Where Are All The Bikes?
Where Are All The Bikes?
This global pandemic has affected everyone in different ways. The cycling industry has experienced an enormous boom in sales as people alter their lifestyles in these strange times, either as a permanent change or as a temporary measure.
What Is The Reason For The Boom In Bike Sales?
People are buying bikes so they don’t have to mix with the general public on buses and trains, risking exposure to the virus.
Unfortunately, people are choosing bikes as a mode of transport due to their reduced income. Bikes shops have been selling out of entry-level bikes at an alarming rate as people seek cheaper ways of travelling. However, this increase in sales wasn’t reserved for entry-level bikes.
The virus made premium bike manufacturers such as Santa Cruz anxious, as they thought demand for higher-end bikes would reduce.
However, demand actually increased dramatically, and there are a few reasons for this. Participating in group sports became less desirable, but people still wanted to stay active. Also, those people working from home still needed a release of not getting out and about. So they spent their holiday and gym membership money on a new bike. Therefore, bike manufacturers experienced an unprecedented rise in demand.
Surely This Is A Good Thing?
In one way, this is fantastic news for bike shops, especially as some reported that their 2020 sales were double what they got in the same period of 2019.
But, this demand has caused a problem, as bike factories have had to obey social distancing rules, and their employees have become coronavirus victims. These setbacks have slowed down bike production at a time when it needs to be running at full capacity.
But, there are a few less obvious reasons why factories are struggling to keep up with demand. Supply chains have been severely disrupted. Component manufacturers, such as SRAM, supply many bike brands with their group sets etc. All these bike brands have all experienced the same boom in sales, and companies such as SRAM are struggling to deliver enough components to them all at the same time. Bike manufacturers often use many different component suppliers for things like grips, tyres and wheels. The suppliers of these parts are struggling to meet demand too.
These companies face a difficult choice. They could expand their production to cope, but this will take years to get to the point where they can meet demand. The problem of uncertainty is putting them off, as nobody knows how long the current situation will last, making expansion a risky prospect.
Another less obvious issue is the price of shipping has increased considerably. The extra measures put in place have made the shipping process more laborious, elevating the cost of shipping which gets passed on to the bikes’ price.
In addition to all this, shipping docks are understaffed, as workers are falling ill, and bike manufacturers are having problems getting enough bike boxes to ship bikes. The reason for this that the increase in online shopping has caused a shortage of cardboard.
So How Do I Get A New Bike?
With the lack of new bikes being available, your choices are limited, but it is worth checking out Chain Reaction on the off chance that there is something suitable for you. But there are other options if you can’t find a suitable bike.
Buy A Used Bike
Buying a used bike has its pros and cons. How much money you have will determine how good the bike will be. You might need to do some work on it, but this is better than not having a bike at all.
Check out my guide on buying a used mountain bike, so you don’t fall into any traps.
Build Your Own Bike From Scratch
If you can manage to buy the components either from a bike shop or online, you could buy a frame and build a bike that suits you perfectly. However, you will need to be technically minded and have access to all the right tools.
Alternatively, you could build your bike from a mix of new and used parts. This solution will make sourcing compatible parts much easier too, while being kinder to the environment.
