Early Bird Gets the Bike
Covid-19 related restrictions and lockdowns have been going on for a while now, and have undoubtedly affected people’s mental and physical health. An effective remedy for many has always been physical exercise, but what do you do if you can’t go to a gym? The answer is—you go outside! Bikes have quickly become a means of recreation, exercise, and commuting during the pandemic, and the bike industry boomed due to increased demand. Shops like ours were astonished by the mass exodus of bikes from their stores, quickly selling out of any bike that cost less than $2000. Though this was great for bike shops, it quickly turned into a supply problem, as bike manufacturers could not keep up with growing demand. As a result companies were forced to get creative with their manufacturing processes, often combining resources with others just to get bikes out faster. It doesn’t just stop with bikes though, parts have also been hard to get because of the increased volume of service that shops are experiencing. In a normal year, this wouldn’t be a problem, but 2020 is not a normal year.
Many shops across the country probably look something like this, photo from ABC8 Nebraska.
Our message to you is simple: if you want a bike for next year, BUY IT EARLY; chances are you won’t get one if you don’t. It is very difficult to get new bikes right now, especially if you are looking for a specific model. We have been hard at work maintaining extensive backorder lists for both bikes and parts so that we can sell goods to customers when they need them. If you enter a bike shop looking for a bike, be transparent and let the employees know what you’re looking for. At Guthrie’s we’ll do our best to help you out, but please understand that product is hard to come by right now, and it pains us to tell you that it may be a while before we can get you on your perfect bike. For this reason try to do as much research as possible so you can tell us exactly what you want, that way if a we luck into any unexpected inventory you can be the first to know. If you’re just itching to get a bike now, the used market may also be a good route, but be sure to identify that the bike is in sound, working condition. We know it sucks, but the pandemic has affected us all in ways we could have never imagined. At Guthrie’s we our trying our very best to keep up with this boom, but recognize that there are some things just out of our control, so BUY IT EARLY. Look to the future and know that one day things will go back to normal, with many people having newly discovered the power of a bicycle.
- Devin Keefe