“Whether it’s a hip aesthetic or an environmental message, transportation bikes are making a lifestyle and cultural statement that will change the face of the industry.”
Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN) has made it official: “transportation bikes” are taking the bike industry by storm.
In a story published on their website yesterday, the publication wrote that all the major players are ramping up their city bike offerings and that they are finally getting, “the acceptance and sales success that mountain bikes enjoyed in recent years.”
The article points to the new Globe brand recently launched by Specialized (it was formally just a part of their line, but it’s now a stand-alone brand) as just one of many signs that transportation bikes are hot.
The story in BRAIN features quotes from bike shop owners saying that their business in high-end road and mountain bikes has plummeted but that, as one shop owner put it, “the commuter side of the business is swamped.”
BRAIN says that according to the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association, hybrid bike are up “an eye-catching 25 percent during the first quarter this year.”
The article also features a quote from Dean Mullin, one of four co-owners of Clever Cycles on SE Hawthorne Blvd. in Portland. Mullin (and others in the story) says women are the largest part of the transportation bike market, but that there’s still a gap in bikes that appeal to them.
Mullin’s shop was a pioneer in the U.S. when it opened back in early 2007. It was the first shop in the states to import Dutch “bakfiets” cargo bikes and they created a new market by offering transportation, utility, and family biking accessories that weren’t available anywhere else. Clever Cycles did so well their first year they had to close temporarily to re-stock several popular items.
In Portland, where biking is a means of transportation for more people than in any other U.S. city, this trend will continue to have an impact on our local economy. There are at least 45 bike shops in the metro area (and more being opened all the time) that are well-positioned to take advantage of this major shift toward city bikes.
Read the full article, Transportation Bikes Take Flight at Retail at BicycleRetailer.com.