The shortage of bikes for sale is set to continue until next year, one of Galway’s top bicycle retailers has said this week.
John Kennedy, owner of West Ireland Bike Shop in Galway’s West End, explains why there is such a shortage of bikes right now.
“You may have noticed there is a global shortage of bikes at the moment, and the short answer for why this is comes down to the simple economics of supply and demand.
“It may surprise you to know there are over a dozen countries involved in providing all the raw materials necessary to produce a bike. From the rubber in the tyres and tubes, to the aluminium frame, cables, gears, chain, nut and bolts, lights and saddles.
“Not to mention the logistics of transport, accounting and admin staff that also span many nations, all of which need to work together to transform the raw material taken from the ground resulting in a brand new shiny bike in our local community bike sho,” he said.”
Mr Kenendy added that these days, bicycle stores are extremely reliant on global supply chains and the simple answer is, with various restrictions on movement being erected and eased repeatedly, sometimes with little notice, the supply of bikes has become hugely interrupted and difficult to predict.
“Combine this with an explosion in demand, as people across Europe and the US embrace cycling, there is more demand for bikes now than at any time in history.
“The unfortunate thing is the bike shortage is not going to change anytime soon. With life not getting back to normal across the world for at least the next year or two, combined with increasing interest in cycling and the construction of many greenways and cycling routes across Ireland and Europe, demand is likely to outstrip supply for the foreseeable future,” he said.
