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The Pandemic Bike Boom Is Here to Stay


dinneR

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Bikes are hard to come by already this year. 

https://www.outsideonline.com/2420131/pandemic-bike-boom-here-stay

Blair Clark, president of Canyon’s U.S. division, thinks the surge is durable. “Two big trends we see are people who either returned to the sport or discovered it for the first time and are really falling in love with it, paired with a constantly growing adoption of the bicycle as transportation,” he says. Americans, he adds, “are finally waking up to the transformative power of bikes for transportation, not just recreation.”

Indeed, Sorensen says that utility bikes may see sustained growth. As workers return to offices, they may still feel most comfortable with socially distant commutes rather than public transit. In general, he expects more add-on sales from those new riders. “How big, I don’t know,” he says. “But I don’t think it’s going to go back below where it was in 2020.”

So when can you buy a bike again? It’s possible to snag one now, but you’ll be in for a search. An unusually high number of 2021 models are already sold out online and may be hard to find in stores as well. Bike makers have tried to adjust production upward, but that’s not easy, in part because production quotas are set many months in advance, and because building complete bikes requires a plethora of parts that come from companies that may or may not also be impacted. “We’ve increased forecasts with our suppliers to bring in a record amount of inventory,” says Nick Hage, general manager for Dorel’s Cycling Sports Group (CSG) North America, which owns Cannondale and GT, among other brands. “But that doesn’t mean there won’t be supply-chain challenges.”

 

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Yep.  I covered this a week ago in a different thread, but it is ugly out there.

I have been paying attention to the amount of folks I see riding in the colder weather, and I definitely feel like it is quantifiable how much higher the amount of folks are out there right now.  A nicer day is downright busy, and usually that's not as true during wintertime.

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Just now, jsharr said:

It does not help when there are people out there with three or four bikes who go out and buy another bike just because it has a narrower Q factor and does not make their knees hurt.

People need to suck it up and just ride what they have and leave some bikes for everyone else to ride.

You are more than welcome to buy my 9Zero7. Once you go fat...

  • Haha 1
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13 minutes ago, Philander Seabury said:

After the second gas crisis everyone bought bikes that ended up unused in garages. 

For sure there will be a good chance for a noticeable %, especially if person doesn't have cycling infrastructure/routes that are safe near home.  Their home location won't change unless they move.

I wasn't aware since I was still a student oblivious to alot of stuff.

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I just called a local LBS and asked if hybrids under $1000 bikes, for example the Trek FX 3 Disc, are going to be hard to get and he said yes.

Maybe I'll stop there tomorrow and see what advice they have - I just want it for a few days/week exercise and maybe try a half-century or long trail on occasion.  The $395 Mountain Bike I had was fine for years but it definitely wasn't one where I could keep up with a Saturday Riding Club, etc.

I was going to wait until I'm back in my house after May, but I think I'm going to do some research and order a bike with in the next month or so. The more I think about it, the more I realize it won't be a problem moving it up and down from by 3rd floor apartment.

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Kayaks are just as hard to get since the covid happened(not talking the sit and paddle around looking at wildlife, and Im not really sure why... everyone now thinks they are kayak fisherman. 
Funny thing is I don't see many others out on the lake when I am fishing, but have noticed that all the lures are now hard to come by, and also I can't find the fishing line I like. I had to buy the kind that has a crappy memory and backlashes. 

I'm waiting for people to just toss the stuff on FB marketplace and hopefully I get a good deal on it. 

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28 minutes ago, MickinMD said:

I just called a local LBS and asked if hybrids under $1000 bikes, for example the Trek FX 3 Disc, are going to be hard to get and he said yes.

Maybe I'll stop there tomorrow and see what advice they have - I just want it for a few days/week exercise and maybe try a half-century or long trail on occasion.  The $395 Mountain Bike I had was fine for years but it definitely wasn't one where I could keep up with a Saturday Riding Club, etc.

I was going to wait until I'm back in my house after May, but I think I'm going to do some research and order a bike with in the next month or so. The more I think about it, the more I realize it won't be a problem moving it up and down from by 3rd floor apartment.

Sorry if I missed it but did your bike die in the house fire?  

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