Rising fuel costs reinflate cycling interests

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This article was published 04/03/2022 (1311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As gasoline prices rise with no signs of stopping, Winnipeg bike shops are gearing up to take on new customers.

Jeff Nespiak sells used bikes and offers repair services at Southside Cycle Works in South St. Vital. The industry — already in high demand since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — will likely see a renewed surge in interest should fuel get even more expensive, he said.

“I think that it’s probably going to drive up the cost on what will be available, but I think that there will definitely be a larger shortage this year,” Nespiak told the Free Press Friday.

“That’s what I’m predicting, especially with gas (prices) across the country… I think it’s just going to continuously drive up the market, and I think a lot more people are going to turn to (bikes) for transportation.”

If it does, it won’t be the first time in recent years. Like most local industry retailers and service providers, Nespiak has had trouble keeping bikes and parts in stock since the start of the pandemic, as Winnipeggers looking for safe, socially-distant outdoor activities took to bike trails in droves.

“I found that people were actually digging out, say, if they had an old mountain bike sitting in their backyard for the last 20 years and it’s got weeds and grass growing through the wheels… They were actually taking it out and having it fixed just because they couldn’t find anything decent for sale,” he said.

Such demand will likely present itself in the commuter bike market, Nespiak said, and lightweight bikes with more gears will become tougher to find.

At Woodcock Cycle Works on St. Mary’s Road, those lightweight commuter bikes can cost anywhere from $500 to more than $1,000.

It’s a price many are willing to pay for the right high-end-but-everyday bike, general manager Jon Carson said, adding the long-running business is hoping a silver lining for gas costs is it gets more people thinking of alternate transportation.

“I certainly am emphasizing more riding, personally, because the prices of gasoline are pretty outrageous,” Carson said. “We’re hoping that it will be just another incentive in this sort of bike boom we’ve experienced and, hopefully, another reason to see it keep going.”

Recent demand hasn’t reached the fervour of peak months in 2020-21, but Carson said it appears more people are buying bikes during this off-season than nearly any other year.

Woodcock has been pre-selling bikes set to come in from distributors around Europe and Asia, and supply chain issues that began with the pandemic and have yet to return to normal are still affecting supply.

“It’s pretty amazing how fast (bike) orders fill, and how quickly our stock allocates… There’s still delays. I don’t think it’ll be fixed anytime soon, it’s a big chain of things that have been affected,” Carson said.

The situation is similar at Olympia Cycle & Ski, co-owner Robb Massey said.

“We’ve got certain bikes that were ordered 20 months ago that still haven’t arrived, so that continues to be a problem,” he said.

“I mean, right now, our supply is really good. But as soon as we have that first nice day in spring, we’re going to have lineups again and we’re going to have disappointed people.”

Massey said he’s concerned that if there is a boom in interest in cycling in tandem with gas costs, new cyclists will spend hundreds of dollars on mass-produced big-box store bikes not designed to last and become discouraged from the practice.

He hopes people deciding to hop on a bike for the first time pursue the programming and support services available at the local level.

“The price of gas might be $5 a litre, and people still aren’t going to ride their bikes because they just don’t feel comfortable on the roads… To me, it’s bigger than the pain point of watching the price of gas go up,” Massey said.

“Because we’re going to get used to it, and then we’re going to go back to unhealthy habits unless you’ve got help and support to (not) do that.”

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca