a buddy phoned .. “I’m on my way”
The big Eurobike Show happening at Frankfurt in Germany can be just a one day to go, see, get back home late evening: if you are a well organised visitor. For doing the business from UK air travel is easy-peasy. Looking back it wasn’t quite as is seems today: it just came quite easier.
That first Eurobike – theirs, and mine too – we’d motored across to Munich from the North Sea crossing out of Hull and completed some research work on the way: more of that we’d do on the way back. This all makes the ROI an high value operation all round, much as was practised at the time of two-wheel shows IFMA in Cologne years.
In those days we didn’t do airport lounge time wasting, similarly as for outdoor SPOGA: the Sleeper train from Liverpool Street, breakfast on the Dutch connector from The Hook, a short morning walk in Germany above the Rhine. The day on Show aisles was then all yours: just three of four “appointments” well spaced for time to gain a Show Explorer Badge discovering a gem or two hidden away by new-to-you innovators.
You don’t find that train travel option today (a world gone wrong!) So no sharing dinner when on rails, with a brochure sort and look-through on the train back from Cologne: a chat with others to see how their Show trip had gone. Then to sleep across the North Sea into London. The dream way, life nowadays moved on to being trapped in the rush-rush of such the poor use of time. We didn’t have to do it that way though. Made sure we didn’t!
In Frankfurt 2026 the 34th Eurobike Show is looking good, start was today and some networking has prompted this bit of typing. I must say though I really do not recognise the internet’s AI daft version of how the 1991 Opener at Friedrichshafen went. Eurobike wasn’t (as they contend) the creaky-hall affair, it was a big chunk of vision by Erich Reiss. Masses of excitement, lots of hope and fun delivered so happily.
Eurobike soon built big, built strong, made it to being THE bicycling Show, that for cycles only. The Friedrichshafen Messe organisation delivered product promise, built big with pages of print and word of mouth. The remarkably strong ROI didn’t creak, it announced things loudly. Here we saw the shape of things that suited the purpose.
Despite that universal achievement, how sad that today though, you do find “Digital speak” trying to excuses itself for getting it all wrong, pretending that all is because (in the instance here) the first Eurobike events pre-date internet publishing . .” Bullshit: pure internet marginalisation, imagination in the sad whimper from an unknowing who’d obviously not researched those special days!
I’ve just been reading easily found print reports of the inaugural Show on Bodensee. I was there with Clive Tully where we’d met up with the UK Trade paper ‘CSE News’ owner Paddy Moloney, him also checking the Halls. The bicycles Show on Bodensee took just the two big Halls: Erich Reiss built it visitor friendly – well we got that with Freddy! – one a massive display of how Shimano did things, made things. Not just for roads but had lots of their rods on show too. A 70 years company celebrating their broad business base, fishing for a knowing following.
As to our beingThere, we’d already seen ISPO, now were hotel staying in the town of Lindau for the 1991 Eurobike opener day. It needed a fair distance of to-and-fro driving to reach the Eurobike Halls, and hey! this Germany visiting Brit also realises Friedrichshafen isn’t that harbour scene headlining the YouTube tale told in the “Cycle Maintenance Arcade” story. That I know as there’s a super fish restaurant just to the left side of the tower.
The You-Tube piece swipes of ‘creakiness’ at the Show – not the case – because what Erich Reiss brought us with Friedrichshafen gave something quite meaningful, set the line, defined direction. I’d not say Eurobike has got to being where it is because the internet came along: “Digi-it” stuff as this has turned up late, missed beingThere on the stories that reported here was brought for us the new order in bicycle Shows!
Pictures: Across time beards do grey! Eurobike always was for time with Tilmann Wildthaler, since the ’80s doing his global cycletouring, two wheels then three. John Potter (on left) and I had that first time met him. Later, his recumbent from a Nord Capp trip was another time at Shows. The Bodensee tourism ‘Show Offer’ would have us so often taking lakeside tours, three countries in one day! One year when Friedrichshafen staged the Outdoor event a week or so after Eurobike, some of the exhibitor Booths stayed built in the same Hall as Eurobike. Our Tourer caravan stayed at Wirthshof in Markdorf. Holiday work was testing their swimming pool, living in the luxury of what is Five Star camping ! That’s what I see as Living lifestyle
