Is Cycling Losing Its Shine Against Pickleball and Padel?

November 25, 2025

The bike industry has been experiencing a really rough period for some time now. Almost every few months, some bike company will announce that they are going into administration due to financial problems and insolvency.  Some have to go through a massive layoff, re-negotiate repayment, or eventually shut their doors. Some blame it on the COVID boom and the post-pandemic glut, but have we examined what has taken podium space that was once helmed by cycling?

Across the global sports landscape, a surprising new tension is emerging. Facilities once reserved for BMX, pump tracks, or junior MTB skills areas are being repurposed into pickleball courts. Composite manufacturers once tethered to cycling have pivoted to making paddles instead of wheels.

These developments may seem isolated at first glance—but they point to a wider, industry-relevant question: Is cycling losing cultural, economic, and infrastructural ground to the accelerating rise of pickleball and padel?

For the cycling industry, the implications go well beyond the anecdotal. BikeBiz