During 2021, also marked by the pandemic, demand for bicycles remained stable, although slightly lower than the unprecedented level recorded in 2020, the Swiss association of bicycle suppliers Velosuisse said on Wednesday.
Traders sold nearly 494,000 bicycles in 2021, a figure down 1.6% year on year. This decline is to be attributed solely to bicycles without electric assistance, the “sport” category even suffering a decline of 10% to 210,000 pieces. Leisure and everyday bikes were also less popular, with 97,000 (-0.7%).
The trend for e-bikes continues to spread, with a 9.4% jump in sales, following an already record figure in 2020. In all, 187,000 e-bikes were sold in 2021, following 171,000 in 2020. This category accounted for more than a third of total bicycle sales last year.
Electrically assisted bicycles, limited to a speed of 45 kilometers per hour, were particularly sought following, with a 17% increase in sales.
Delays in orders
The very favorable trend recorded last year is partly explained by a catch-up effect. Usually unfavorable weather like that experienced in spring and summer 2021, should have led to a significant drop in bicycle sales. But that was not the case, leading the trade association to believe that a portion of 2021 sales originated from orders placed in 2020 and delivered late.
Difficulties in supply chains have also affected bicycle dealers. Strong demand, especially for e-bikes, has come up once morest limited production capacity, due to the health measures taken to stem the pandemic as well as shortages of raw materials.
In 2022, demand should remain strong, especially if the weather is better than last year.
This article has been published automatically. Source: ats/awp