Quick search
As every Belgian, we are always a little proud of our national treasures. Cycling is one of them. Consequently, there are many Belgian bike brands. Cycling is big in Belgium, and since the arrival of electric bikes, we’ve only seen the number of cyclists increase.
To the brands: if your brand is missing, sorry, please contact us, and we’ll make sure to adjust it.
New Belgian Bike Brands
We start with the newer Belgian bike brands. These emerged with the rise of electric bikes and offer a Belgian alternative to the popular brands dominating the market.
Ahooga
Ahooga, founded in 2015, focuses on designing lightweight and practical electric bikes for the city. With electric city bikes and e-folding bikes, Ahooga has something for everyone. They particularly target urban use. Recently, news broke that they would be producing the folding bikes in Brussels.
One of their features is the lightweight hybrid electric city bikes that can be ridden with or without electric assistance. We have already tested their Ahooga Modular and Folding models. In June 2023, they launched the Ahooga Max, which was also presented at Eurobike 2023.
We have tested some of their bikes already. Check out the Ahooga Modular review and the review of the Ahooga Urban Single speed.
SUGG
An easy follow-up to Ahooga is SUGG bikes, which makes bikes in Brussels. For now, it’s one model, a compact bike made by the designer of the first Ahooga folding bike.
Sugg bikes was founded in 2022(?) and targets city dwellers who want a compact and handy bike.
Cowboy
Next stop, Cowboy, founded in 2017 in Brussels. Cowboy aims to popularize electric bikes in Europe and the United States. They have raised significant funding for the development of their connected electric bikes.
With a sleek and minimalist design, they stand out in the market. Their bikes are equipped with an integrated cockpit for smartphones and hidden sensors for fall detection. More info about Cowboy.
Belgocycle
Belgocycle, founded in 2014, offers high-quality, comfortable electric bikes with Belgian design. These bikes are assembled in Cruyshautem, East Flanders. They are equipped with a 36V, 13Ah, or 486Wh smart battery for a range of 50 to 100 km.
Belgocycle focuses on city bikes, ATBs, folding bikes, and speed bikes. They offer different series tailored to different budgets. Additionally, they offer customization options in terms of saddle and handlebars. In 2022, they plan to launch a speed pedelec model.
Monkey Bike
Monkey Bike, based in Nijlen, Belgium, is a new bike brand founded by Quinten Gillis and Kim Topff. With a focus on families, Monkey Bike combines functionality, safety, and fun in their designs. One noticeable feature is the choice of fat-bike type tires, which we see in every model.
They mainly focus on specialty electric bikes. The Monkey X is an electric fat bike that can be ordered with or without suspension. The Monkey is similar but designed to carry a child on the rear rack.
The jewel of the collection is the Monkey Tail, affordable and offering good value for money (and after-sales service). This model is designed to carry two children, making it a great entry-level vehicle for young families.
All models are equipped with electric assistance up to 25 km/h and are made of high-quality Hi-Ten steel, ensuring durability and reliability.
Additionally, Monkey Bike places great importance on craftsmanship and local production. They closely collaborate with local craftsmen and producers for the frame, components, and many accessories.
For more information: monkeybike.be
Swyff
Swyff is a Belgian bike brand based in Waregem, focusing on the production and sale of electric bikes. They are particularly known for their electric folding bikes, offered in various models and price ranges.
They prioritize quality and can offer competitive prices by selling their bikes directly to consumers. Swyff also has an extensive network of bike shops across Belgium distributing their products, with a total of 90 sales points.
We visited their booth at Velofollies 2024 and discovered their new longtail and cargo bikes.
More information: Swyff.com
Veloci
Veloci, founded in 2014, is known as the best-selling electric bikes in Belgium. They focus on city bikes and folding bikes. Veloci emphasizes elegant and timeless Belgian design.
Based in Kruisem, East Flanders, Veloci uses high-quality components, including Bafang motors. They offer a limited number of models, prioritizing quality and durability. The bikes are equipped with central motors and durable batteries. They are compact, efficient, and suitable for both men and women.
Venilu
Venilu, founded in 2017, aims to simplify urban mobility in an environmentally friendly way. They design and assemble electric bikes in Nivelles, Walloon Brabant. They offer three different series: Citana, Urbana, and Vida.
The Citana series offers comfortable all-terrain electric bikes for city rides. The Urbana series includes lightweight folding bikes, and the Vida series offers compact folding bikes with innovative design.
DeVlaeminck and Beaufort Bikes
Beaufort and deVlaeminck are two Belgian bike brands known for their founder, Roger DeVlaeminck. Currently, there is surprisingly little information available about these brands. Both brands were founded in 2010 in collaboration with the legendary cyclist Roger Vlaeminck.
