Can we sustain the bike boom when the pandemic is over? Based on history, probably not.

Can we sustain the bike boom when the pandemic is over? Based on
history, probably not.

While a lot of businesses are suffering greatly due to Covid-19, a few
are doing better than ever. Amazon, Walmart, and Costco of course, but
an unexpected beneficiary has been bicycle shops. I thought bicycle
shops would suffer greatly, but because many governments classified them
as essential businesses, and because gyms are closed, bicycle shops have
been doing a booming business both in sales and service.

Can this be sustained? Probably not:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2020/05/01/bicycling-booms-during-lockdown-but-theres-a-warning-from-history/#3adf8c8f41cf

Some other articles on the boom in cycling:

https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/local-bike-shop-sees-boom-in-business-as-more-las-vegans-turn-to-cycling/

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/As-COVID-19-spreads-bike-sales-boom-15248527.php

https://www.slowtwitch.com/News/The_Covid-19_Bike_Boom_7665.html

The downside for shops is that even though they're selling a lot more
units, it's not the high-cost bicycles that are selling well. "Bikes at
$500 and under, they’re selling like toilet paper. In fact, the scarcity
of these bikes has forced the price points higher." Service departments
are also very busy, even doing shifts.

Another upside is that while bicycle shops can be open, some of their
competitors, stores for whom bicycles are just one product line (REI,
Sports Basement, Dick's) cannot be open. OTOH, online bicycle sales are
booming. My next door neighbor has bought two Linus bicycles online and
brought them over to me for free assembly.

Could it be that some of the entities advocating for a premature end to
shelter-in-place, and reopening everything even though all the medical
experts have stated that doing so will cause a second wave of infections
and deaths, are seeking to benefit financially from the second wave?
Hopefully not.

On Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at 8:10:01 AM UTC-7, sms wrote:
Can we sustain the bike boom when the pandemic is over? Based on
history, probably not.

While a lot of businesses are suffering greatly due to Covid-19, a few
are doing better than ever. Amazon, Walmart, and Costco of course, but
an unexpected beneficiary has been bicycle shops. I thought bicycle
shops would suffer greatly, but because many governments classified them
as essential businesses, and because gyms are closed, bicycle shops have
been doing a booming business both in sales and service.

Can this be sustained? Probably not:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2020/05/01/bicycling-booms-during-lockdown-but-theres-a-warning-from-history/#3adf8c8f41cf

Some other articles on the boom in cycling:

https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/local-bike-shop-sees-boom-in-business-as-more-las-vegans-turn-to-cycling/

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/As-COVID-19-spreads-bike-sales-boom-15248527.php

https://www.slowtwitch.com/News/The_Covid-19_Bike_Boom_7665.html

The downside for shops is that even though they're selling a lot more
units, it's not the high-cost bicycles that are selling well. "Bikes at
$500 and under, they’re selling like toilet paper. In fact, the scarcity
of these bikes has forced the price points higher." Service departments
are also very busy, even doing shifts.

Another upside is that while bicycle shops can be open, some of their
competitors, stores for whom bicycles are just one product line (REI,
Sports Basement, Dick's) cannot be open. OTOH, online bicycle sales are
booming. My next door neighbor has bought two Linus bicycles online and
brought them over to me for free assembly.

Could it be that some of the entities advocating for a premature end to
shelter-in-place, and reopening everything even though all the medical
experts have stated that doing so will cause a second wave of infections
and deaths, are seeking to benefit financially from the second wave?
Hopefully not.

The bike boom is very little covid-19 effected and a very large majority of pro-cycling groups. These people are quite clear about this - you save MORE money by living in an apartment in the middle of the city and commuting to work on a bicycle than buying a house in the suburbs and commuting 30 miles to work. I could have gotten work a long time ago if I was willing to commute to Silicon Valley that in the bay area traffic that was usually 3 hours each way to go 20 miles. Locally there simply isn't any business. It all moved out for some reason. Most of the buildings where these companies used to be located are now being torn down and replaced with FAR larger buildings. This is the mark of Chinese government companies. I haven't any idea why they would be stupid enough to do this when businesses and middle class workers are exiting this state far faster than businesses are being founded and there are little to no good workers arriving.

