The cycling industry doesn’t need to invent the future. It just needs to catch up.
Look around you. We live in the digital era.
You head out for your early morning coffee ride on an old Colnago. Passing cars detect you and adjust their behavior to keep everyone safe. Your watch tracks your heart rate, your earphones guide you with turn-by-turn navigation, and you even take a quick call on the way back. By the time you arrive home, the espresso machine has a coffee waiting, and the robot vacuum quietly takes care of the croissant crumbs before you leave for work.
Then you switch to your €5,000 commuter bike, and this is where the silence kicks in. You unlock two heavy mechanical locks and realize you left the battery upstairs again. On the way to work you remind yourself, once more, to finally book a dealer appointment for the motor issue you have been postponing for weeks. At the office, you lock the bike again and carry the battery with you, just in case.
The commute is smooth, but the bike itself is disconnected and largely dumb. It is almost absurd. One of the most important mobility tools of our time, affordable, sustainable, and perfect for modern cities, is stuck in an analog mindset. The cycling industry keeps polishing mechanical parts while the rest of the world has moved on.
If you think about it, the entire user experience is still completely analog. The biggest problems of the cyclist remain unresolved: theft is still a constant worry, servicing is still a hassle postponed until something breaks, and there is no simple way to prove ownership or recover a stolen bike. Even with thousands invested in a premium e-bike, riders are left to manage these challenges on their own.
The truth is simple: cycling does not need to invent the future. The future is already here, and it is connected. All the industry needs to do is catch up.
Connectivity is no longer a feature. It is a baseline.
A decade ago, connectivity was exciting. It was innovation. Today, it is hygiene. No one questions whether their new phone will have location tracking, or whether their car will update software automatically. These are not extras anymore. They are expected.
Yet in cycling, connectivity is still treated like an optional luxury, something reserved for a few premium e-bike models, or bolted on through aftermarket devices. That is the problem.
Most bikes still leave the shop in an analog state:
No built-in way to locate or recover them if stolen
No digital proof of ownership
No system for remote diagnostics or predictive maintenance
No seamless rider onboarding experience
No integration with city systems that could actually make cycling safer and more convenient
Instead, riders are left to figure it out themselves: buy heavy locks, download third-party apps, and piece together their own solutions. The industry is still selling hardware while consumers live in a service-driven, digital-first world.
Where do we need to move? To a baseline where every bike, especially every e-bike, is connected by default. A baseline where the rider opens the box and instantly pairs their bike to an app, registers ownership, sets up security, and unlocks services. A baseline where connectivity is not an experiment, but the minimum requirement.
The OEM reality: disconnected bikes are a dead end
For bike brands, selling a non-connected bike is essentially a one-time transaction. The bike leaves the factory, and the brand loses visibility. No data, no ongoing dialogue, no real understanding of how the product is used. Development cycles are long, risky, and often dependent on dealer feedback rather than real rider behavior.
That is the analog trap.
With connectivity, the picture changes:
Live data flow from the field means faster, more accurate product development
In-app communication turns riders into a direct audience
New revenue streams open up: on-demand features, upgrades, in-app marketing opportunities
Remote diagnostics and OTA updates reduce warranty costs, keep bikes performing at their best, and create loyalty through ongoing care
Data-based decision making replaces guesswork with insights
Connectivity transforms bikes from static products into part of a living ecosystem. For OEMs, it is not just a technical feature. It is a business model shift that creates efficiency, resilience, and growth.
The rider reality: analog vs. connected experience
On the rider’s side, the contrast is even sharper.
Non-connected today:
Only classic locks, no theft recovery
Manual service processes, breakdowns mean surprise and hassle
Third-party apps for navigation or ride tracking, with no brand connection, with no integrated bike data
No personalization, no ongoing value beyond the product itself
Connected tomorrow:
Digital anti-theft: GPS tracking, IoT-based locks, recovery services that actually get bikes back
Convenience: keyless unlocking, in-app control, and over-the-air updates that improve performance
Personalization: usage-based notifications, tailored recommendations, and custom settings
Brand connection: an app that keeps the rider supported, informed, and engaged long after the sale
For riders, connectivity is the difference between feeling exposed and feeling supported. It is the bridge from worrying about theft, breakdowns, and isolation to enjoying peace of mind, convenience, and community.
Where the cycling industry is falling short
So why is connectivity not everywhere already? Because the cycling industry is still stuck in survival mode.
Yes, we have seen huge steps in product performance: lighter carbon frames, electronic drivetrains, more efficient motors. But these are incremental gains. They do not answer the rider’s biggest concerns: security, convenience, support, and integration with the world around them.
And the elephant in the room: market pressure.
Overstock is still choking the market. Brands are offering huge discounts to clear out stock.
Margins are thin. Every euro of added BOM feels like an impossible luxury.
Brands are hesitant to take risks. Many are cutting back on innovation to protect short-term survival
It is understandable. But it is also dangerous. Because while everyone is frozen in fear, the real risk is standing still. It is the consumers’ market, and they are not going to pay a fair price for a typical analog bike. Without a clear value leap, discounts become the only lever left.
Why tough times are the best times to invest
The irony is that these tough times are actually the best moment to invest in connectivity.
Here is why:
Differentiation matters more than ever. When the market is oversupplied, the brands that stand out win. Connectivity is a clear differentiator
Competitors are pulling back. In a down market, most players cut innovation. That is the perfect moment to move forward and claim the lead
Connectivity pays back. Yes, there is added BOM, but it also creates new revenue streams (services, upgrades, insurance partnerships) and reduces costs (fewer warranty claims, remote support instead of in-shop fixes)
Riders are already there. Consumers live in a connected world. They expect their bikes to be part of it. Brands that do not deliver will look outdated fast
This is not about inventing something futuristic. The technology exists. The demand exists. The opportunity is here.
The best time to leap ahead is when everyone else hesitates.
The uncomfortable truth
Your fridge is smarter than your bike.
And as long as that remains the case, cycling is underselling its potential.
Connectivity is not about gimmicks. It is not about adding shiny tech to impress engineers. It does not mean riders should ride with a phone in their hand. It means making the bike itself smarter: locking automatically when you walk away, giving you tracking tools when theft happens, surfacing service needs before breakdowns, offering navigation or data insights when you want them. Connectivity is about solving real rider problems, building trust, and creating sustainable growth for brands.
We do not need to invent the future. We just need to stop holding ourselves back from it.
The digital era has begun. And we’re late to the party
The opportunity is clear. The tools exist. The rider demand is there. The cities are waiting. Connectivity is not an upgrade. It is the minimum requirement. A hygiene factor.
So here is the challenge to every CEO, product manager, and decision maker in our industry: stop treating connectivity as optional. Stop waiting for someone else to prove the case.
The future will not wait.
It is time for cycling to wake up, embrace connectivity, and finally take its place at the heart of the digital era.
