CIN Data & the big picture: Independent bike dealers champion UK eBike sector

A lot has happened since Cycling Industry News first started gathering data from the independent retail front line. Covid, lockdowns, Brexit… (and that was just in 2020). How have average bike sale prices changed? Are the same threats still challenging bike shops? We dust off our first industry surveys and compare them with our latest to attempt to chart the changes and look at the big picture for the cycling industry…

There are some evergreen results from CIN’s Market Data over the years, like margin erosion dominating the list of ‘threats to independent retailers’. Why, you may pertinently ask, have these threats failed to be effectively dealt with? That’s possibly a larger issue that deserves some thought. Likewise, if certain categories persistently underperform for bike shops, then why do shops persist in stocking them – or is the data pointing to something else? Join us as we hunker down, look at the stats and wildly speculate if there are some big takeaways from years’ worth of data:

Electric bikes, championed by the UK’s independent bike dealers

THERE ARE some straightforward stories to be gleaned from the longer term data gathered by Cycling Industry News over the years, not least the finding that independent bike retailers have been a champion of the UK eBike sector.

Back in 2018, electric bikes were the main product that retailers were planning to allocate more space to. It’s been a reliably similar story throughout virtually all CIN Market Data surveys that have followed, with electric bikes firmly in the plans of independent dealers. That probably won’t surprise many, but it’s worth pointing out. Individual bike brands will know how many eBikes they sell through independents, but it’s not hard to extrapolate that independents are a backbone of the UK’s electric bike market, with more dedicating more floor space over most of the last decade. When accounting for those retailers allocating less space to electric bikes, the results are startlingly clear and independent retailers’ passion for the UK eBike sector has been stubbornly stable.

Looking at the bigger picture, it’s clear that independent bike dealers have a sizeable stake in the future of the eBike market and will be rooting for advocates to sufficiently combat headlines about eBike fires and explaining the not so subtle differences between eBikes and electric motorcycles. In contrast, fellow micromobility stablemate electric scooters has seen a reversal in independent retailer popularity.

DRILLING DOWN INTO EBIKE PRICES SOLD BY INDEPENDENTS
Back in 2018, the lead average price of an eBike being sold in an independent bike shop was £2,000-£2,500. Fast forward to 2023 and the average price of an eBike was £2,500-£3,000.

While the 2018 survey found that the £1,000-£1,500 category was the second most popular price bracket for an eBike sold by independent bike retailers, by 2023 that price category was nowhere to be seen. That seems like a decisive increase. Last year, the second most popular price category for an eBike sold through independent bike shops was £2,001-£2,500, indicating a potential mix of inflation and customer readiness to spend more for better quality eBikes has taken place over this relatively short period.

Find out more about the UK eBike sector and delve into more findings about the independent cycle dealer with CIN’s Market Data report.