We are still feeling the effects of the covid-19 pandemic. This remains the case even months after the release of the vaccines and programs dedicated to making sure everyone gets vaccinated.
The economy, health care, commerce and industry, hospitality and tourism, and many more have seen some bad times as a result of this health crisis. It is a moment many of us will never forget because of the untold hardship and negatives that came with it.
But like it or not, some industries did thrive during this period. It seems ironical but it is nonetheless the truth. Delivery services, game companies, ecommerce platforms, cleaning services, liquor, and grocery stores are examples of services that experienced a rise in sales. For more on this subject, you can read this article.
You should also know that some industries were caught between winning and losing during this period. The bike industry is one of them. This is because it saw massive sales across the globe but was unable to measure up for various reasons.
We will shed more light on this here as we explain 7 reasons why there is a global bike shortage. We strongly advise that you keep reading as the details here will be informative at the very least.
Reasons Why Getting a Bike Is Now Difficult
Days and months before the pandemic, seeing a large pile of bikes displayed for sale was a normal thing. But this is no longer the case.
As things are, people are trying so hard to get hold of one. This is even though the price of this commodity has shot up.
The first thing you should know is that the outbreak of the covid-19 virus is largely to be blamed for the shortage. This is because it affected the demand for this commodity and the following ways are how this has happened:
Restriction and Lockdown Regulations
The likely question on your mind is what the lockdown restrictions have to do with the shortage. The simple answer is that it has everything to do with it and here is how.
During the height of the pandemic and without a vaccine to curb the spread, social distancing was the best way to deal with the health crisis. As a result, policies were formulated to stop people from moving around and they were forced to stay at home.
It was a period when remote work became the order of the day. Unfortunately, some things cannot be done remotely. They need to be done in the factory and bike production is an example.
The fact that bike manufacturing was not considered an essential service made things worse. Maybe this was the biggest mistake after all. As a result, many manufacturers were forced to shut down operations but the demand for these items did not shut down. It was even on the rise.
Fitness Center Impact
Exercising is important! It helps us maintain the right body shape and benefits us in other ways. Unfortunately, fitness centers were also affected by the pandemic.
This is because social distancing rules meant that people could not use these facilities or that patronage was lower than ever. As a result, many people choose to exercise using bicycles and this impacted the demand for this item. Many of these people considered bicycles a safer way to exercise
Unfortunately, the production process of this commodity was just as affected as these fitness centers unknown to the consumers. So, this has also contributed to the shortage.
Safest Way to Transport and Adhere to Health Regulations
Safety was a big deal especially during the height of the pandemic and still is. You could see many people adhering to the guideline by the CDC and other health-related bodies in their best interest.
As a result, many people were particular about the safest way to transport themselves when they needed to move from their homes. Many of these people opted for bikes as it was a safer alternative.
In places where penalties were attached to violating covid-19 guidelines, the use of bicycles was not frowned at. All these have affected the demand for this commodity.
Best Way to Deal with Lockdown Boredom
We have established how bikes were used for exercising purposes and as a safer transport system during this period. But something else also caused the demand for this commodity to shoot up.
This has to do with many people realizing how biking is a good way to beat boredom and many of them purchasing it for this reason. The awareness was largely influenced by platforms that encouraged using a bike for this purpose and this increased the demand.
Overwhelming Demand on Supply Chain
The manufacturers were not the only ones affected by the pandemic as production could not go on as expected. Beyond them, the supply chain at large was affected. This is because the material suppliers were experiencing a shortage.
So, you should know that there is an underlying reason that extends beyond the manufacturers. This is because the suppliers are also caught up in all of this. And just so you know, this is not the only commodity that is affected.
For instance, automobile manufacturers in many parts of the country and the world at large are on the verge of shutting down operations. This is because of the unavailability of chips that are very essential in various parts of the vehicles. So, this points to the fact that many other industries are also affected.
Rising Cost of Materials
We did explain at some point in this article that the prices of bikes have shot up. Asides from the laws of demand and supply at work, this is largely due to the rising cost of materials used for production.
Another thing you would have noticed is that even parts of this commodity have witnessed a price increase. For instance, tires, pumps, seats, and other parts are affected. Some of these manufacturers do not see the point of producing in such times.
Limited Options in the Bike Sales Market
There are two ways to explain this shortage – partial or absolute shortage.
This is because bikes can still be purchased in some parts of the globe. However, consumers are not presented with as many options as they would love.
This is in terms of quality, price, and other things. This is what is referred to as partial shortage as these consumers can still lay their hands on some options even though they are not preferable.
On the other hand, there are parts of the world where getting a bike is not possible right now. This explains the absolute shortage. Hard as it is to admit, this is the situation in many parts of the world.
So, there is truly a shortage regardless of how you choose to see it. This has also been reiterated by many major players in the bike sales and manufacturing business that have aired their opinion. Many of them have stressed how it would have been practically impossible to imagine this happening months before the pandemic.
Will Things Ever Return to Normal?
Things are likely going to return to normal. However, this is going to take a while. We are talking about a little above one year from now at least.
And even at that, it is hard to know if the prices of bikes will return to what they were before now. The best thing for people to do would be to regularly update themselves with the prices of this commodity.
We suggest that they use credible review platforms for this purpose. You can check out https://www.bikebinge.com/ for more on this subject.
Conclusion
We have explained why getting a new bike is more difficult than ever. The best way to explain this is “covid-19 pandemic” and “supply and demand laws”. This is because every other reason falls right under both of them.
Even in these times, we suggest that you make informed decisions if you really want to get a bike. This is why we advise that you make good use of credible review platforms.