DeVlaeminck specializes in road bikes and has built a strong reputation in the cycling world. The brand is known for its innovative designs, advanced technologies, and excellent performance. Beaufort bikes focus more on electric bikes for families.
What sets both brands apart is their dedication to quality and affordability. Beaufort and deVlaeminck strive to offer high-quality bikes, allowing everyone to enjoy the benefits of their products.
Belgian Bicycle Brands, History to Present
Achielle
Delving further into the history of Belgian bicycle brands, we begin with Achielle. They have been making bikes for quite some time, founded in 1946, and have now also ventured into electric bikes. The brand specializes in creating handmade bicycles and maintains their Belgian retro look in their electric models.
They use high-quality motors, such as the Shimano Steps system, and European components from recognized brands. Achielle offers electric bikes in a delightful retro style that are custom-made and customizable to suit individual preferences. They have even won several awards, including the “Handmade in Belgium” label. More information about Achielle.
L’Avenir
Next up is L’Avenir, the oldest bicycle manufacturer in Belgium, founded in 1898. They focus on electric bikes for city and suburban use and collaborate with Shimano for their motor systems. L’Avenir is a small family business, but their products are mainly sold in specialized stores. They introduced their first electric bike as early as 1999. More information about L’Avenir.
Granville
Founded in 1928, Granville is a strong Belgian brand known for its high-quality electric bikes with impeccable finishing. From electric city bikes to ATBs, their range offers something for everyone.
One of Granville‘s strengths is their collaboration with renowned brands such as Bosch and Promovec for their motorization systems. These bikes exude robustness, reliability, and power. Coupled with elegant and retro designs with practical accessories, you have a winner. They simply assemble their bikes here in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium!
Norta
Norta is a bicycle manufacturer based in Olen, Belgium. The company has an impressive history, with over 100 years of experience in the industry, making it a true benchmark in bicycle production in Belgium. Norta is recognized as a family-owned business.
The company has recently made a significant move. Due to the increasing demand for electric bikes (80% of their sales were electric), Norta has decided to cease the production of city bikes and focus exclusively on e-bikes.
Furthermore, Norta has recently launched a new high-end Longtail electric bike. A quality product, Belgian alternative to Tern’s longtails. Norta also offers a city bike, a sporty e-bike, and a special tricycle in its range.
Norta operates as a manufacturer/producer, founded in 1956. You may not be familiar with it yet, but Norta is certainly present in the Belgian market. According to Trends, it ranks 11th in the bicycles, motorcycles, and scooters sector.
For those interested in the company’s products, Norta publishes a printed catalog every year through its extensive network of dealers, showcasing all available models and highlighting the novelties. Of course, we will try to test their electric bikes and provide feedback.
For more information, visit norta.be.
Oxford
Oxford, a nearly century-old Belgian brand founded in 1925, offers a wide range of electric bikes. From city bikes to folding bikes, cargo bikes, and speed bikes, you’ll find it all here. Their bikes are known for their durability and ability to withstand various conditions.
Interestingly, Oxford collaborates with brands such as Bafang, Bosch, and Shimano for their central motor systems. Additionally, they emphasize environmental friendliness by using non-toxic paint and solar panels.
The Oxford bikes are highly affordable and offer good value for money. We even considered buying their longtail bike ourselves, but then we opted for a second-hand electric bike.
Ridley
Ridley, founded in 1997 and based in Balen, near Antwerp, is known for its innovation in the bicycle industry. They have developed unique technologies such as a revolutionary fork and integrated F-brake. Ridley also acquired the bicycle brand Eddy Merckx in 2017.
Ridley entered the e-bike market with the Kanzo-E, an e-gravel bike. This bike offers exceptional stability and riding experience on various terrains. With the Ridley Configurator, you can customize your bike to individual needs. Ridley continues to lead in technology and innovation with each new model.
Minerva
Minerva, founded in 1963 in Belgium, offers electric bikes for city use, folding bikes, and mountain bikes. They provide a wide range of bikes with an attractive price-to-quality ratio.
Minerva collaborates with partners such as Michelin, Shimano, AXA, Selle Royal, and Herrmans. They also offer retro or classic look designs.
Belgian Speed Pedelecs
There are also several Belgian speed pedelec brands. Ellio, Aska, Specter, since the introduction of the speed pedelec, we have seen three very high-quality speed pedelecs enter the market. Since this list has become a bit long, we will review the Belgian speed pedelec brands in another article.
