Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2019 - 24

IDEAS / Bike Data

RESEARCH

The State of Cycling
Gravel grinders and e-bikes are on the rise and New Yorkers are
pedalling more, but fewer kids are hopping on bikes. Here's our
analysis of the latest numbers in cycling trends. by Carol Kauder
A NUMBER OFYEARS AGO I RAN SOME FOCUS GROUPS FOR A MAJOR CYCLING MANUFACTURER,
and we asked the respondents about their earliest memories of cycling. The differences in their
responses aligned with the kind of cyclists they had grown into as adults. The people who liked
cruiser bikes talked about earliest cycling memories related to a sense of exploration and independence. The BMX adrenaline junkies remembered their first rush of speed, bombing down a backyard hillside out of control. If you are reading this article, you probably have your own childhood
recollection of two-wheeled freedom.
According to a cycling participation study by PeopleForBikes released in April 2019, 53 percent
of American kids ages 3-17 rode a bike in the past year. Is that good news or bad?
"In some ways it's both," said Jennifer Boldry, research director for PeopleForBikes. "At first
blush, half of kids are riding a bike and that's great." It's more than the 32 percent participation
rate of the population as a whole.
The downside, Boldry said, is "fewer kids are riding than have historically."
Boldry points to a number of factors contributing to the decline, including population growth,
particularly in urban areas, creating more vehicular traffic to contend with. And parenting styles
have changed with the times such that it's the rare child who is set loose on a bike with a promise to
be home by dinner.

24 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ Summer 2019

According to the PeopleForBikes study,
bike participation declines with age. Kids age
3-9 are the country's most active cyclists, with
56 percent having ridden a bike in the past
year. Next come 10-17 year-olds at 50 percent
(parents answered the PFB survey on their
kids' behalf). There's a big drop right around
the time young people get their driver's license
and take on other forms of adulting: In the 1824 age group, 38 percent report having ridden
a bike in the past year. From there it's a steady
descent to the 55+ group reporting 18 percent
who saddled up.
Children's bike sales, which at just over
$700 million in 2018 is the largest category
in the bike industry, were down close to $30
million from 2017 figures, according to the
NPD Group's Retail Tracking Service. NPD
Analyst Dirk Sorenson said the drop in sales
is due in part to the closing of large children's
retailers, but it's also true that fewer kids are
riding bikes. He cites a 5 percent drop in youth
cycling over the past 10 years captured in the
Outdoor Foundation's Outdoor Recreation
Participation Report for 2018 as cause for
concern: "This is a significant decline, which
may have impacts to the long-term health of
the category," he said.
The Outdoor Foundation report also
found that adults are more likely to participate in outdoor recreation in general-of
which cycling is a part-if they are introduced to the outdoors as kids. Fewer kids
participating now could lead to fewer adults
participating in the future.

OVERALL,ADULTCYCLING SALES HAVE BEEN
flat over the past few years. In 2018, the
"transit/fitness" category fell almost as much
dollar-wise as kids bikes, a bigger hit to a
category sized at just under $500 million.
Mountain bike sales were down as well (with
the exception of full-suspension bikes), as
were sales for the road/sports performance,
lifestyle, BMX and triathlon categories.
However, strong sales in the e-bikes and
cross/gravel categories provided a positive
counterbalance in the cycling marketplace.
Gravel bikes-essentially a road bike-like
frame designed to accommodate more offroad friendly tires-are likely taking over the

8Bar Bikes

GRIND IT OUT
While many categories
in the bike industry have
been sluggish, gravel
bike sales are booming.

Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2019