Bike Sales Gear Up

[2000m2]

I’m not too surprised based on the rusty old bikes I’ve seen out recently, but great to read this:
Bike Sales Gear Up As The Homebound Try Socially Distant Exercise
https://www.npr.org/2020/05/16/857157196/bike-sales-gear-up-as-the-homebound-try-socially-distant-exercise
“Bike sales in March were up by 50% over last year”

I’ve been pleased to see groups of kids out riding around the neighborhood. I feel like I haven’t seen that in years, and very much remember that as my childhood, we rode everywhere!

[ultraman6970]

I been thinking in this situation, people fixing and buying bikes to be able to go out etc... which is a good thing for the shops but what is going to happen later on? a recession because everybody that had something related with bikes already fulfilled the necessity?

[SimonC]

I don’t know about a recession, but I certainly wouldn’t be investing in inventory or premises on the basis this was the ‘new normal’.

One thing I’m really enjoying seeing is the bikes that have clearly spent ~20 years hanging in garages with very little use. Mid-level Kleins, Cannondales, Trek USPS and more spotted out on the road yesterday. Maybe some of those people rediscover the joys of riding and trade up to the latest model?

[fignon's barber]

The cycling sector that will gain from the whole pandemic thing is the commuter bike. Rather than be stuffed into a mass transit vehicle, many logical folks would prefer cycling. This may have a lasting impact.

[Tickdoc]

We've watched the dwindling of bike shops for a long time now, so it is good to see them stock up on supplies and be able to pay their rent.

So you think it will continue once things die down? (assuming things will die down)

[oldpotatoe]

The cycling sector that will gain from the whole pandemic thing is the commuter bike. Rather than be stuffed into a mass transit vehicle, many logical folks would prefer cycling. This may have a lasting impact.

Doubt it. How's the 'mass transit' in Florida? I'll bet most commute by car, by themselves. How about that commute in winter, not in Florida? Most don't live anywhere close to where they(used) to work.

People and kids are home..Summer is here, people want to get out and about. NO reason to drive, cuz working from home. Add in the expense(even with low gas prices..that won't last) of a car..sure let's go ride around. I think the spike of bike sales and use is a great thing but like oh so much else..it is driven by this pandemic..when the pandemic is over..Yes, some things will endure but..give good ole 'merica a few months after a vaccine and it'll be back to below.

Only hope permanent changes in health care, family leave, farm workers, distribution..etc but..people will be back in their cars pretty soon.
Sorry to be so pessimistic but this whole gig has shown the good in people and also the ugly underbelly..

[Mr. Pink]

My local bike shop is going nuts doing repairs and tune ups to old bikes getting dragged out of garages. They have a social distancing policy that requires drop off and pick up, and when I went to the back of the shop to pick up my bike, there were maybe a dozen quasi mtbs and hybrids from the last 25 years back there, too. They tell me sales are good too, even in a virtual environment with the floor closed.

[Mr B]

Every NYC bike shop has a line outside, all day every day. Tales of shop staff pulling all-nighters to get bikes built. One local shop (718) recently downsized from being 4 or 5 staff in a huge premises to being a one-man-band in a much smaller unit, and he's just working solidly assembling bikes (doesn't do general walk-in servicing) and when the complete-bike supply runs dry, he's got the cream of the QBP catalogue framesets hanging from the rafters, ready to build up.

It's a great thing to see, I only wish the fabric of the city I'm in was being transformed at a decent enough rate to prepare for such a sudden uptick in bike commuting.

If and when people get back to their workplaces, hopefully employers will go above and beyond to accommodate bike parking but if building security don't get with the program there will be an awful lot of people forced to lock their shiny new rig to the nearest street sign (which will promptly scratch the **** out of it).

The city could be building more bike parking, but as far as I can see they're not. They also don't appear to be making any plans to make access to the bridge bike paths more roomy and safe - practically every one of them is a dangerous afterthought shoehorned into the edge of a car on-ramp, peppered with blind turns and chicanes).

After watching London take the best part of 10 years to deal with an explosion in cycle commuting (following the introduction of the Congestion Charge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_congestion_charge) in 2003), I fear that NYC has a long road, or bike path, ahead of it.

[pbarry]

The bike coop in Boulder sold 30 bikes last weekend--First two days open after being shuttered to the public for 7 weeks. They had been taking donations two afternoons a week, as well as setting appointments for bike and equipment buyers, but that was a drop in the bucket compared to when they are open. Currently: No one allowed in the store--You tell them what you are looking for, and they fetch a few items/bikes that might fit the bill, and bring them out to you. Good people and I'm happy they are back in business and taking precautions.

[Mr. Pink]

Every NYC bike shop has a line outside, all day every day. Tales of shop staff pulling all-nighters to get bikes built. One local shop (718) recently downsized from being 4 or 5 staff in a huge premises to being a one-man-band in a much smaller unit, and he's just working solidly assembling bikes (doesn't do general walk-in servicing) and when the complete-bike supply runs dry, he's got the cream of the QBP catalogue framesets hanging from the rafters, ready to build up.

It's a great thing to see, I only wish the fabric of the city I'm in was being transformed at a decent enough rate to prepare for such a sudden uptick in bike commuting.

If and when people get back to their workplaces, hopefully employers will go above and beyond to accommodate bike parking but if building security don't get with the program there will be an awful lot of people forced to lock their shiny new rig to the nearest street sign (which will promptly scratch the **** out of it).

