2023 set to be year of bike bargains, according to retailers
From CyclingWeekly.com
BY
Lots of stock vs a dip in demand means potential bargains as industry attempts to right itself post-covid
If you’re in the market for a new bike this year, you may have picked the right time to buy. At least that’s what industry commentators and retailers are predicting, and the theory looks to be playing out across stores and suppliers worldwide.
Most obviously Specialized’s recent “we made too many” sale, which saw major price drops on a huge range of machines, pointed to a need for retailers to move stock.
Equally, Evans Cycles (opens in new tab)is currently popping out some serious discounts on a wide range of 2022 Cannondales, with plenty of sizes available.
We also spoke to a raft of retailers, most of whom were reluctant to go on record who say these aren’t isolated instances and that 2023 could be the year of the bargain.
Henry Silvester of Silvester Brothers Cycles in Farnborough, was one willing to speak up. “The market is so saturated, there’s so much stock about,” he tells CW. “And I think also dealers like us, and I’m not speaking for every dealer, but definitely us, there was quite a lot of pressure for us to take stock when it arrived last year. We did take what we could.”
The reasons for the glut are multi-faceted. Big orders placed during covid are now being fulfilled, both at supplier and retailer level. While we’ve we’ve hit a global cost of living crisis, and the empty days of covid lockdown that begged to be filled with leisure pursuits are now gone.
All that, according to many of those in the industry we spoke to, is adding up to a lot of bikes and a lessening of demand.
“If you’re going to buy a bike, this year is going to be your year,” predicts YouTuber GC Performance – a cycle shop worker himself.
