Romania becomes major EU bicycle exporter, but Bulgaria could be winning the race

Bicycles may not be the first thing most people associate with Romania, but in recent years local manufacturers have been exporting to the EU in a big way. Neighboring Bulgaria has also seen growing bicycle exports to the rest of Europe, however, while Bulgaria changed up a gear in 2012, Romania sat back and freewheeled in the EU Balkan bicycle export race, according to industry news service, Bike Europe.

In 2011, Romania exported more than half a million bicycles with a total value of some EUR 48.4 million, according to figures published by Bike Europe. The vast majority of the Romanian exports go to the EU, with just a few thousand going outside the Union. The two biggest importers of Romanian made bicycles are Germany and Belgium, which between them imported more than 465,000 bikes in 2011. However, in 2012, exports were down to Belgium and, according to Bike Europe, Romania could struggle to reach the same export levels as in 2011. Meanwhile, Bulgaria was still expanding production in 2012. Both countries appear to concentrate on the budget market, with the majority of bicycles costing around the EUR 100 mark. EU membership combined with low labor costs seem to be attracting the attention of European bicycle manufacturers. “Both countries might be on the edge of Europe, but due to reasonable labor costs and logistics the two countries are very appealing for many European manufacturers,” reads the Bike Europe article Bulgaria/Romania 2011: Major Suppliers to EU. editor@romania-insider.com photo source: sxc.hu