The city could be building more bike parking, but as far as I can see they're not. They also don't appear to be making any plans to make access to the bridge bike paths more roomy and safe - practically every one of them is a dangerous afterthought shoehorned into the edge of a car on-ramp, peppered with blind turns and chicanes).

After watching London take the best part of 10 years to deal with an explosion in cycle commuting (following the introduction of the Congestion Charge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_congestion_charge) in 2003), I fear that NYC has a long road, or bike path, ahead of it.

Way back when I commuted into midtown from lower Westchester, I stopped because my building would not allow me to bring my bike inside. No way am I parking a bike on the street in a rack. The parts wouldn't last an hour. That bike you speak of would be just a frame locked to that sign in a week. And the cities that have parking, like Amsterdam, also have a serious theft and black market problem. Probably why a lot of people ride ugly beater bikes, but well maintained.

[Bentley]

Doubt it. How's the 'mass transit' in Florida? I'll bet most commute by car, by themselves. How about that commute in winter, not in Florida? Most don't live anywhere close to where they(used) to work.

People and kids are home..Summer is here, people want to get out and about. NO reason to drive, cuz working from home. Add in the expense(even with low gas prices..that won't last) of a car..sure let's go ride around. I think the spike of bike sales and use is a great thing but like oh so much else..it is driven by this pandemic..when the pandemic is over..Yes, some things will endure but..give good ole 'merica a few months after a vaccine and it'll be back to below.

Only hope permanent changes in health care, family leave, farm workers, distribution..etc but..people will be back in their cars pretty soon.
Sorry to be so pessimistic but this whole gig has shown the good in people and also the ugly underbelly..

OP is right about FL, only big cities, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, large metropolitan areas are likely to see much in commuting by bicycle. Given the fact that we don’t have our short “winters” anymore, a commute by bike likely means a shower, not always available.

I keep a bike in the office for “local” commutes, lunch, nearby meetings, otherwise it’s like OP says... get me in a large metro area and I’d be riding

[Hawker]

I watched this same thing in 1973. It was crazy and there were even small bike shops opening up almost overnight in empty mall stores. This was due to the gas crisis with long lines, closed pumps, fights and even a couple of shootings.

However, once it all passed most of those bikes went back to the garage or basement. It was more of a "reaction" than a commitment to cycling or a life change. I think some people were thinking commuting and others were looking for activities to do with the family. Probably same as now.

But I sure hope this helps local shops survive!

[ultraman6970]

U guys talk about old bikes over 30 years old. I pretty much visit just one store and they are doing great but noticed that they had to deal with PITA old stuff they did not know, actually told to the mechanic ... u were not born when this bike happened... he smiled :) that kid is super good and the nice about him is that he listens when you say something about how to approach a repair. He is learning a lot.

[Hawker]

U guys talk about old bikes over 30 years old. I pretty much visit just one store and they are doing great but noticed that they had to deal with PITA old stuff they did not know, actually told to the mechanic ... u were not born when this bike happened... he smiled :) that kid is super good and the nice about him is that he listens when you say something about how to approach a repair. He is learning a lot.

You mean they were asking for grease jobs and carburetor tune-ups? :)

[ultraman6970]

Pretty much :D is not that kids now a days know how to fix a 5 speed old MTB... :P

[peanutgallery]

Other than what is found in a store, there is a 60 to 90 day scarcity of sub $1500 bikes. We see a lot of early 90s rockhoppers and high Sierra's from Facebook marketplace and $200 to $300 later it's 1992 all over again

Now I'm seeing scarcity of basic repair parts. Never sold so many 26 inch tires and adjusted so many bottom brackets in quite some time. They'll all go back to the shed they were hibernating in before long

[oldpotatoe]

The bike coop in Boulder sold 30 bikes last weekend--First two days open after being shuttered to the public for 7 weeks. They had been taking donations two afternoons a week, as well as setting appointments for bike and equipment buyers, but that was a drop in the bucket compared to when they are open. Currently: No one allowed in the store--You tell them what you are looking for, and they fetch a few items/bikes that might fit the bill, and bring them out to you. Good people and I'm happy they are back in business and taking precautions.

Why shuttered? They were/are an 'essential' business. Jim in Vecchio's never closed.

[sashae]

Stopped by my local yesterday to pick up my bike, they said they’ve never had business like this in 30 years of being open. They sold /the entire stock/ of every bike they had in the shop a few weekends ago and can’t take delivery and build bikes fast enough...

[Elefantino]

The last two Thursdays we received 40 and 43 new bikes, respectively. Both weeks 27 of them were already sold. By the end of the weekend the rest were gone.

We are scheduling out to June 15 for service.

It's exhausting!

[2000m2]

Maybe (hopefully!) a few folks will stick with the biking once the pandemic subsides?

I also saw that there is a similar situation in and around Paris where folks don't want to ride mass transit, so they are buying every bicycle in sight. Interesting times.

[2000m2]

Another article on the bike boom. Cool to see.

“Biking is exercise at a time when no one can go to the gym. Biking is transportation at a time when no one wants to get on a bus. Biking is fun at a time when no one is finding much of it.”

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Bay-Area-bike-shops-see-surge-in-business-during-15303901.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headlines&utm_campaign=sfc_morningfix&sid=5a185ce498cb75eb7c8b4c30#photo-19472882