Bike sales decrease as repairs skyrocket during COVID-19

PHILADELPHIA - Bike shops are deemed essential businesses. Some shops are seeing bike sales decrease as repairs skyrocket during COVID-19.

Janet Doubet like many of us right now is bored out of her mind so she had an idea.

“I wanted to buy a bike since there isn’t much else to do," she told FOX 29.

John Weniger is the owner of Cycle Fit in Wallingford. He says COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on local bicycle shops.

“In my all years of being in business, this has been the most challenging because you’re just not used to saying no all the time," he said.

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Weniger is limiting customers from being in his store and encouraging them to shop online and pick up outside or take advantage of delivery. Still, new bike purchases are down.

“That’s probably the hardest part right now is we’re saying no to a lot of customers that over the last 40 years we don’t like doing. In this particular situation, it’s the only thing we can do," Weniger said.

While sales are taking a hit, repairs are skyrocketing.

“We’re seeing a lot of people bring the old bikes out of the shed that’s the biggest thing. We’re seeing a lot more entry level bikes," he added.

Those repairs are taking on a socially distant, hyper-clean look now as well.

“We do sanitize the bikes when they come in. We do sanitize when they go out, and from that standpoint we’re just trying to keep it as safe as we possibly can," Weniger explained.

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