A somewhat provocative title but one that wants to make irony about a problem that is affecting all bikers a bit. After a 2020 boom, demand for bikes has increased again this year, with the result of blocking the entire market. I wanted to hear some insiders to collect their impressions and try to create a picture of the situation that is more consistent with reality. We can say that the perfect storm has broken out. The bike market is experiencing a golden moment, with demand for two-wheeled pedals increasing all over the world, but at the same time the pandemic has blocked the production and flow of raw materials for some periods, with the result of having a greater demand for bikes and a production that struggles to meet their needs.
Unfortunately, what should have been a moment of great celebration for the whole sector is experienced by professionals with very high degrees of concern and stress. It is necessary to deliver the bikes to the buyers, sometimes it is necessary to explain to them that the object of their desire will not arrive, as the production of that particular model has been suspended; then there are the new bikers, those who rightly think they can go into the shop and go out with their bike, and are often told that waiting times are a few months. Then there are the complaints of those who find themselves having sold the old MTB without having the new one yet. All this by starting to think about orders for 2022 and trying to make ends meet in this crazy 2021.
A difficult time for everyone.
If for the immediate time there are no miraculous recipes, the predictions for the future resemble the horoscope of Paolo Fox, this not to want to diminish the importance of the arguments that are made, but to extreme the concept of liquid and uncertain moment that is experiencing the bike sector. The schools of thought are different, in fact there are those who think that there will be a total revolution in the way of conceiving the points of sale, with the large stores with prone delivery bikes and the small ones who will have to specialize in repairs. Those who imagine that there will no longer be a production or sale limited to two macro-periods, but sales will be more spread throughout the year, those who are convinced that growth, especially in the electrical world, will last another ten years, who instead he thinks that after this tsunami everything will be as before and who finally fears that the increased demand for bikes will turn into a further rise in prices. As you can understand, such a varied vision means only one thing: everyone navigates a little on sight. But if on many aspects it is understandable not to be able to predict what will happen in the coming years, on other fronts it is possible to prepare some plans to ensure that this newfound desire for bikes can be consolidated and the new cyclists loyal to the new means of transport.
BUT WHAT IS MY OPINION?
The current moment could not have been foreseen, therefore it is not possible to point the finger at anyone, thus looking for a scapegoat. All the interpreters I have contacted are doing their utmost to help each other, teaming up to try to inform fans that they have to wait, giving credible times and doing their utmost to do a huge job. But if it is now necessary to survive, it is also necessary to think about how to capitalize on this rediscovery of two wheels, to ensure that the entire sector can emerge strengthened.
The return to two wheels is a very evident process, which is also perceived in daily outings and affects the outdoor world as a whole. I have been attending the trails for some time but never as in these two years have I had the opportunity to meet so many people. A phenomenon that has also involved cities, where more and more people decide to use the bike as a means of locomotion. A true cultural revolution, which for now is fashion, but which, if well managed, can become a clear change of habits.
Here all the protagonists of this sector come into play, from the media like ours, passing through shopkeepers, importers and even institutions.
WHAT TO DO
We can all have a virtuous role, trying to involve this new lymph, helping it in the path of approach and understanding of a fascinating but often complex world like that of two wheels. If we talk about the MTB sector, both electric and muscular, it is necessary to introduce newbies to basic driving techniques, give them elementary notions to make the most of vehicles that have incredible performance, but which must be conducted wisely and adjusted to the best, so as not to to nullify the investment made and to avoid running into serious accidents. So driving courses, tutorials on this topic and a communion of intentions among all the subjects involved are welcome, to give greater prominence to the importance of knowing how to best drive your vehicle. Alongside the technical aspects it is good to resume the descriptions of tours suitable for fat wheels, since often those who approach this world are fasting on the opportunities offered by their territory, a condition that in some cases risks creating dangerous situations when the unfortunate takes paths that have always been dedicated to the descent in the opposite direction (a situation that has occurred in recent years).
If, on the other hand, we broaden the discussion to the urban segment and try to outline some reflections on sustainable mobility, then the thinking changes and here too the institutions must come into play. The bonuses for the bikes have had an important flywheel effect, even if it would have been the case to better calibrate the beneficiaries of these opportunities, since from the point of view of mobility there is a clear difference between a pedal assisted bike and an electric scooter. . So the first step should be to clarify what the true goal of a standard is.
The second issue that should be addressed is that of infrastructure. Without a road network dedicated to two wheels it will be difficult to see a real development of this type of mobility. With the result of transforming into courageous heroes all those who decide to hit the road on an e-bike for commuting from home to work. But thinking of a road network to be dedicated to these vehicles does not mean letting bicycles pass on the sidewalks or removing parking spaces to make room for two wheels, or even worse, creating mixed transit routes where scooters and bicycles can transit indifferently. It means completely rethinking mobility, initially identifying the routes of greatest interest and with the highest usability, in order to rationally grow a phenomenon that can bring benefits to our centers both from the point of view of people's health and the impact on 'pollution. A new way of thinking, which should also include a body responsible for managing transit routes; since now, especially the cycle paths that cross various municipalities, they are a sort of no-man's land; where each segment is the responsibility of different bodies, with the result that often there are projects whose implementation proceeds in fits and starts and in which maintenance is left to the good manners of the individuals.
As we can see, this moment of strong demand can bring with it ideas and opportunities that must be cultivated, so that passing fashion becomes an opportunity also for employment, thus arriving at the last aspect to reflect on. In this case the reasoning continues on two levels, one local and a second wide one.
In the local the greater demand for bicycles brings with it an immediate benefit to the bike Industry system, with growth opportunities for the entire sector, but the current crisis should also allow a broader reflection on the industrial model of the sector. Today almost all the components of a bike, of any kind, have an Asian origin. This mechanism has contributed to widening the current problem, since by reducing producers to a few large centers, it is no longer possible to diversify and compensate for the crisis in one district by improving the productivity of another. Furthermore, this mechanism has also brought with it an increase in transport costs, which have fallen and will fall on the final buyer. Here is the last food for thought passes precisely from what is defined by many as a more reasoned model of globalization, which provides for the creation of products in several territories. In this way it will be possible to avoid the current difficulties. A thought that is also shared by some representatives of the institutions with a strong experience in the two-wheel sector with whom I had the opportunity to deal with and which we hope will be the path that the big brands will decide to take; following in this logic what Decathlon has already done, which has decided to build the largest cycle production plant in Europe.
