Poland: A growing hive of bicycle industry activity

Today, Poland is a European manufacturing hub for bicycles and e-bikes — not a niche player but one of the continent’s top producers. Polish factories produced around 1 million bicycles annually in the early 2020s, putting the country among the EU’s five largest producers and giving it a meaningful share of regional supply chains.

The bicycle sector in Poland is fragmented. A small number of large vertically integrated assemblers and OEM brands, notably Kross and Romet sit alongside many smaller assemblers, component producers and wholesale firms that supply domestic and export channels. The larger Polish producers export widely across Europe and increasingly to other markets, while many smaller firms serve domestic retail and parts distribution. Kross is a national leader in unit volumes and export footprint.

Mixed but opportunity-rich market direction

Production in Poland is currently navigating two contrasting trends. Firstly, the downward pressure on conventional bike production. Across the EU, production volumes contracted after the pandemic peak, with Eurostat reporting a significant fall in EU bicycle output in 2023. This was a result of the inventory correction and softer consumer demand. This macro correction also filtered into Poland to an extent.

However, there are signs of strong growth in e-mobility in the Eastern European country. The e-bike segment is expanding rapidly in Poland with market analyses from Mordor Intelligence pointing to 14.9% CAGR for e-bikes in Poland over the period 2025-2029 as urban and last-mile use, company fleets and premium consumer adoption accelerate. For investors and manufacturers, electrification is the primary growth vector. This upward trend in e-bikes is culminating in value-led growth, presenting an attractive route for manufacturing firms and suppliers.

Attracting foreign investors

Poland’s attraction is a combination of cost-competitive European labour, modern industrial estates, and a pro-investment framework. According to data published by Eurostat (December 2024), the net value of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Poland increased to €314 billion in 2023, of which €265 billion were investments by companies from the EU. Germany and the Netherlands are the leaders among investors.

Market growth in Poland

The value of the total bicycle market in Poland was expected to reach an all-time level of PLN 4.9 billion (€1.13 billion) by 2024, according to a report by VeloBank. The sales of e-bikes are growing and currently amount to PLN 1.25 billion (€289 million). The report notes that the share of e-bikes in the market in Poland is constantly growing, from 16% in 2020 to 25% in 2023. VeloBank notes that the bicycle and e-bike market in Poland is still relatively small compared to other EU countries. According to the bank’s market analysis, Poland ranks only eighth in the EU bicycle market, which is low considering the country’s population of around 40 million people. It is predicted that sales of e-bikes in Poland will grow faster than in western Europe in the coming years, but prices will remain a barrier to consumers.

Strong industrial sector

The bicycle sector in Poland is a strong industry, with annual production of around 1.2 million units and growing at around 15% per year. Over 2,000 domestic companies manufacture bicycles and their components. Poland is the eighth largest European exporter of bicycles with an export value of €175 million.

On the e-bike market, Poland is the 10th largest exporter, with an export value of €148 million in 2022, according to figures by the Polish Economic Institute. Due to the growing popularity of e-bikes, domestic production has steered more towards this market, with Romet, Kross and Ecobike focusing more heavily on this.