Hungarian bicycle makers face shortage of parts

Manufacturing

The impact of the pandemic has made cycling more popular in Hungary, but local bicycle makers are facing a shortage of parts, mainly from Asia, which has forced some shutdowns this year, the head of the Hungarian Bicycle Industry and Trade Association told MTI.

Róbert Sipiczki noted that Hungarian companies turned out 390,000 bicycles last year, exporting 280,000 of them, mainly to Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland. Revenue of the sector rose 5-7% to around HUF 130 billion, he added.

The biggest bicycle maker in Hungary at present is Dutch-owned Accell Hunland, but Taiwan's Giant will start full-scale production at a plant in Gyöngyös this year. The Hungarian-owned Csepel, Gepida, Neuzer, and Koliken are also big players on the market.

Bicycle sales in Hungary came close to 260,000 last year, up from 225,000 in 2019.

Around 71% of Hungarian adults cycle with varying degrees of frequency, according to a representative survey conducted by the Hungarian Bicycle Club in 2020.

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