Bike, Peloton Sales Surge Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Taylor Rock
·2 min read

Now that everyone is stocked up on toilet paper, they’re buying all the bikes. According to multiple media reports from around the country, people are looking for things to do beyond learning new skills indoors and, as Freddie Mercury once said, “I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride my bike,” and that’s exactly what the people are doing.

When Each State Could Consider Easing Coronavirus Social Distancing, According to Study

“Our bike sales have tripled,” Kyle Markel, owner of Kyle’s Bike Shop, told a local ABC News affiliate. With many non-essential employees out of work right now, the Orlando business has actually grown its staff, taking in people who were fired or furloughed from other jobs.

Similarly, Ryszard Szumski, manager of Freemans Bridge Sports in Scotia, New York, told the Times Union, “We are selling bikes faster than we can assembly them out of the boxes … I can’t tell you how crazy it is."

People in bigger cities are looking to bicycles for more than recreation. Some are simply afraid of public transportation. Even though places like New York City are taking extra measures to shut down and clean the subways every night, many are unsure of when it’ll be safe to ride again.

Kent International Inc. chief executive and chairman Arnold Kamler told Reuters that sales at most of the major retailers he supplies were up 30% in March and were up over 50% at the time of writing in April.

People are panic-buying Pelotons too, since gyms are closed and everyone has to do their workouts at home. The cult-favorite workout bike costs a pretty penny at $2,245 a pop, but company sales have increased 66% over the same time last year. Peloton also had its largest workout class ever with more than 23,000 live riders streaming it from their humble abodes.

If you don’t have a bike or nearly $3 grand to spend on a hunk of gym equipment, get fresh air and exercise outside. You just have to play it safe. Here’s everything you need to know about running outside during the coronavirus quarantine.