Bike imports into UK fall to 10 year low

[screenman]

The boom in cycling has been largely down to the middle aged well heeled. That forms by far the largest demographic you see out on "Serious" bikes and wearing all the kit. The percentage of youngsters into cycling is tiny in comparison so when the older ones get fed up or grow too old there will be few coming through to take their place. The whole thing mirrors the motorcycle boom of the mid nineties which lasted for around fifteen years and then collapsed, taking a huge number of retailers with them. And the age demographic was exactly the same.

I am surprised at that, I agree some middle aged guys come back to cycling but never would have thought that made that much difference to bike sales overall. Obesity is another reason, obese parents are unfortunately encouraging the same in their children, very few obese people ride bikes, sadly.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I am surprised at that, I agree some middle aged guys come back to cycling but never would have thought that made that much difference to bike sales overall. Obesity is another reason, obese parents are unfortunately encouraging the same in their children, very few obese people ride bikes, sadly.

If you look at those you see out and about that seems to be the case. They have the money to splash out 2k or more on a bike plus all the kit that goes with it.

I don't know how overweight you have to be to qualify as obese, but ride a sportive and at least half the field will be "Generously proportioned". Taking up cycling will have very little impact on a persons weight, that is nearly all done to what is shoved down the throat. Only a small amount of fat is shed through exercise. Even pro cyclists who ride considerably further and harder than the rest of us have to starve themselves if the want to get up the mountains quickly.

 

[screenman]

If you look at those you see out and about that seems to be the case. They have the money to splash out 2k or more on a bike plus all the kit that goes with it.

I don't know how overweight you have to be to qualify as obese, but ride a sportive and at least half the field will be "Generously proportioned". Taking up cycling will have very little impact on a persons weight, that is nearly all done to what is shoved down the throat. Only a small amount of fat is shed through exercise. Even pro cyclists who ride considerably further and harder than the rest of us have to starve themselves if the want to get up the mountains quickly.

The average price of a bike sold in the UK is less than £250, so you can see why I doubted the impact of the middle ages cyclist. Yes you will see larger people on bikes, but obesity is on the increase and generally obese people are not as active as less obese people. Also Sportive riders make up a very small percentage of bike owners in the UK.

 

[Blue Hills]

I but ride a sportive and at least half the field will be "Generously proportioned"..

Yep a fair few of those around - the ones that make me smile are the ones around town - generously proportioned, suffering with a backpack in case a fashion policeman pulls them over to weigh the superlight bike hidden under them.

 

[screenman]

Yep a fair few of those around - the ones that make me smile are the ones around town - generously proportioned, suffering with a backpack in case a fashion policeman pulls them over to weigh the superlight bike hidden under them.

So a cyclist laughing at another cyclist for not obeying his rules, and we wonder why less people are taking it up. Why should a heavy person not ride a nice light bike, I would love to know.

 

[Smokin Joe]

The average price of a bike sold in the UK is less than £250, so you can see why I doubted the impact of the middle ages cyclist. Yes you will see larger people on bikes, but obesity is on the increase and generally obese people are not as active as less obese people. Also Sportive riders make up a very small percentage of bike owners in the UK.

But the boom is not in the sub £250 end of the market, people who buy those bikes are almost all casual riders with little interest in cycling. The big upsurge in cycling is at the performance end of the market.

Sportive riders do indeed make up a small percentage of cyclists, but they are all committed riders who have trained for the distance and if many or most of them are overweight then it shows how little exercise matters in terms of weight loss. Ride hard for 100 miles and some weight will come off, but stop for a double cheeseburger and fries on the way home and many times more of that will go back on.

I'm afraid I'm a cynic when it comes to "Booms", whether it is in cycling or anything else. They are fashion led and they die as suddenly as they start.

 

[screenman]

My point being it is the average bikes that make up the numbers, if it was the more expensive then the average would be higher.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

My point being it is the average bikes that make up the numbers, if it was the more expensive then the average would be higher.

There's a substantial chunk of the market that only buys £100-150 bikes, not bikes costing £250. A lot of the real low-end bikes will get ridden very few miles, compared with the "serious" MAMIL brigade who tend to use their bikes more and therefore are a more visible presence on the roads.

 

[pawl]

I was in York last November and was suprised at the numbers commuting by bike. York appeared to me during my short visit to be a cycle friendly city.I don’t have much experience of city cycling but it appears that If sensibly infrastructure is provided people will use the bike not only as a leisure pastime but as a means of commuting .

I tried cycling into Leicester some time ago got to the Fosse park area and changed my mind . It scared me to death on that enormous traffic island

 

[screenman]

There's a substantial chunk of the market that only buys £100-150 bikes, not bikes costing £250. A lot of the real low-end bikes will get ridden very few miles, compared with the "serious" MAMIL brigade who tend to use their bikes more and therefore are a more visible presence on the roads.

We are talking about fewer number of bikes sold in UK, mamils make very little difference.

 

[Shadow121]

Is that the reason for them then shadow? For I did ask screennan, who raged against dads, what the advantages of them were.
But noted that he didn't answer the question.

They say they are lighter, I say they could make a threaded one of similar weight
using Aluminium where they could, or titanium, but even a steel one will at least
be solid and you won’t loose any input due to flexing / creaking.

 

[Smokin Joe]

We are talking about fewer number of bikes sold in UK, mamils make very little difference.

But they make a lucrative business as far as the industry is concerned, £150 bikes do few miles, get nothing spent on them in the way of parts, accessories or clothing. One committed enthusiast will outspend the casual cyclist a hundred times over and when they disappear the trade will take a massive hit.

 

[screenman]

But they make a lucrative business as far as the industry is concerned, £150 bikes do few miles, get nothing spent on them in the way of parts, accessories or clothing. One committed enthusiast will outspend the casual cyclist a hundred times over and when they disappear the trade will take a massive hit.

I agree, but the percentage is very small.

 

[Shadow121]

Nearly all the bikes I see on the roads here are expensive ones, children
of non cyclists are the only ones who have the cheap bikes, thus I rarely see
a cheap bike that did not start life as an expensive one.

 

[AuroraSaab]

I would be interested to know what percentage of bike sales are kids bikes. Every child I know had a bike when my kids were younger, but like mine didn't carry on cycling after about 10 or 11. If these are included in the stats it would bring the average price spent on a bike down quite a bit.

Most kids still get at least one or two bikes during their childhood, and if those purchases aren't dropping, then the drop in sales must be in the sales of adult bikes.