BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
While many bike retailers will be hoping that Wiggins’ victory will provide a shot in the arm for bike sales, Evans Cycles has said the Tour de France has already inspired cycle fans to spend more.
Road bikes and Team Sky kit have proved popular during the race, with sales high despite a summer period that has seen high levels of rain, flooding and severe weather alerts.
“What’s clear to see is that sales of road bikes has increased this month," said a spokesperson for the retailer. "We were less than half way through July, but had already sold close to the total bikes sold in June. Whilst we expect to see growth in July due to warmer weather and the TdF throwing the spotlight on our sport, this year we are pleasantly surprised by the surge in sales. Why are we surprised? Because we haven’t had any assistance from the weather this year, it shows that the passion people have for the sport outweighs the negative impact of the weather.
"Our sales have improved best between £700-£2000, which is around the value we would expect our real cycling enthusiasts to be spending. No doubt many of these consumers have been inspired by the success of Wiggins and all other racers, and therefore feel that they too can step up their performance by having the next level of equipment."
With the London 2012 Olympics now four days away, expectations around the impact on cycling are high with Evans too: "With the Olympics just around the corner and a potential gold in multiple cycling disciplines, we are really excited to see how big the buzz is going to be. I think the anticipation and expectation is there, let’s realise our countries potential and see how motivated we are.
"Alongside the approaching Olympics also comes the potential for, and expectation of, some transportation issues and we’re seeing customers looking to cycling as a way of getting around. Interest in our Tern folding bikes is looking very healthy, and popular commuters such as our Pinnacle hybrid bikes are doing well, too.
"With regard to team kit, we’re seeing good demand for the Sky kit so are trying to get hold of more stock asap. Team kit sales generally are pretty good and we do have a much wider range than previous years.”
