The Dutch bicycle market is shrinking in volume. In 2025, 796,000 new bikes were sold, 7.2% fewer than a year earlier. Revenue fell by only 1.3%, to just over 1.53 billion euros. So we are selling fewer bikes, but more expensive ones.
At the same time, another part of the market is growing fast: the business lease bike. It passed 100,000 contracts this year, and the number of job vacancies offering a bike scheme has tripled.
Yet 78% of employees who have access to a bike scheme do not use it. For manufacturers, dealers and lease companies, that is not a setback. It is the biggest untapped market right now.
Why the scheme goes unused
There is no conclusive research into the causes. In practice, I keep hearing the same barriers. Employees do not know exactly what the scheme involves. They are afraid of losing their travel allowance. And a new e-bike of three to four thousand euros feels like a big commitment, even when you pay for it from your gross salary.
That last point is often underestimated. Leasing makes an expensive bike affordable per month, but the total commitment stays high. For many employees, that is exactly the reason not to start.
Refurbished lowers the entry point
This is where I think the key lies. Since this spring, employees can also lease a refurbished e-bike from Upway through Lease a Bike. That makes Lease a Bike the first business bike lease provider in the Netherlands to offer refurbished e-bikes on a structural basis. Upway is the world’s largest provider of refurbished e-bikes, and Lease a Bike is its only lease partner. (Transparency: I currently work for Upway.)
The numbers make the difference clear. A refurbished e-bike costs up to 60% less than new, is checked on 50 points and comes with a one-year warranty. Through leasing, that starts from € 35 per month, including insurance, maintenance, repairs and roadside assistance. That puts the lease bike within reach of employees who currently drop out on price.
Upway also works with more than 6,000 bike shops through a trade-in programme. The shop makes the customer an instant offer on their old e-bike, sells a new bike, and Upway gives the trade-in a second life. That way the used e-bike is not a competitor to the shop, but an extra source of revenue.
What this means for the chain
The second lease period is becoming a new market. The first wave of lease bikes will come off contract in the coming years. Whoever has a good process for taking bikes back, refurbishing them and putting them back into use keeps both the customer and the bike within the chain.
For brands, residual value turns from an afterthought into a sales argument. A bike that still has a second life after three years makes the first lease cheaper.
For dealers, there is a role as advisor and service point. Lease a Bike has already announced that refurbished bikes will soon also be available through its 1,800 affiliated shops. That makes the local shop part of the solution, rather than a competitor to online.
Win-win as the starting point
You will not reach the 78% with a lower price alone. You reach them through collaboration: a lease company that makes it simple, a provider that delivers affordable quality, a dealer who offers advice and test rides on site at the employer, and an employer who actively explains the scheme. When those links connect, everyone wins: the employee rides, the employer has healthier staff and the industry grows.
Three questions for your 2027 strategy
- What share of your revenue comes from leasing now, and what should it be in two years?
- Who in your chain owns the relationship with the employer?
- How are you preparing for the first wave of lease bikes coming back?
Want to know how your company can reach that 78%, with a stronger proposition, a B2B partnership or a retail concept for leasing? Book an intro call
Johannes de Bruin helps companies in the cycling industry grow through The Great Ride, with strategic advice, project management and partnerships. More about me