Do you suppose that the CCP intends to take over the California Government?

At my bike shop, we have more work than we can stand. We sell cheap bikes, we sell nice bikes-- but more than anything we are reanimating bikes that have been entombed, or left outside, for distressing lengths of time.

I had a laborious tune-up today on a mid-'90s MTB that was probably in perfect running condition when it was laid up decades ago. I didn't need anything then, but it needed a lot of attention today.

Social distancing and business restrictions are definitely turning some people into cyclists of circumstance. If I had to bet whether they'll keep riding after commerce returns to normal? I'm guessing no. They were feckless before, and they're still feckless. They just don't get the stinkeye for going out on a bike right now.

In my city I have seen lots more people, with families too, on the bike paths. Mom, Dad, couple small kids. Weekends. Usually upright mountain/hybrid bikes and BMX for the kids. Guessing the bikes were already owned before the current situation so no new bike sales. Being forced to stay at home cooped up with the family has prompted people to resurrect the long neglected bike. Bikes were likely bought when new parents were fed the myth that to be good suburban middle class parents they were supposed to participate in activities with the kids.

I have my doubts the family bike riding will continue if/when/ever the current situation passes. And don't foresee any of the people riding becoming more devoted to cycling and spending a large amount of money on bike equipment.

On Saturday, May 9, 2020 at 11:43:44 PM UTC-7, Chalo wrote:
At my bike shop, we have more work than we can stand. We sell cheap bikes, we sell nice bikes-- but more than anything we are reanimating bikes that have been entombed, or left outside, for distressing lengths of time.

I had a laborious tune-up today on a mid-'90s MTB that was probably in perfect running condition when it was laid up decades ago. I didn't need anything then, but it needed a lot of attention today.

Social distancing and business restrictions are definitely turning some people into cyclists of circumstance. If I had to bet whether they'll keep riding after commerce returns to normal? I'm guessing no. They were feckless before, and they're still feckless. They just don't get the stinkeye for going out on a bike right now.

The pure numbers of cyclists I'm seeing out on the roads and trails is simply amazing. The bike shop I put my Emonda in to have wired etc (but actually because the crankset didn't appear to fit correctly) took three weeks to get to my bike since he normally sells high end steel bikes and couldn't get enough in to sell. Tuesday I will pick it up and see how he managed to get the crankset working. The BB90 apparently was too wide. There's no way around that so I have to see what he did. I think that he moved the drive side over 3 mm so that the off-side would clear the chainstay if I understood him correctly when he called.

On a climb where you would expect to see maybe 6 or 7 cyclists there were three besides myself going up the very difficult side and 27 of what appeared to be newbies (young and strong) going up the other side.

On Sunday, May 10, 2020 at 8:58:26 AM UTC-7, wrote:
In my city I have seen lots more people, with families too, on the bike paths. Mom, Dad, couple small kids. Weekends. Usually upright mountain/hybrid bikes and BMX for the kids. Guessing the bikes were already owned before the current situation so no new bike sales. Being forced to stay at home cooped up with the family has prompted people to resurrect the long neglected bike. Bikes were likely bought when new parents were fed the myth that to be good suburban middle class parents they were supposed to participate in activities with the kids.

I have my doubts the family bike riding will continue if/when/ever the current situation passes. And don't foresee any of the people riding becoming more devoted to cycling and spending a large amount of money on bike equipment.

Yes, families out on bicycles have been amazingly common. I expect these to continue after the lockdown because it is a way for families to interact and that can become rapidly ingrained.

On 5/10/2020 1:43 AM, Chalo wrote:
At my bike shop, we have more work than we can stand. We sell cheap bikes, we sell nice bikes-- but more than anything we are reanimating bikes that have been entombed, or left outside, for distressing lengths of time.

I had a laborious tune-up today on a mid-'90s MTB that was probably in perfect running condition when it was laid up decades ago. I didn't need anything then, but it needed a lot of attention today.

Social distancing and business restrictions are definitely turning some people into cyclists of circumstance. If I had to bet whether they'll keep riding after commerce returns to normal? I'm guessing no. They were feckless before, and they're still feckless. They just don't get the stinkeye for going out on a bike right now.


+1
'twas ever thus

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971