Pandemic helping fuel a boom in bicycle industry
VOUZELA, Portugal — Inside a factory set among eucalyptus trees in the Portuguese countryside, workers carefully cut thin strips of sticky carbon fiber and press them into molds. It is slow and painstaking labor.
But after each mold is cooked in an oven heated to 390 degrees Fahrenheit, out comes an incredibly light frame for a bicycle that may sell for about $7,000, helping accelerate Portugal’s growth as the largest bike manufacturing nation in the European Union.
Demand for bikes is soaring, thanks in part to the coronavirus pandemic. More people have decided to pedal to stay fit after long lockdowns, or to avoid crowded trains and buses on the way to work. Politicians, aware of the climate benefits of cycling, are adding more bike lanes to their cities, including in Paris, Berlin, Lisbon and Barcelona, Spain.
And it has been a boon to northern Portugal, home to a heavy concentration of manufacturers with ties to bicycles. About 60 companies in the region assemble bikes or make their parts and accessories, including handlebars, brake pads and helmets.
The country of 10 million people — a little more than 2% of the European Union’s population — produces nearly a quarter of the bloc’s bicycles. The industry has turned into one of Portugal’s fastestgrowing employers, its workforce expanding 65% in the past five years to 7,800 employees, according to Abimota, a bicycle industry group.
The growth is partly the result of protectionist trade laws that prevent lowcost Chinesemade bicycles from entering the European Union. The domestic bike companies have hired skilled workers left behind when other manufacturers have shut down or moved elsewhere seeking cheaper labor.
Across Portugal’s bicycle industry, companies are rushing to bolster production and help reduce Europe’s reliance on imports from Asia.
“I think this pandemic has made it clear to everybody that it is a big advantage to be able to produce in Europe,” said Pedro Araújo, chief executive and owner of one of the companies, Polisport.
RTE, which operates Portugal’s largest bike factory, covering about 430,000 square feet, is preparing to open another factory next door to make electric bikes. It recently introduced its own ebike brand.