Bike sales drop sharply back behind Pre-Covid levels

Bike sales in the UK have fallen 27% below the pre-Covid levels that are so often used as a reliable benchmark for short-term trajectory of the bike industry, according to new data from The Bicycle Association.

In 2022, mechanical bike volumes fell 22% to tally 1.88 million units, which represented their lowest level in two decades. Meanwhile, kids’ bikes registered a 28% sales reduction versus 2019 data with 700,000 units sold.

Where electric bikes have been a balancer to a decline in pedal-powered bike sales, these too have taken pause and the segment is described as having “plateaued” since a sharp lift in 2020.

The market was expecting a sharp pullback and so the data will not come as a shock to industry executives whose latest challenge has been to grapple with over-optimistic order placing that took place during the euphoria of the ‘bike spike’ of 2020 to 2021 when bike shops were permitted to remain open during lockdowns and consumers had more disposable income. Juxtaposed against this, the highly optimistic order volumes that have now landed come at a time when consumers have battened down the hatches as part of the cost of living crisis.

The silver lining to the cloud comes from the enthusiast gravel bike market, which saw sales volumes rise by 8% versus 2021 and 59% since 2019.

In responding to the report‘s findings, the BA is calling on the Government to take action to stimulate cycling once more. The action points include:

• Increased support and focus on cycling’s role in UK economic growth and net-zero strategy with local investment;
• Government commitment to multi-year funding for Active Travel England and continued cycling investment in Scotland and Wales;
• Increase in short cyclable trips taken by bicycle to reduce motor vehicle emissions

John Worthington, report author and Bicycle Association’s Head of Insights, said: “The market faces a turbulent and challenging year ahead. Once overall supply and demand return to a better equilibrium, and the economic environment improves, longer-term prospects for the cycling market are positive. But for the next 12 months the industry will need to weather a difficult storm.”

Simon Irons, Bicycle Association Market Data Service Director, added: “This report is not an easy read. However, as an industry we have to rise to the challenges ahead of us and do everything we can to make cycling a safe and attractive method of transport for more people in the UK. Most worrying is the decline in kids’ bike sales. This is a key area of work for the BA and our industry in 2023.”

The data gathered is based on data drawn from eCommerce systems, anonymised and bundled into a readable paper by BA partner Sporting Insights. The data gathering effort comprises over 1 million cycling products and the history of existing sales is tracked back to 2018.

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