New industry analysis has warned that Europe’s bicycle industry will need to recruit 105,000 more bike mechanics by 2032 to meet growing demand. That additional requirement equates to 60 per cent of the current workforce, of which there is alreay a shortfall of around 45,000.
The report, published by the NextGen Mechanics initiative and European Cycling Industries (ECI), contains the first estimate of demand for cycle mechanics built from the employment data of cycle retailers themselves.
It concludes that while Europe employs around 175,000 cycle mechanics, around 45,000 more are already needed to meet current demand with the shortfall only poised to grow in coming years.
It says that ongoing growth in e-bike market share, leasing and fleet models and aftermarket services – as well as a rise in overall cycling levels – is expected to generate demand for a further 61,000 mechanics by 2032.
The report says that the shortage is already having an impact, referencing Shimano’s State of the Nation 2026 survey of 25,000 respondents. This found that 121m Europeans are cycling less because they can’t get their bikes serviced and that 7.6m have stopped cycling altogether.
The changing nature of the industry is also a concern. The report states that in many cities with high e-bike uptake, unregulated garages and mobile mechanics fill the gaps left by overstretched workshops.
Those working in this informal repair market often lack technical knowledge or access to certified parts, and they may also be willing to work on modified e-bikes that established workshops would refuse to touch. Combined, these factors significantly increase safety risks.
The report says the greater complexity of modern bikes is an issue for other reasons too. It says the work increasingly resembles other technical trades, particularly automotive and light electric mobility, “Yet cycle mechanics are rarely treated in the same way.”
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In short, low pay, long hours and growing technical demands have resulted in significant churn.
The report says: “If the sector continues to rely on low wages and informal progression, it will keep losing experienced staff to better recognised technical roles.
“If, instead, cycle maintenance is positioned as a modern technical profession, with standards, accreditation and working conditions comparable to other mobility trades, it becomes a more attractive long-term career.”
Ties Van Dijk, who works on advocacy and strategy at Shimano, commented: “We know from talking with bike shops that the workshop matters more to their business every year, and they cannot find the people to staff it. We convened NextGen Mechanics to understand the problem properly and are pleased to collaborate with ECI, who are ongoing to try to solve it, because no single company can fix this alone.”
> Shimano is trying to figure out why Europe has a “critical” bike mechanic shortage
Industry body ECI – which was formed in January 2026 following the merger of Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) and the Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI) – is now looking to partner with Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers to develop a standardised, replicable European training framework for bike mechanics.
ECI CEO, Paul Walsh, commented: “A bicycle that cannot be repaired is a bicycle that stops being ridden. This is not a problem for bike shops alone, but also for the wider cycling ecosystem. Europe’s capacity to train and retain qualified bicycle mechanics is falling behind demand, with an impact felt by both consumers and businesses.
“This undermines a fast-growing European industry and limits the return regions and cities see on their cycling infrastructure investments. European Cycling Industries is honoured to take forward the recommendations in Shimano’s report, on behalf of the entire industry.”
1 thought on “105,000 more bike mechanics are needed in Europe by 2032 – and the shortfall is already changing how people travel”
Whilst I don’t doubt, and empirical observation supports, the fact that more mechanics are needed, are there really 120 million Europeans who cycle less because they can’t get their bikes serviced and 7 million who have given up cycling entirely because of the lack of mechanics? That sounds more like the sort of thing people would say in a survey as an excuse for not cycling as much as they feel they should rather than solid evidence. In my experience if people actually like cycling they will go further afield to find a mechanic if a repair is needed, learn to fix it themselves or get a mate (usually me!) who knows a little bit about bikes to help. It’s only a hunch but I suspect that people who say they don’t cycle because they can’t find a mechanic would probably find another excuse not to cycle if that one wasn’t available.