EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS: The Trust Crisis in the Bicycle Industry

Maik Geletneky
Dec 10, 2025
3 min read

From SENTINEL SPORTS, Your Specialized Recruitment Partner for the Bicycle Sector

PART I: The Final Diagnosis (Final Survey Results, N=68)

The one-week survey among employees and candidates in the bicycle industry is complete. The results are alarming and confirm a critical erosion of trust that is severely destabilizing the entire talent market..

📊 Final Result: Given the current wave of layoffs and economic uncertainty, how much has your trust in the bicycle industry as a reliable and secure long-term employer declined?

Answer	Unadjusted Votes	Management Correction	Adjusted Candidate Share (N=59)
A: Significantly Declined (Actively seeking outside)	24% (16 votes)	Correction for 3 management votes	22.0%
B: Somewhat Declined (Cautious – still looking internal)	34% (23 votes)	No correction	39.0%
C: Hardly Declined (Belief in the industry)	26% (18 votes)	Correction for 6 management votes	20.3%
D: No Trust Left (Already left the industry)	16% (11 votes)	No correction	18.7%

(Note: The adjustment for the 9 company owner and management votes reflects the true sentiment of the specialist workforce and employees.)

🚨 The Key Conclusion:

The adjusted figures show that nearly 80% (79.7%) of qualified professionals are either insecure, potentially looking to leave, or actively leaving the industry.

The Largest Pool (39.0%, Option B): Latently willing to change, but waiting for security.
The Lost Pool (40.7%, Option A+D): Candidates who are actively seeking career paths outside the sector or have already transitioned.

PART II: The Escalation of Risk (Passive Recruiting in the Crisis)

The fact that your company (and the majority of the industry) relies on passive job postings directly collides with this reality.

❌ Why Your Job Postings Are Failing Now

Massive Failure to Reach the Target Group: Your job postings almost exclusively reach the 39.0% (Pool B) who are still cautiously looking internally. The 40.7% of top talent who are leaving are actively looking in more stable sectors (e.g., automotive, tech). They do not see your ads.
Lack of Persuasiveness: A passive advertisement cannot rebuild the lost trust of almost 80% of candidates. It is a marketing message, not a credible promise of stability and future security.
Competition for Security: You are losing the battle for the best minds against industries that offer not only higher salaries but also professional recruiting teams capable of actively building trust.

The Danger: Without immediate active intervention, your company will suffer a silent, unnoticeable drain of qualified professionals, which will severely hamper recovery after the crisis.

PART III: Your Way Forward (The Solution Through Active Headhunting)

In this trust crisis, rebuilding confidence and actively reclaiming talent is only possible through an external, neutral expert. [Your Name/Your Company] offers the necessary active strategy:

1. Active Reclamation of the Lost Pool

We directly approach the 40.7% of exiting talent. Our job is to credibly present your company’s specific stability and future strategy to neutralize their fears of renewed layoffs.

2. Trust Building and Risk Management

We act as a credible third party. We can answer critical candidate questions regarding finances, overstock, and savings plans – something your internal HR may not be able to do without perceived bias. We reduce the risk of top talent declining due to fear alone.

3. Securing the Loyal Base (20.3%)

We identify and place candidates who, despite the market turmoil, show long-term loyalty to the industry. This strategically secures your company for the recovery phase.

📞 Next Step: Act Now – Actively and Strategically

The survey is a wake-up call. The cost of passivity in this market is the long-term weakening of your innovation and competitiveness.

Invest now in an active, trust-building recruiting strategy to secure the 80% of dissatisfied talent that would otherwise be lost to other industries.

I am available for a conversation to discuss which key positions you need to protect from final departure.

Contact me today: