Top 10 best-selling bicycles of 2024: choose your ideal model

Despite problems such as the supply chain crisis, which the sector has not yet forgotten, the bicycle industry continues to grow. And so it did in 2024. This is the outlook on which all analyses agree. At Tuvalum, as every year, we also want to share our vision. What are the favorite brands among the cycling community? Which models are the best sellers in each category? What is the outlook for the sale of refurbished bikes in Europe? And in Spain? At Tuvalum, we sell thousands of bikes. In fact, we are the number 1 website in Europe for selling refurbished bicycles
, certified and with guarantees. All this allows us to process thousands of transactions and accumulate valuable knowledge about the preferences of cycling enthusiasts. Today we make all this information available to you, so you can enjoy it and compare it with your own tastes and preferences. Below, we offer you data on the second-hand market in Europe and Spain. If we had to draw a general map of 2024, in our country more road and electric bikes were sold, but fewer mountain and gravel bikes than in the Old Continent. Relatively speaking, that is. But not everything is so simple, so let's get into the details. What do you think?

The 10 best-selling bicycle brands (Europe)

Let's start by talking about the brands that led the European second-hand bicycle market in 2024, based on the transactions made on Tuvalum. As in previous seasons, Orbea
remains the benchmark brand. From January to December 2024, we sold more bikes from the Basque manufacturer than from any other brand. However, it should be noted that the gap between the Mallabia brand and the second place has narrowed significantly during this period. If in 2023 that gap was 3.70 percentage points, in 2024 this difference is less than half (1.44 points). In other words: Orbea tops the list of best-selling refurbished bikes in Europe (10.78% of the total), ahead of Giant
(9.34%) and Specialized
(8.61%).

As for the top three spots, the same players from previous years are back. Orbea remains in the lead, but there is a swap in positions between Specialized and Giant compared to 2021. The Taiwanese brand pulls off a sorpasso in 2024, overtaking the American and moving into second place in sales volume. It should also be noted that the difference in sales between Orbea and its pursuers It decreases compared to the previous year. If in 2023 that difference was 3.7 percentage points, in 2024 the gap was reduced to below 1.44 points. In other words: 10.78% of the bikes we sold in 2024 were from the brand Orbea, ahead of the 9.34% represented by Giant in the same period. Otherwise, the landscape of brands represented among the 10 bestsellers does not vary much compared to 2021. Lapierre
is the only one to break into this ranking compared to the previous year, with the German Cube
dropping out. Beyond this circumstance, hardly any variations are detected. At most, a drop in the ranking of Merida
, which goes from sixth to tenth place, losing market share (from 5.60% to 2.18%). Or the decline also of BH
; even while staying in seventh place, it loses nearly 2.5 percentage points compared to 2021 (5.50% vs 2.88%). To put these data in context, keep in mind that in 2024, Tuvalum sold bicycles from more than 120 different brands. Good. We are now clear on which have been the best-selling refurbished bike brands at Tuvalum. But which are the best-selling models? In the following image, we show you. It is inevitable to highlight, once again, the presence of Orbea on this list. No less than four of their bikes occupy a spot in the Top 10. And not only that, but three of them occupy the top three positions: two mountain models (Alma and Oiz) and one road model (Orca).

👉🏼​ Sales leader. The Orbea Alma was the best-selling refurbished bike at Tuvalum during 2024, with a market share of 3.54%.

Therefore, it is a hardtail made in Spain that leads the ranking of the most desired bikes of 2024 in the second-hand market, ahead of its dual suspension sister (Orbea Oiz), which previously topped the list. One more proof that, although it might seem otherwise, the hardtail mountain bike
hardtail segment for cross country
is still very, very much alive. Let's not forget the presence of the Avant, the more gran fondo
version of Orbea, of course. Here is the complete Top 10, where the presence of a couple of Scott
models also stands out: the Scott Spark and the Scott Scale. The sum of the sales of both, in any case, does not even surpass the numbers of Alma, which accounts for 3.54% of all the bikes we sold at Tuvalum between January and December 2024.

We continue talking about specific models in a European context. But let’s take it a step further. In the following table, we show the best-selling refurbished bikes according to cycling discipline. You know, these are the ones that were most popular during 2024 on our platform. Once again, models from Orbea lead sales in the, let’s say, more traditional specialties: road, mountain, and triathlon. They also hold a privileged position in the gravel segment
. In fact, the Terra model ranks among the top three best-sellers in the category, improving on its fifth place from the previous year (2021). As we said: here are the best-selling refurbished bikes on Tuvalum, classified by cycling category.

Of the 50 best-selling bicycles by category, Orbea contributes seven models, Giant and Specialized with six, while Trek
and Scott place four on the list. Apart from the dominance of the Basque brand, the leadership of Specialized in the only two categories not led by Orbea is also very relevant: the Diverge is the best seller by Tuvalum in the gravel modality and the same occurs with the Turbo Levo in the e-bikes
segment. Finally, we can also highlight the presence of three Spanish brand models among the 10 favorite bikes of our users in the gravel modality. Here, a special mention for the Megamo
Jakar, which takes a well-deserved second place and is one of the references in the category.

