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The article doesn't explain why bike sales took off. It really startled me to learn how hard it became to buy a bike or spare parts. I live in a very bike frie

by Glawen 6y ago

The article doesn't explain why bike sales took off. It really startled me to learn how hard it became to buy a bike or spare parts. I live in a very bike friendly city, so new infrastructures is not the reason why people bought bikes. I still don't get what convinced people to buy bikes during the pandemic.

whimsicalism 6y ago
Gym closures.
chaostheory 6y ago
Probably the same reason VR has been on the rise. For the privileged who are stuck at home, they’re just sick of seeing the same four walls and breathing stagnant air, and they want something faster than walking
alkonaut 6y ago
People don't want to go to the gym or on the bus. So instead of the gym you take up mountain biking, and instead of the bus you bike commute. That's potentially two bikes just for one person. Once you start though, you realize the required number of bikes is N+1 where N is the number you already have. I was a mountain biker before the pandemic, but this spring I realized "I'm going to have a LOT of time to mountain bike this summer, so I'll get that $3k bike I've been thinking of getting for years now". I was super lucky to get my hands on one in 2020, and I had to go up to a more expensive $3.5k bike to even find one at all.
II2II 6y ago
In my neck of the woods, people were looking for outdoor activities when businesses shut down. In some cases it was because they were out of work, in others it was because they couldn't go to the places they would traditionally go to. Cycling was one of those things people latched on to, but it wasn't the only thing. I wouldn't not be surprised if most outdoor sporting goods saw a surge in sales. Since the pandemic has been beaten out of my region (at least for the time being), even team sports are very common.
yencabulator 6y ago
> The article doesn't explain why bike sales took off. Meanwhile, > "Most people who are cycling used public transport before. But now they need an alternative," Mr Maran says.

by Glawen 6y ago

whimsicalism 6y ago

Gym closures.

chaostheory 6y ago

Probably the same reason VR has been on the rise. For the privileged who are stuck at home, they’re just sick of seeing the same four walls and breathing stagnant air, and they want something faster than walking

alkonaut 6y ago

People don't want to go to the gym or on the bus. So instead of the gym you take up mountain biking, and instead of the bus you bike commute. That's potentially two bikes just for one person. Once you start though, you realize the required number of bikes is N+1 where N is the number you already have. I was a mountain biker before the pandemic, but this spring I realized "I'm going to have a LOT of time to mountain bike this summer, so I'll get that $3k bike I've been thinking of getting for years now". I was super lucky to get my hands on one in 2020, and I had to go up to a more expensive $3.5k bike to even find one at all.

II2II 6y ago

In my neck of the woods, people were looking for outdoor activities when businesses shut down. In some cases it was because they were out of work, in others it was because they couldn't go to the places they would traditionally go to. Cycling was one of those things people latched on to, but it wasn't the only thing. I wouldn't not be surprised if most outdoor sporting goods saw a surge in sales. Since the pandemic has been beaten out of my region (at least for the time being), even team sports are very common.

yencabulator 6y ago

> The article doesn't explain why bike sales took off. Meanwhile, > "Most people who are cycling used public transport before. But now they need an alternative," Mr Maran says.