Bikes a hot commodity as sales soar during pandemic
Article content
Itching to get out of the house and on to the road with two wheels? You may have trouble finding a ride.
Since the pandemic began in mid-March, bike sales have gone through the roof.
Recommended Videos
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Bikes a hot commodity as sales soar during pandemic Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
And now that Ontario has allowed a limited opening of stores, socially-isolated consumers are shopping for bicycles so they can escape on GTA roads and trails.
Steve Wylie, a sales associate for Skiis and Bikes in the Yonge St.-Eglinton Ave. area, said this is the company’s busiest spring ever with sales 30% to 40% higher than last year. Since March 22, the retailer has sold about 1,300 bikes.
It’s a trend across North America, he said.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
“We’re almost sold out of everything under $1,000,” he said Tuesday.
“Almost all of our kids (bikes) have sold out and not a soul has set foot in our store,” added Wylie. “Everything is sold online now, but generally, they’re calling the store and having a discussion with a sales associate because we can size bikes pretty well based on someone’s height.”
The Toronto Sun called more than 20 bike shops across the GTA on Tuesday and found many weren’t picking up or they had pre-recorded messages telling people their phone lines were being swamped by customers.
“The pandemic has considerably changed our business,” said the answering machine message at Gears in Port Credit. “The demand for cycling has gone beyond anything imaginable and we are receiving over 1,000 phone calls a day. Which is why you may not be able to get through.”
Northern Cycle in Ajax, which has been outfitting Durham Region will all types of bikes for 27 years, has seen a 30% jump in bike sales since the pandemic began.
Owner Ron Boehm said he’s selling 10 bikes a day, compared to a few a week during the same period last year.
“We have to bring stuff out to show them and take it back and quarantine things for three days,” he said.
“It’s very stressful. Staff, space, it’s too much. We’re not set for so much business at one time.”
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Wylie, meanwhile, said Skiis and Bikes had temporarily allowed people to test ride bicycles in the beginning of April, but soon found it wasn’t working because the disinfecting process was arduous.
For high-end road bikes that are geared towards racing, he said potential buyers for those models seem to be holding off until they’re able to test ride them in person.
But e-bikes sales are really taking off at $3,000 for an electric bike — the company has sold about three dozen since around mid-March, a 20% to 30% increase from the same time last year.
“The health clubs are closed, more bike lanes, Toronto is actually a really friendly bike city if you know your routes,” he said.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.