Schwalbe is the tyre brand of Ralf Bohle GmbH, a family business based in Reichshof near Cologne that calls itself a leading specialist in bicycle tyres and inner tubes. Its partnership with Korean tyre maker Hung-A dates back to 1973, and the name, German for swallow, comes from the bird's lucky meaning in Korean folklore.
Same category, HQ in Germany
ABIn 1924 August Bremicker and his sons started making padlocks in a Volmarstein basement forge. ABUS introduced its first bicycle lock, the No. 1000, in 1931 and now makes cycling locks and helmets alongside wider security products.
Bicycle locks and helmets
ALAlpina is a family-run German company based in Sulzemoos, Bavaria, active since 1980. Its range covers bike helmets, ski helmets, ski goggles, sports eyewear and protectors. The company describes its products as combining protection, innovation and design.
Helmets, goggles and eyewear for cycling and snow sports
BEBergamont identifies with Hamburg's St. Pauli district and builds bikes for urban streets, gravel routes and mountain trails. Its site describes that local culture as a driver of design; the brand is part of the SCOTT Sports group.
Urban, gravel and mountain bicycles
BOBombtrack grew out of Cologne's WeMakeThings bicycle scene and launched its first range in 2012 using steel-frame know-how from BMX. The Hook followed in 2014 as an adventure bike; the current legal notice names UPRAIL GmbH in Cologne.
Gravel, adventure and touring bicycles
BUBusch+Müller is a German maker of bicycle lights and rear-view mirrors, one of the world’s leading manufacturers in its field. It was founded in Meinerzhagen in 1925.
Bicycle lights and mirrors
CACanyon is a German bike maker that grew from a family business, starting with Roman Arnold's father selling imported bike parts from a trailer and opening its first bike shop in 1985. It calls itself the world's leading direct-to-customer bike company and makes road, mountain, triathlon, urban, fitness and electric bikes ridden from city streets to the professional peloton.
Specialist sports equipment
COFounded in Hanover in 1871, Continental builds on 150 years of tyre experience and calls itself the world leader in innovative bicycle tyres. Its bike tyres are developed in Korbach, Germany, while its Hanover engineering centre, with over 1,000 scientists, designers and engineers, drives the wider company's research.
Bicycle tyres
CUCUBE was founded by Marcus Pürner in 1993 in the Fichtel Mountains of north-eastern Bavaria and remains owner-managed today. From its base in Waldershof, the company develops road, mountain, trekking and electric bikes and sells them in well over 60 countries.
Road, mountain and e-bikes
