Bicycle sales hang on despite post-covid sales decline

At the height of the covid-19 pandemic, Chris MacTaggart and his friends had no problem following federal guidelines for outdoor recreation.

In May 2020, he and two other cyclists started riding around Pittsburgh to get coffee once or twice a week.

It was typical of covid-era social distancing in many places. Indoor recreation spots were mostly off-limits due to government-imposed closures, so people started seeking outdoor activities they could enjoy while keeping a distance from others.

Sales in 2020 jumped about 64%, according to retail tracking site Circana, reaching $5.4 billion.

So bicycles enjoyed a huge surge in popularity, but it was to be relatively short-lived as enthusiasm for biking waned after covid restrictions were lifted. That led to fluctuating sales and bikes being overstocked.

Paul Pack, president of nonprofit cycling group Premiere Bicycle Club, said the number of cyclists in his group spiked during the pandemic.

“People said they wanted to get outside — get outdoors — during the pandemic.” Pack and his group wore masks and biked several feet away from each other at the height of quarantine.

But, now that restrictions are lifted, membership numbers have declined.

“People have other things to do,” Pack said. “It’s really the enthusiasts … that are still riding.”

Around the region, bike shops report a similar pattern in sales.

Pandemic boom

In 2021, stores were rushing to stock merchandise as the demand for bikes outweighed supply, leaving empty shelves in bike shops across the region.

“The pandemic brought a lot of people into the fold,” said Ben Roberson, a longtime employee at Pro-Bike + Run in Monroeville. “People who wouldn’t have been buying bikes rushed out to get them.”

The laws of supply and demand kicked in.

Prices to consumers increased an average of 10% to 25% in 2021, according to BicycleRetailer.com.

MacTaggart said the price of secondhand bikes skyrocketed as well when new, in-store stock became scarce.

During quarantine, he drove to Indianapolis to replace a bike that had been stolen because it was sold out locally.

In suburban areas, where trails are abundant, hybrid, mountain and gravel bikes flew off the shelves.

And biking groups enjoyed the surge.

MacTaggart saw his circle of biking friends grow, and the group made a two-wheel expedition to Washington, D.C., in high spirits.

“The ride is pretty gorgeous,” MacTaggart said. “But there’s this one stretch …”

That “stretch” is 15 miles of uphill pedaling between Ohiopyle and the Eastern Continental Divide near Deal, Pa.

Their spirits quickly rolled downhill the farther they climbed, and at some point in the journey one of them suggested they all get bikes saying “Give Up.”

The joke stuck so well they got that “superficially cynical” phrase tattooed on their bodies.

A few months later, that phrase became the thing that spurred people to action, calling new and seasoned Pittsburgh bikers to their once-small weekly morning rides.

MacTaggart, one of the founders of GIVE UP, said their journey through the pandemic reflects that trip from four years ago.

“I think when it started there was kind of a lot of inherent cynicism to everything we did,” he said. “We’ve become a very wholesome group.”

The ebike surge

While suburbanites were trying to pedal their way through the pandemic, city-dwellers in Pittsburgh’s urban neighborhoods were slower to switch to cycling.

Frank Bruno, owner of Biketek in Squirrel Hill, said at the height of the pandemic he sold 150 bikes.

Then came the e-bike boom.

E-bikes — bikes with motorized pedal assistance — started to catch on a few years after quarantine.

Last year, Bruno sold 750 bikes, and 600 of them were electric.

“E-bikes account for more than 50% of our sales now,” Bruno said.

Back to ‘normal’

But the biking boom didn’t last.

By 2023, manufacturers had caught up, but demand for bikes was declining. A shortage became a glut, something retailers and manufacturers continue to deal with.

Sales fell to more normal levels that year, $4.1 billion, which was a 24% decline from 2020, but still a 19% increase from 2019’s pre-pandemic levels, according to Circana.

Retailers, though, were left with a lot of outdated bikes on their sales racks.

“During the pandemic, it was all hands on deck — whatever you could get, you would buy it,” Roberson said. “Post-pandemic, all of the manufacturers were able to meet demand so … the year following and after, there were way more bikes than we needed.”

Ashley Reefer, owner of Flat Tire Co. in Greensburg, said those leftovers are likely to collect dust in stores.

Bike experts know bikes should last the average cyclist about five years, so many people who bought bikes in 2020 are trying to sell them, either to upgrade or because they’ve lost interest. Social media marketplaces have used bikes for prices a lot of retailers just can’t match.

“A lot of people have bought bikes at full price,” Reefer said. “But they can get them used on marketplaces for cheaper.”

For those looking to upgrade their ride but who don’t necessarily need brand-new, this year’s economy presents an opportunity.

With tariffs increasing 10% to 15% on overseas manufacturers, it’s a great time for bike stores to take trade-ins and offer them to customers at a reduced price.

“It’s a good time to buy,” Reefer said. “Especially if you’re looking for gravel bikes or slightly used suspension mountain bikes.”

Good for your health

Though many bikers’ wheels have stopped spinning, Roberson said, for him, cycling just “scratches that endorphin itch.”

Dr. Kathryn Berlacher, director of Magee-Women’s Heart Program at UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute and a cycling instructor, said Roberson probably is right: Cycling tends to make people happy.

In 2020, she told several of her patients to take up cycling to maintain physical and mental health.

“It has so many benefits,” Berlacher said. “I typically recommend it as one of many aerobic exercises.”

According to Berlacher, patients can regulate blood pressure and heart rate, decreasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure.

In her eyes, cycling is appealing for all ages. It’s low-impact and gets people outdoors, which she said improves mental health.

“It’s easy to inspire others to do it,” Berlacher said. “Its just so fun.”

Pack said he’s made many friends as a member of Premiere Bicycle Group. Last Monday, he and a few members went cycling before cooling down with drinks in the evening.

MacTaggart’s morning bike ride Friday saw only a handful of the friends he’s made through cycling.

“There’s an amazing bicycle community here,” MacTaggart said. “Every time I go out and ride bikes, I end up running into friends of mine.”

Despite sales leveling off and many bike stores going out of business, sellers like Roberson love what they do because they get to pass on their passion to younger generations.

“One of the most rewarding parts is getting a kid off training wheels,” Roberson said. “It’s some of the best medicine.”