Customers line up outside Cyclepath Wednesday morning. (CHAT News photo)

By Alex McCuaig

High demand, low supply

Supply of bicycles diminishes as interest in sport soars due to health restrictions

Jun 3, 2020 | 4:28 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A half-dozen customers spent Wednesday morning outside Cyclepath’s bicycle shop waiting for it to open.

“And this is a small crowd,” said owner Greg Watson who says there has regularly been a dozen or more people waiting when he opens the shop in the morning.

It’s part of a trend being seen across Alberta with an increase in cycling as many other sporting activities have seen public health restrictions either curtail or even prohibit them due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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But that increase in popularity has also resulted in the dip in availability of bicycles as stores which often place their orders in the winter strain to meet the unanticipated demand.

But as the demand continues to swell, options for those looking to buy are starting to diminish.

“We had a good supply of bikes for a normal year,” said Watson. “But what’s happened is the year has compressed itself dramatically because everyone wanted bikes as soon as the weather got nice. So we are seeing a very large volume of customers coming in getting bikes and the industry is literally running out of supply.”

Watson says he is hoping the trend continues post-pandemic as families rediscover the pastime and possibly move towards using bicycles to commute to work.