Five from Finland
Get rolling with Finnish bikes
These Finnish companies are pedalling fast to get noticed on the global biking scene.
Julia HelminenWhether it's spring in your neck of the woods – or even autumn – anytime is a good time to jump on the two-wheeler and take a spin with these bike-related Finnish companies.
Finns enjoy cycling year-round. That's right, even during the depths of winter – the northern city of Oulu is the world capital of winter cycling, after all.
There are many good reasons for getting about on two wheels. Indeed, cycling promotes physical fitness, reduces environmental impact through eco-friendly transportation, and contributes to stress reduction and improved mental well-being. What else? It's fun!
Get on the right track with these five Finnish companies.
Pässilä was founded by mountain biking enthusiasts in 2018.
Pässilä Bicycles / FacebookNestled in Nopankylä, Finland, Pässilä Bicycles draws its name and inspiration from the rugged Pässilä wilderness, where friends and co-founders honed their mountain biking skills. Their journey from 2D sketching to pioneering titanium enduro, trail, dirt jump, and slopestyle mountain bike frames is a testament to their enduring camaraderie and love for innovation.
"We have known each other since we were kids and been riding mountain bikes together since the early 1990s," the team says on the company's website. "Over the years we've ridden just about every kind of mountain bike there is. From fully rigid to full suspension downhill bikes to fat bikes."
This extensive experience and shared passion for mountain biking has resulted in the production of the company’s distinctive titanium mountain bike frames, which offer durability and resistance to rust, setting them apart from traditional steel frames. Pässilä Bicycles' range of titanium frame bikes and components provides mountain bikers with advanced alternatives beyond the standard mountain bike models available in the market.
Pelago believes that a bike is the perfect tool for self-expression.
Pelago / FacebookFor Pelago, creating stylish bikes is not just about making money; it’s also about the desire to represent cycling and enhance the overall cycling experience for consumers.
Sparked by a passion for cycling and founded in 2009, the company has been expanding steadily ever since with many distributors across Europe and beyond, including the US, Chile, Mexico, South Korea and Japan.
With exports making up a significant share of the sales, Pelago believes that the “Finnishness” of the bikes is a good selling point as there’s a certain exotic element to owning a Finnish bicycle.
“As cars have been the traditional status symbol, maybe bicycles can be too,” noted co-founder Timo Hyppönen. “They say something about people’s values.”
Helkama has specialised in bikes for over a century.
Helkama VelkoWith the demand for ecological transport heating up, Helkama Velox has been at the forefront of electric bicycle development in Finland.
Based in the seaside town of Hanko, Helkama has been a prominent bicycle manufacturer for over 100 years, earning a reputation for quality and craftsmanship – indeed, their slogan is "bike like a Finn"'
The company operates Finland’s largest bicycle factory, producing over 25 000 bikes annually. Its lineup includes popular Key Flag models like the Aino, Oiva, Saana, Jääkäri, and Jopo, many of which are nowadays available in electric versions.
“The corona pandemic also gave rise to a cycling boom, when indoor hobby opportunities were limited and travelling decreased,” stated Helkama Velox CEO Tero Valtonen. “In addition, with the increase in demand for work bicycles, we have high expectations for electric bicycles for the coming years as well.”
Ouca Bikes builds its electric cargo bicycles to be “the most robust and ecological solution for carrying goods, people and tools”.
Ouca BikesDisappointed by electric cargo bicycles available on the market, Oulu-based entrepreneurs Tuomas Alapuranen and Jani Sipilä decided in 2019 to start building their own cargo e-bikes, focusing on quality, durability and sustainability. As a result, Ouca Bikes, with its fresh and innovative approach to cargo e-bike design, was born.
According to Sipilä, the European cargo bike market is growing rapidly, with two million units projected to be sold in 2030. Ouca Bikes is planning to lead the pack with three different models, tested in the harsh conditions of Northern Finland. These are Ouca Space, aimed at courier services; Ouca Transport, a highly versatile e-bike for transporting both goods and people; and Ouca Kiddiebus, designed for transporting up to eight children.
“We receive inquires from all over the world almost every day,” said Sipilä. “So Ouca’s durability compared to traditional cargo bikes has been widely noticed. In the future, in addition to sales in Finland, we are looking for strong international growth. The future looks good in our industry.”
Yeply has become Europe’s fastest growing maintenance ecosystem for bicycles and bike-like vehicles.
YeplyWhat’s the point of having a bike if it’s not rolling nicely? This fast evolving startup founded in 2016 by two childhood friends conveniently brings bike service straight to your doorstep. Yeply has a fleet of vans transformed into service stations that drive around neighbourhoods and service bikes, returning them ready the same day.
What significantly boosts the company’s operational efficiency and makes it very different from the competitors is a specially developed digital platform that records every bike, service and customer, as well as offers real-time insight on the company’s sales and marketing.
“This is a very different approach from traditional brick-and-mortar shops,” stressed co-founder Tommi Särkkinen. “We like biking, but we also want to create a profitable business.”
Currently active in in Finland, Germany and the Netherlands, Yeply in 2022 secured 2.5 million euros in a seed funding round led by Helsinki-headquartered Inventure and is well positioned to become “the largest bicycle maintenance service provider” in Europe.