Cycle to Work Alliance sees “market stabilisation”
The latest statistics from the Cycle to Work Alliance indicate further cycle market stabilisation, with the alliance noting “resilient” participation “holding steady”.
That translates into 35,562 cycle to work certificates issued by Alliance members during Q4 2025, a 1.45% increase year-on-year compared with Q4 2024, and a 0.6% increase compared to Q4 2023. Notably though, overall certificate volumes for H2 2025 were slightly lower than in the same period in 2024 (though the Alliance didn’t share the specifics). That might point to a flattening of the seasons, which is an interesting finding in the deeply seasonal cycling market.
The C2W Alliance did say, however, that 2025 largely saw the typical pattern of certificate volumes, with activity strongest in spring and early summer, with volumes moderating from September onwards.
Those robust stats came with the future of the scheme again hitting national headlines. The FT reported that curbs were on the way for the scheme, but these did not materialise, possibly due in part to the difficult messaging of nobbling active travel measures.
Building on the Cycle to Work Alliance’s verdict of a stabilising market in 2025, other sizeable bike businesses in the UK found likewise: Tandem Group saw bicycle sales at a robust level in 2025, 37.6% ahead of the prior year. Meanwhile Halfords found that cycling grew almost 10% in the key ’25 selling season. But amidst that good news are sobering reports of industry administrations including Frog Bicycles.
Steve Edgell, Chair of the Cycle to Work Alliance, said: “These figures show a Scheme that continues to perform its role exactly as intended. We see strong uptake through the peak months, followed by a predictable seasonal slowdown, but with participation remaining resilient overall. That stability matters and it shows the Scheme continues to support everyday commuting and remains a trusted benefit for employers and employees alike.”
The Cycle to Work Alliance is a policy coalition of five of the UK’s biggest Cycle to Work Scheme providers – Halfords, Evans, Perkbox, Cycle Scheme and Cycle Solutions – representing around 80% of the UK Cycle to Work market. A total of 88,480 cycle to work certificates were issued in the first half of 2024.
CIN is currently seeking independent retailer and workshop input into how 2025 performed. You can take part in our Market Data report (and gain access to the collated anonymised results) here.