The 10 best-selling bicycle brands in Spain

Although in a different order and proportion, 90% of the refurbished brands we sell in Spain match those we sell globally. The only difference is the presence of Lapierre in the European Top10, which gives its place to Megamo in Spain. Orbea sells 71% more than the second most successful brand in sales, while three Spanish companies appear among the best sellers in 2024: Orbea itself, BH
and Megamo. This is the general overview of the best-selling brands in Spain within the second-hand market.

It is interesting to note that the three brands Leaders in Spain are also leaders in markets such as France, Italy, and Germany, where Tuvalum also has an intense activity. Technically, almost the same number of second-hand road bikes
(40.78%) are sold in Spain as mountain bikes
(39.51%). In relative terms, and speaking of other types, it should be noted again that Spanish buyers purchase 40% fewer gravel bicycles than in Europe. This data clearly shows the growth potential of this cycling category. Here are the best-selling refurbished bicycle brands in the Spanish market, classified by cycling category.

In 2024, Orbea ranked among the five best-selling brands in all categories, with a strong presence especially in road and MTB modalities. In terms of sales volume, it was more than 8 percentage points ahead of its closest competitor (Scott) in the mountain bike segment. In road bikes, it was just half a point behind the most in-demand brand (Giant).

The rise of e-bikes

In its much-anticipated Annual Report, Strava reflected how the percentage of cyclists who performed activities with electric bikes in 2022 increased by 26%. The upward trend of e-bikes is unstoppable, both in a strictly sporting context and in the urban
sphere. Our electric bikes experienced a 52% sales growth in 2024 compared to the previous year. While in 2023 this segment barely accounted for 6.95% of the total sales volume, the latest available data puts the figure at 10.58%. In short, Spain is fertile ground for e-bikes. Thus, sales made through Tuvalum exceeded European sales ratios by 21%. Here, the prominence of electric mountain bikes is clear. In fact, we sell almost 6 times more e-MTB models than road bikes.

Shimano vs SRAM

The transmission of a bicycle is no small matter. 73% of the bicycles we sold at Tuvalum in 2024 were equipped with a Shimano groupset. The Japanese brand is strengthening its presence in the refurbished bike market. In fact, it increased its market share by more than two percentage points compared to the previous year (70.77% in 2021). As you can see, the third contender (Campagnolo) has a virtually testimonial presence; barely 1% of the bikes we sell at Tuvalum are fitted with the Italian groupset.

Although Shimano is the majority in all categories and types of bicycles, it extends its dominance differently depending on each discipline. While its dominance is overwhelming in road and triathlon, this is not the case in mountain and gravel specialties, where SRAM has a considerable presence, especially in MTB. As for reference models, all categories show a clearly outstanding model in the preferences of consumers looking for refurbished bikes in 2024. On the road, Shimano Ultegra (in its mechanical version) clearly takes the lead (36.5%), outpacing the runner-up model, Shimano 105 (27.3%), by almost nine percentage points. Compared to 2021, Shimano Tiagra disappears and the SRAM Force eTap AXS group emerges, which is another sign of the growth in sales of second-hand bikes equipped with electronic shifting.

In the MTB category, the Shimano Deore XT groupset is the most common on the bikes we sell at Tuvalum. In fact, it doubles the sales of the second place (SRAM GX Eagle). But it is in the gravel category where Shimano's dominance in the top spot is most evident: the GRX groupset triples the sales of the SRAM Apex 1. The presence of electronic shifting on the list is also noteworthy. In the road category, 3 out of the 5 most purchased groupsets feature this type of transmission, although still at a notable distance from Shimano's mechanical models that reign in this category: Ultegra and 105. And finally, a key aspect regarding transmissions is the decrease in the sale of bikes with entry-level builds. Groupsets like Shimano Tiagra or Shimano Sora are clearly losing relevance in 2024.

Other points of interest in 2024

Beyond brands and models, at Tuvalum we have other interesting data related to the sale of our bicycles. Factors such as material, braking system, suspensions, and even the sale price of the bikes can help us contextualize the second-hand market. Let's break it down. In 2024, seven out of ten bikes sold through our platform featured a carbon frame
. Undoubtedly, carbon is much more prevalent in road than in mountain. 82% of road models were sold in this material, while this percentage dropped to less than 59% in MTB bikes. This is quite reasonable, considering that accessing a carbon mountain bike is generally more expensive.

An interesting fact relates to the braking system found on the refurbished bikes we put up for sale. The acquisition of models with rim brakes is no longer leading sales. A year-on-year change in trend is confirmed, in line with the evolution of the global market. If in 2021, 34% of bikes sold featured disc brakes
, in 2022 this percentage already exceeded 43%, with the forecast that it will continue to grow in the coming years. Another notable aspect, especially linked to mountain bikes, is the matter of suspensions. The sales volume of hardtail and full suspension bikes at Tuvalum is quite even, with a slight advantage for full suspension (52.42%). Finally, when it comes to prices, it's worth noting that the average price of a bike purchased on our platform in 2024 was €2,530, which represents a 12% increase compared to 2023 (€2,239). The average ticket for refurbished bikes is growing in all categories, except for the electric mountain bike segment, where it decreases slightly.