I Went to the 2025 Montreal Bicycle Show

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Disclaimer: The author is not affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this article, nor does he endorse them.

Cycling is a great way to stay in shape, connect with one’s community, and help the planet by reducing one’s carbon emissions. I am a big cycling enthusiast, and have previously written about living without a car and going on a cycling tour in Europe.

In this vein, the annual Montreal Bicycle Show took place from February 21 to 23, 2025, and I decided to check it out. Here is my experience.

What is the Montreal Bicycle Show?

As someone who is into cosplay, I like to think of it as a comic con for bikes, featuring kiosks from bicycle manufacturers, apparel manufacturers, tourism companies, and cycling-related event organizers. It took place at the Palais des Congrès (which also happens to be where the Montreal Comic Con is held). The Montreal Bicycle Show is the largest one of a network that also includes shows in Gatineau/Ottawa (taking place March 7-9) and in Quebec City (March 21-23).

What was there to see and do?

Lots! For starters, there were a number of bicycle manufacturers with select models on display. I myself own a Brompton and a Giant, both of which were represented at the show.

Brompton unfolded

Brompton folded

The author in front of the Giant kiosk

Since I am partial to Giant, I had to take a few pictures of their floor models.

Giant TCR Advanced SL Special Edition

Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1

Giant has a sub-brand called Liv, whose bicycles are designed exclusively for women.

Liv Avail Advanced 2

Beyond those, it was a veritable showcase of fancy brand name bicycles (well, fancy for those of us who aren’t international competitors).

Orbea Orca Aero

Pinarello Dogma F

The brands Orbea and Pinarello may be familiar to those of you who watch the Global Cycling Network YouTube channel.

KHS

Trek

Devinci

Beyond high-performance bicycles, one could also find more multi-purpose ones.

Solo Rock

Velec e-bike

There were some unconventional bicycles too.

Like the penny farthing!

One could also attend workshops, including one where they teach you how to replace an inner tube. Note they are all in French.

Essentials of roadside repair

And no bicycle show would be complete without…

Shimano!

Other offerings included virtual systems from Wahoo (where you pedal on a fixed bicycle in front of a screen and watch your avatar cycling from a third person perspective), as well as a test track where participants could test out certain models. There was also a BMX track.

What else?

Aside from bicycle manufacturers, there were clothing and gear manufacturers, tourism companies offering bicycle tours abroad and local cycling maps, and organizations accepting participants for local fundraising rides. These last two are particularly interesting, as owning a bicycle is useful only inasmuch as there are places and occasions where you can ride it. Participating in group rides is also a great way to meet other cycling enthusiasts.

There was also some stuff you wouldn’t expect to see, such as…

A bicycle-related tattoo artist!

So how was the experience?

This was my first time attending a bicycle show, and having some familiarity with performance bicycles, I was excited to see up close such a wide variety of high-end models, which did not disappoint. While there were cycling clothing manufacturers present, it would have been nice if the bicycle brands themselves had some branded clothing for sale, as that was something I was looking for.

There is a wide variety of bicycles on display, whether for road, gravel, mountain, and also folding bicycles, cargo bicycles, e-bikes, and more. While you can’t buy them from the show floor, the event was a convenient place where lots of manufacturers gather, and a prospective buyer can easily move from one kiosk to another to comparison shop and ask questions while inspecting the wares.

This being Montreal, everything is in French, though the people at the kiosks do speak English.

Should you attend next time?

If you like bicycles and cycling, then yes, as this is a chance to look at the latest bicycle models, talk to the staff, and learn about cycling events in and around the community. And if you are not yet into cycling but have read this far, then also yes, as this could be what gives you the necessary push over the edge to start. Hopefully see you in Gatineau this March 7-9!

Ending joke

My wife laughed when I tried building a bike out of spaghetti. You should have seen her face when I rode pasta.