About ElektroRad

ElektroRad

ElektroRad — subtitled "Das E-Bike-Magazin" — is Germany's dedicated magazine for electric bicycles, published by BVA BikeMedia GmbH in Ismaning near Munich. As the e-bike specialist beside its sister magazine Radfahren, it serves the booming market of pedelecs and e-bikes with rigorous product tests, technology explainers, buying advice, and touring inspiration. BVA BikeMedia is a company of the Bielefeld-based Gundlach Gruppe, one of Germany's traditional publishing and printing groups. With issues such as ElektroRad 1/2024 and 5/2023 and a shared digital platform at radfahren.de, the magazine documents the transformation of the bicycle from mechanical device to electric vehicle — the most significant change in cycling since the safety bicycle.

Overview

ElektroRad addresses the e-bike rider in all their varieties: the commuter on the city pedelec, the trekking rider on long tours, the mountain biker on the e-MTB, the cargo-bike family. The editorial concept centers on testing — the magazine's test and technology department puts current models through their paces, from E-hardtails across price ranges to E-fatbikes in snow, and publishes the results with the comparative rigor German test journalism is known for. A signature format is the large-scale range test ("Grosser Elektrorad-Reichweitentest"), addressing the single most important buying criterion for e-bike customers: how far the battery really goes.

Beyond tests, the magazine covers e-bike technology — motors, batteries, displays, connectivity — buying advice for the perplexing variety of drive systems and model variants, and the touring culture that e-bikes have democratized: riders who could never have managed an Alpine pass on muscle power alone now cross mountain ranges electrically assisted, and the magazine shows them where to go. The magazine appears in the classic consumer-magazine channels: station kiosks, well-stocked magazine retailers, and competent bicycle dealers — the places where the buying decision begins.

The e-bike market provides the editorial tailwind: with millions of e-bikes sold annually in Germany and average prices approaching 3,000 euros, the purchase decision is a significant investment that rewards independent test journalism. ElektroRad positions itself as the buyer's advocate in this market — the independent voice between manufacturer marketing and dealer salesmanship, earning its readers' trust one measured kilometer at a time.

History

ElektroRad is published by BVA BikeMedia GmbH, based at Fraunhoferstraße 9-11 in Ismaning near Munich — the editorial hub where the six-person editorial team works with its photo studio, storage, and workshop. BVA BikeMedia is a company of the Gundlach Gruppe of Bielefeld, the traditional publishing, printing, and media group whose history in the printing industry reaches back generations. The Bielefeld connection explains the row's city attribution: the corporate home is in Bielefeld, while the editorial operation sits in Ismaning.

The magazine grew alongside the e-bike boom of the 2010s and 2020s. As pedelecs evolved from a senior-citizen niche to the dominant segment of the German bicycle market — outselling conventional bicycles — the need for dedicated e-bike journalism grew with it. ElektroRad established itself as the specialist title for this transformation, while the sister magazine Radfahren continued to serve the broader cycling audience. The shared platform radfahren.de presents itself as "the first address for cycling friends," with news, tests, technology, know-how, and cycle touring from both specialist magazines — a combined digital offering that pools the editorial resources of the Ismaning newsroom.

The test operation is the magazine's institutional core: the test and technology leadership under Sebastian Böhm, the in-house workshop in Ismaning, and the systematic test protocols give the title's verdicts their authority. Unlike desk-bound reviewers, the ElektroRad testers ride, measure, and dismantle — the workshop is where marketing claims meet the torque wrench. Sample issues such as ElektroRad 5/2023 (with its E-hardtail test) and 1/2024 (with winter E-fatbike coverage) document the ongoing publication rhythm.

Coverage and Content

The test coverage is the magazine's backbone: comparative tests of current e-bike models across categories — city, trekking, mountain, cargo — with measured data on range, motor performance, handling, and equipment. The large range tests address real-world conditions rather than manufacturer claims, a distinction that matters enormously to buyers planning tours. Technology coverage explains the drive systems (Bosch, Shimano, Yamaha, Brose and others), battery technology, displays and connectivity, and the maintenance knowledge e-bike owners need to keep their expensive machines running reliably for years.

Buying-advice coverage guides readers through the model jungle: which motor for which use, how much battery is enough, what the price differences buy — the practical decision framework that turns a bewildering showroom into an informed choice. Touring coverage presents routes and destinations suited to e-bike travel, reflecting the demographic the e-bike has unlocked — riders for whom electric assistance makes ambitious tours possible. The magazine also covers the industry: manufacturer news, trade-fair reports, and the regulatory framework (the 25 km/h pedelec limit, S-pedelec rules, insurance questions) — the legal fine print that every e-bike rider should know but few read.

The tone is that of the knowledgeable fellow rider: technically competent, practically oriented, and independent. The editorial team — led by Stephan Kümmel and Johanna Nimrich, with test chief Sebastian Böhm and editors including Burchard Forth, Tobias Jochims, and Jens Kockerbeck — combines journalistic and cycling expertise, testing the products it writes about in the Ismaning workshop and on the road, in conditions from summer heat to winter snow.

Organization and Ownership

ElektroRad is published by BVA BikeMedia GmbH, Ismaning near Munich (HRB 193731, AG München). The managing directors are Paul von Schubert, Nico Martin, and Hartmut Ulrich. BVA BikeMedia is a company of the Gundlach Gruppe, Bielefeld — the publishing and printing group that owns the bike-media operation, bringing the resources of a traditional media house to a specialist cycling publisher. Editorial leadership rests with Stephan Kümmel and Johanna Nimrich (Redaktionsleitung), with Sebastian Böhm heading test and technology, Jörg Gleichmar leading production, and a six-person editorial team covering the cycling world.

The sister magazine Radfahren shares the Ismaning operation and the radfahren.de platform, with the two titles dividing the cycling market between general cycling (Radfahren) and electric cycling (ElektroRad) — a clean editorial division that lets each title serve its audience with full focus. Reader contact runs through service@bvabikemedia.de and the Facebook presence (elektrorad.magazin). Circulation figures are not publicly confirmed in the accessible sources. Financial details are not publicly confirmed.

Digital Presence

The digital home is radfahren.de, the shared portal of ElektroRad and Radfahren, presenting itself as the first address for cycling enthusiasts with news, tests, technology, current know-how, and cycle touring from both specialist magazines. The portal extends the print magazines' test journalism online: test results, buying guides, and touring inspiration reach readers between issues, while the print editions provide the curated, in-depth treatment.

The Facebook page (elektrorad.magazin) maintains the community connection, and the publisher's shop (shop.bva-bikemedia.de) sells current and back issues with preview PDFs — letting prospective readers sample the test journalism before subscribing. For a consumer test magazine, the digital strategy follows the established pattern: the website delivers the news flow and the searchable test database, the print magazine delivers the authoritative comparative tests, and the social channels maintain the rider community. In a market where the e-bike purchase is a multi-thousand-euro decision, the combination of independent testing and accessible digital advice gives ElektroRad a durable role — the test lab that rides every bike before the reader buys one, and the touring companion that shows where to ride it afterward.