The 78th edition of Eicma, the international bicycle and motorcycle exhibition that has just concluded in Rho (Milan), recorded 342,644 attendances over the four days open to the public — the maximum capacity permitted under current regulations. An impressive number, to say the least, that undoubtedly reflects the interest and passion for two-wheelers as well as the scale of this sector.
To understand the success of Eicma we need to consider the desire to experience the event in person again and discover the latest innovations first-hand after a year of enforced absence, the longing to plan new trips after lockdown, and the chance to test innovative vehicles. Add to this the spectacle of the performances inside the Arena MotoLive and — the cherry on the cake — the tribute to Valentino Rossi's career on Friday 25 November. These are some of the ingredients that made Eicma the most significant event in terms of attendance at the Rho exhibition centre since 2020.

Eicma 2021: the e-bike market is growing rapidly

Before retracing the trends and new developments, let us run through some significant figures drawn from market data. In Italy alone, the electric two-wheeler industry recorded +84.5 per cent growth in 2020 compared to the previous year, and the positive run continued into 2021 with an increase of more than five per cent in the first nine months of the year. Nor can we overlook the e-bike world, whose national and European market has been growing at double digits in recent years and which finds a natural stage at Eicma.

For bicycle enthusiasts we will say it straight away: not a single muscle-powered bike was to be seen. From the very entrance to the first hall you are surrounded by e-bikes of every shape and kind, presented by specialist companies such as Bad Bike, Rayvolt Bike, Bikel, World dimension, but also by historic Italian brands such as Bottecchia and Atala, which have added new products to their catalogues. Countless names from the motoring world, including Vent, Volta Motor and Polini, have also decided to manufacture these vehicles.
Walking through the five exhibition halls, we came face to face with the future. What will it look like? A single adjective is enough to describe it: electric.

Room for innovation: micromobility is on the rise

One of the most interesting areas of the exhibition was undoubtedly the one dedicated to innovation, where the theme of sustainability intertwines with that of safety. Here we found a dozen start-ups betting on made-in-Italy products with refined designs that harness technology and artificial intelligence to improve mobility quality and address the new needs that have emerged above all in the context of urban travel. Micromobility, indeed, is one of the keywords.

Linx is the first product brought to market by the start-up Totem (Turin technology and electric mobility). It is a scooter that could win over even the most reluctant users of such vehicles. Why? Because, unlike others, it has three wheels and a series of systems that earned it first prize at the European Commission's Product safety award, precisely by virtue of its safety-oriented design. In particular, it is fitted with a camera that forms part of the collision alert system installed at the rear. The battery is removable from the stem and can be charged comfortably even at the office, on one's own desk. It folds up and can be carried like a trolley. Marco Girotto, head of business development and growth at Totem, smiles as he shows off Linx's features and says: "This is a vehicle, not a toy."

An original idea is that of dob, an acronym standing for "double bike". The new brand has unveiled a muscle-powered bicycle that can be transformed with a single click into an e-bike. In this case the challenge is a matter of style: classic Italian frames remain practically unchanged thanks to the application of a small, elegant battery that can be fitted whenever needed. The project was born three years ago by electrical engineering students at the University of Padua and, after being shelved for a time, has finally made its debut at Eicma.

"The e-bike world is affected by range anxiety — that is, the rider's fear of not having enough charge to cover the distance," explains Francesco Risari, "whereas urban mobility consists of short trips; on average we travel five kilometres. Our effort is therefore to electrify ordinary, standard bikes built with the frames our grandparents left us — a symbol of Italian craftsmanship. For us, electric mobility must be as lightweight as possible, and from this perspective the themes of sustainability and urban commuting are fundamental, with the bike replacing the car over short distances." We can therefore say that with dob, innovation has set its sights on a return to essentials.

Among the vehicles on show in the innovation area, mention should also go to the Kobra scooters, manufactured entirely in Italy and produced by GMG (Green mobility grup). Having arrived on the market in February 2021, within just a few months they had secured a presence in several European countries and also overseas, in Canada and the northern United States. GMG is a start-up that was born as a spin-off of Triride, a leading company in the mobility sector for people with disabilities. The story of this brand is linked to entrepreneur Gianni Conte who, starting from his own needs thirteen years ago, invented propulsion units for wheelchairs that are today recognised as medical devices.

On display were not only vehicles but also innovative accessories and batteries. One need only mention the Hyba project, which proposed a modular battery system based on interchangeability — meaning the same battery can be compatible with e-bikes, scooters and microcars — or the Narvalo mask, developed from research by students at the Politecnico di Milan in collaboration with BLS Group. It is an innovative mask featuring a special air-extraction valve, conceived before the pandemic for urban commuting.

A truly of-the-moment initiative is Bikeflix, the network of cycle mechanics offering a home-call repair and maintenance service. Founded in Florence in April of this year, it is now spreading across Italy, responding above all to the needs of those who have to manage fleets of electric bikes.

Eicma 2021, the premieres that impressed us most

Among the fair debuts that did not go unnoticed was ELI – Zero Plus, the light quadricycle belonging to the L6 category presented at Eicma in a European premiere, which will be distributed in Italy by Five from March 2022. It is an electric microcar designed for urban mobility that can be driven by teenagers as young as 14 with an AM licence. It comes from a Californian startup specialising in the manufacture of electric vehicles, and with this model it won the iF World Design Award 2021. Eli has a range of 110 km with an 8 kWh battery. The top speed is 45 km/h and a full charge from a standard power socket takes approximately 3.5 hours.

Another world premiere was that of the new Helbiz One-S, the first made-in-Italy electric scooter designed for sharing. It features a clean, minimal design with a focus on safety, with lights, indicators, cables and wires fully integrated. The aluminium frame is engineered with specific geometries to enhance safety and comfort, while the extended and widened footboard improves stability and riding position. It is equipped with a next-generation IoT system as well as a dual camera: the first, facing forward, helps to determine the vehicle's position and how it has been parked with greater precision; the second, pointing towards the rider, will be particularly useful for preventing violations such as riding two-up.

The Lecco-based brand Vent also presents new additions to both its motorbike and e-bike ranges.
Among the motorbike previews, the brand-new 125 4T– Euro5 in two versions, Enduro and Motard, with an ALU frame, while it stands out in the e-bike segment with a top-of-the-range original dual-suspension egravel bike, the Super Enduro.

Seat MÓ 125 is the brand's first fully electric scooter, offering efficiency, performance, versatility and zero emissions. Perfect for the city, it pairs a 7 kW electric motor (with a peak of 9 kW) with a 5.6 kWh battery for a range of up to 137 kilometres on a single charge. And so our journey concludes at the 78th edition of Eicma — all that remains is to give you an appointment in 2022, when the International Motorcycle Exhibition returns from 8 to 13 November.