The tenor is unanimous if you ask a specialist dealer, a bike manufacturer or a logistics company in spring 2021: demand is higher than supply. Bikes and especially e-bikes have gone into turbo boost during the coronavirus pandemic.

How did this come about? Public transport rapidly lost popularity at the start of the pandemic. In many countries, bike repair shops were allowed to remain open despite the lockdown in order to ensure the mobility of the population. This has really boosted demand for bicycles. "As did the fact that travel was severely restricted or even banned during the vacation season. There's not much left to do apart from hiking and cycling - even in winter, as many ski resorts in neighboring countries had to remain officially closed," says Martin Platter, Managing Director of Velosuisse, the association of Swiss bicycle suppliers.

Overstretched transport system

"Bicycle and component manufacturers are facing unprecedented demand, as more countries than ever before are generating consistently high demand at the same time, regardless of season and weather. As an industry, we were not prepared for this. This is overwhelming the systems. Including the transport system," continues Platter.

The bicycle industry's previous logistics system has reached its limits. This is because it was common practice to convert the transport routes into rolling, floating and flying warehouses and move towards the just-in-time system of the automotive industry. "That worked well for a long time. Until before coronavirus, the punctuality rate for container transport by sea was 96 to 98 percent. And what happens when governments issue new corona decrees every week or month, which always have an impact on the economy? This leads to great uncertainty and the whole system becomes unpredictable. That's the situation we're experiencing right now," says Platter pointedly, highlighting the political dimension of the shortage of goods.Are there alternatives?

The transportation of goods from Asia to Europe has become a bottleneck that is having a negative impact on availability and driving up prices. Prices for container transport between Asia and Europe have risen from 1,600 to up to 11,000 US dollars in a short space of time. At the same time, the punctuality rate has fallen by up to 50 percent. This means that even if bicycle parts have been manufactured in Taiwan or China, for example, and are ready for transportation, they may only reach their destination with a considerable delay and at a much higher price.

Therefore, the search for alternatives is feverish. "There are already transport companies that ship goods from China to Europe by truck on the Silk Road. And producers who are again evaluating production sites in Europe that were once closed because prices were too high," says Platter.

Are there other ways out of this situation? "Waiting times depend heavily on the flexibility of the various players. If I, as a customer, am fixated on a very specific model in a very specific configuration, color and size, then it can actually take longer under certain circumstances." And what else does Platter advise customers who want to buy a new bike or e-bike? "It's important to find out in good time. And also look around at the smaller brands that still assemble the bikes themselves. They are flexible. The waiting times are still moderate. In any case, Velosuisse members are doing everything they can to meet demand."