Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2019 - 25

front-suspension mountain bike's mantle as
the do-anything bike, Sorenson said.
"For years, front-suspension mountain
bikes were the default selection for consumers who wanted a bike that could be ridden
anywhere," he said. "However, this class has
experienced declines of almost 12 percent
from the end of March 2017 to the end of
March 2019." This, too, he attributes to the
closure of large retailers selling this category
of bike, but also because riders are finding
that gravel bikes are a better solution for their
multi-purpose needs.
"For gravel bikes, growth is being driven by
the utility nature of the design. There is real
appeal to the everyday consumer who wants

RODE A BICYCLE

GRAVEL BIKES-ESSENTIALLY A ROAD BIKE-LIKE FRAME
DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE MORE OFF-ROAD FRIENDLY
TIRES-ARE LIKELY TAKING OVER THE FRONT-SUSPENSION
MOUNTAIN BIKE'S MANTLE AS THE DO-ANYTHING BIKE.
to purchase a bike that can be ridden in almost
every environment," he said.
As for the rise in e-bikes, kids may be riding
less, but Sorenson sees a $60 million dollar
increase in e-bike sales due in part to baby
boomers trying to ride more.
"Aging cyclists may want to maintain or try
cycling as part of an active lifestyle," he said.
"Almost 10,000 U.S. citizens are turning 65

SOURCE: PEOPLEFORBIKES 2019 BICYCLING PARTICIPATION STUDY

3 to 9

10 to 17

18 to 24

25 to 34

35 to 44

45 to 54

55+

56%

50%

38%

33%

30%

25%

18%

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 survey on their kids' behalf).
There's a big drop right around the time young people become old enough to drive and take on other
forms of adulting: In the 18-24 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 just 18 percent who saddled up.

BIKE CLASS PERFORMANCE - TOTAL MARKET
SOURCE: THE NPD GROUP/U.S. RETAIL TRACKING SERVICE, RY DEC. 2018

Childrens
Transit/Fitness
Mtn. Front Suspension
Mtn. Full Suspension
Road - Sport Performance
Other Bicycles
Lifestyle
BMX
EBikes
Cyclocross/Gravel
Mtn. Other
Triathlon
$700

$600

$500

$400

$300

$200

$100

CATEGORY SIZE IN MILLIONS

-$20

$20

$40

$60

$80

YEAR OVER YEAR CHANGE IN MILLIONS

Children's bikes 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 and other bike sales data.

every day, according to the U.S. Census, and
we know that these Baby Boomers continue to
seek ways to remain active. E-bikes are a great
fit for them."
And respondents in the PFB study said they
want to ride more. Of those age 18 and up who
didn't ride a bike in the past year, 26 percent
said they intend to ride in the future.
The PFB "Places for Bikes" initiative is working to get more people to ride bikes, more often. You need to have a bike to ride, but you also
need places where you feel safe riding it.
"Our whole goal is to encourage U.S. cities
to build better places to ride," Boldry says. "It
could be a fully separated lane, it could be a
path, it could be a trail, it could be a neighborhood road that doesn't see a lot of traffic. You
don't have to be brave and experienced to ride
in that kind of infrastructure. If you build comfortable, connected networks, people will ride."
The ratio of cyclists to cars is up in areas
where it's easier to ride, according to PFB data,
which combines factors such as ridership
along with safety ratings and quality of biking
network to develop its list of the Best Cities for
Bikes. While it may come as no surprise to see
bike-friendly Boulder, Colorado, Fort Collins,
Colorado, and Eugene, Oregon, topping the
list, the fact that Manhattan, New York, and
Arlington, Virginia, round out the top five
shows that making way for bikes is feasible
even in dense metro areas.
Boldry is also involved in a cooperative effort
among cycling groups to get more kids on bikes.
One approach is building bike parks-a little
trail or pump track added to a city park or any
undeveloped land has proven to go a long way.
When it comes to data on cycling participation, Boldry prefers to look at the glass half
full: "I see it as opportunity. If only half of kids
are riding, think if we got another 25 percent
to ride, imagine the overall growth in ridership," she said. "My dream is that every kid is a
10-minute ride to a bike park." O.R.

Summer 2019 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 25

Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2019

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