“Bicycle Shortage” in U.S?

[vqdriver]

I'm caught in the crunch as the plan was to graduate both my kids to 26 from 24.
Anything kid size is gone. 26" is now almost exclusively the realm if tween bikes so choices were slim to begin with. Looks like a fall nbb

[vqdriver]

BTW, if any trek or spec'd dealers here have a wahoo 26 or xxs rockhopper, I'm all ears.

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by thirdgenbird

Sounds like a great idea. Should be way better than a department store purchase. Sounds like a fun get together if that sorta thing was possible...

The frames are actually pretty nice, (the last?) made in Canada. I've only built one so far, for a local commuter. Built it with a drop bar and Tiagra 3 x 9. He was happy with it and the LBS people told him they didn't have anything comparable for what it cost him.

Nice thought to get together to build bikes. I assume that you are working. If not, let me know.

[zap]

Maybe a good time to sell my old Trek Fuel 100.....?

[benb]

This is peak bike shop rush season anyway.. at least around here.

Late April/Early may the weather finally improves and anyone who is not super serious realizes they're out of shape and a bike ride would be fun. Pretty soon the bike shop is mobbed with people looking for low end bikes, buying stuff for the kid who outgrew their bike, waiting in a massive line for service to the 10 year old bike that got ignored for a few years, etc...

The whole "situation" this year where most fun activities are cancelled but cycling is not just stacked on top.

[thirdgenbird]

Originally Posted by oliver1850

Nice thought to get together to build bikes. I assume that you are working. If not, let me know.

Yeah, my days have actually gotten longer. We are required to use some PTO but I used that to sell off some parts and catch up on life outside work a bit. It’s back to being glued to a desk.

[Velocipede]

It's not just bikes. Trainers, everyone is out of them. Small parts are starting to dwindle too.

[benb]

Originally Posted by Velocipede

It's not just bikes. Trainers, everyone is out of them. Small parts are starting to dwindle too.

Yah on the parts actually.

My kid crashed pretty bad about a week and a half ago in gravel and destroyed one of his V-brake pads. He has a Trek kid's bike and it has the non-cartridge style pads where you have to replace the entire post and re-toe/adjust the pad every time.

The shop didn't have any of the small pads Trek specced the bike with, his bike has 20" wheels and the only choice was a full size Jagwire pad. Luckily it works fine even though it's a good 15mm longer pad.

Non-cartridge post-style V-brake/Canti pads selling out at the LBS is not cause of avid cyclists with top of the line recent gear, that's for sure.

[sjbraun]

There might be a problem with US distribution hubs. The Specialized Diverge I ordered last week would normally have come from a warehouse in CA, but its been closed due to Covid. Instead, my bike is coming from a Midwest warehouse, which delays things a bit. FYI, according to my shop, there were only three of the model I purchased left in the Midwest warehouse.

[tuxbailey]

Not just bikes. In addition to Nintendo Switch, VR systems (outside of the Index) are hard to find too.

[zzy]

Originally Posted by sjbraun

There might be a problem with US distribution hubs. The Specialized Diverge I ordered last week would normally have come from a warehouse in CA, but its been closed due to Covid. Instead, my bike is coming from a Midwest warehouse, which delays things a bit. FYI, according to my shop, there were only three of the model I purchased left in the Midwest warehouse.

When I ordered mine, the second day they were available, there were only 5-6 in weird sizes across dozens of models/sizes/colors. Most weren't shipping until July/Aug. But they had the exact size/model/paint I wanted by some insane luck.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by Velocipede

It's not just bikes. Trainers, everyone is out of them. Small parts are starting to dwindle too.

https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/produ...r-bike-trainer

$799 plus an extra 20% off right now....

That's $630 for a totl smart trainer.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[scoobydrew]

There's a local outdoors oriented chain that's now offering monthly bike rentals of the bikes in their fleet (usually rented out by tourists).

[Kirk007]

luckily I ride the same size, more or less as Clean39T so my supply line is good

[irideti]

Here is another good read about bicycle sales surge in the US

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...rge-in-america

A friend who owns a company makes bicycle components in Asia said many of his customers postponed orders for April/May delivery due to uncertainties in US and EU markets. This means many of new bike models will not arrive US mid-late summer.