The bikes are back in town
Orlando-area stores see record sales on bicycles amid pandemic.
“In the 13 years we’ve been open, we’ve been growing … our single best month for revenue and bike sales was December 2019. Last month, in April, we tripled that.”
Kyle Markel, Kyle’s Bikes co-owner
Amid the gloom of the COVID-19 pandemic, Orlando’s bike shops are seeing a huge silver lining: They’ve never been busier.
Take it from Deena Breed, the longtime co-owner of College Park’s Orange Cycle.
“I am 72, and I’m working six days a week,” she said, noting it took her two months to find time to get back on her own bike. “We’re very happy that people are turning to bicycles. We’re very happy that we’re of value and part of something that we super believe in, but we are slammed.”
That’s true even when taking into account the store’s showroom isn’t open and they aren’t taking in repairs.
Other Orlando bike shops have found ways to welcome new business while keeping customers safe, but it’s sometimes tough to keep up with the new demand.
Cycling surges
Bike shops have always remained open in some capacity, deemed as “essential” businesses during Orange County’s stay-at-home order. And the demand for bikes is certainly there.
At Kyle’s Bike Shop, the month of April smashed the shop’s sales record.
“In the 13 years we’ve been open, we’ve been growing … our single best month for revenue and bike sales was December 2019,” said Kyle Markel, the shop’s co-owner. “Last month, in April, we tripled that.”
He’s even worried that the shop’s supply of bikes could run low, as 2020 models have ended production and 2021
models are months away.
“I ordered more bikes than we ever have by the hundreds,” Markel said.
At Kyle’s, requests for repairs have increased dramatically, too, with some customers having to make appointments weeks away. Some of the bikes that come in may have sat in a garage for 10 years.
For David’s World Cycle, which has 18 locations across Central and North Florida, the shops have each seen a surge amid the pandemic. Ray Kennedy, the chain’s marketing director, oversees e-commerce and has also noticed a jump in online sales.
“We have seen, on our online side, there’s been over seven times as many bikes purchased on our website this year as there were last year,” he said.
At Orange Cycle, Breed has seen supply chain disruptions and has trouble getting new bikes in the store. She also worries about quality control.
“We never know if we’re going to run out of a product. It’s not a low possibility,” she said. “I want to do a good job, and if we get any busier, we may not be able to do a good job.”
Markel has similar concerns for his shop, as Kyle’s puts an emphasis on the cycling community and oneon-one time with customers.
“We’re used to spending more time with customers, talking about the experience and where they’re going to ride,” he said. “We want to ask them how their experience has been out on the bicycle and find ways to make it better. … I think that’s how we’re going to operate in the next couple of months.”
Coronavirus cautions
One of the big challenges for shops with open showrooms is managing the number of people in stores, especially when demand has increased.
“It is an unprecedented time in the last two months,” Kennedy said. “With the daily routine … keeping the teams healthy and keeping them safe, and how do we do the same for our guests?”
For David’s World Cycle locations, that has meant maintaining a one in, one out policy for people entering the store. Hours are reduced for increased sanitization, and staff members are given two days off in a row to recharge and ride their own bikes.
Kyle’s Bike Shop has also limited the number of customers allowed in the store and cleaned all entering bikes.
At Orange Cycle, despite the showroom being closed to the public, Breed is taking precautions.
“Cleaning and disinfecting everything is a very high priority. I take everybody’s temperature first thing in the morning,” she said. “We have a very high level of making this virus-free.”
A lasting trend?
The sentiment is similar among local shop owners: They’re overjoyed at people’s newfound or re-discovered love of cycling.
“Part of us just loves the fact that people are out there riding bikes and we hope they continue on,” Breed said. “We think it’s so great, and we all feel like we’re selling the religion of cycling to people that may have forgotten it.”
Take it from anyone who’s ever spent time on a bicycle, the bliss you can experience is palpable, especially for an avid rider such as Markel.
“Personally, I feel like this is here to stay. Once you get the bug, once you’re enjoying your bike, you’re going to keep doing it,” he said. “Cycling is one of those things. It’s kind of like music or art — it’s an outlet. When you ride, everything just goes out the window.”
It’s reasons like those that local shop owners believe this isn’t a passing fad but a real resurgence in cycling that could outlast stayat-home orders and gym closures.
For David’s World Cycle, Kennedy believes that the number of new customers they’ve brought in recently will keep this trend going.
“Nobody knows for sure what the world will look like in six months or what it will look like next week, much less,” he said. “I’d like to believe that with the increase we’ve seen and more new faces getting on bikes in the last couple of months, that’ll be a driving factor in seeing this continue.”
Breed believes this trend extends beyond Orlando and the U.S.
“It’s worldwide, this interest in using the bicycle. And part of it is for mental health,” she said. “That’s what people are realizing — that in a time of chaos and fear, riding a bike can help notch it down.”