including ZIV as the German national association.
• AGFK (Working Group of Bicycle-Friendly Communities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe AGFS (AGFK federal chapters) advocates for safe, seamless and convenient infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists. ZIV cooperates on promoting cycling infrastructure and related policy.
• GRS Batterien Service GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZIV established an industry system for the return of e-bike batteries in 2010 together with GRS GmbH, leading manufacturers of e-bikes and drive systems. GRS handles battery collection and recycling for the bicycle industry.
• radinfra.deminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZIV supports the radinfra.de project which provides standardized data on cycling infrastructure across Germany using OpenStreetMap data.
• German Bicycle AwardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe German Bicycle Award acknowledges cycling role models. ZIV participates in promoting this award.
• cargobike.jetztminorGTM or Marketing PartnerZIV provides an overview of cargo bike subsidies available for purchasing cargo bikes through this platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• PeopleForBikes: U.S. national bicycle industry association unifying advocacy, data (e.g. bike ratings, supplier directory), and infrastructure lobbying. Equivalent mandate to ZIV but operating at much greater scale across North America.
• VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau): Largest German industry association network; covers many manufacturing sectors, including some bicycle supply-chain members. A much broader incumbent that occasionally intersects with bicycle manufacturing topics.

Direct peers

• European Cycling Industries (ECI, formerly CONEBI): Brussels-based confederation representing European bicycle industry interests at the EU level. ZIV is a member; structurally a direct peer operating one level up, with overlapping standardization and advocacy mandates.
• Cycling Industries Europe (CIE): European level association focused on cycling industry manufacturing and supply chain. Mission and constituency (bicycle manufacturers and suppliers) directly overlap with ZIV, but operates at the EU tier.
• Zukunft Fahrrad: German sustainability and cycling-economy think-tank/association, directly comparable to ZIV as a national-level bicycle industry association. Members approved a merger with ZIV in April 2026.

Regional players

• Bicycle Association (UK): UK national trade association for the bicycle industry, providing data, advocacy, and standards work. Direct functional equivalent of ZIV but focused on the British market.

Others

• ECF (European Cyclists' Federation): Brussels-based cycling advocacy NGO representing cyclists and cycling users. Adjacent peer in cycling policy space, but with a consumer rather than industry constituency; partners with ZIV on infrastructure advocacy.

Emerging players

• LEVA-EU: European trade association for light electric vehicles (e-bikes, e-scooters, e-cargo bikes). Overlaps ZIV's e-bike membership focus with category-specific technical and regulatory work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC91a91BZh0cn7_qeS4RU8ig
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ziv-fahrradindustrie
• Facebookfacebook.com/629959044035450

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ZIV – Die Fahrradindustrie