The US is running out of bikes

• Biking is gaining more traction in the US as Americans look for transportation and exercise alternatives during the coronavirus pandemic.
• Bike shops are running low on inventory and preorder lists continue to grow because of the boost in demand.
• More road space for bikes could help cycling become a more ubiquitous form of transportation in the US.

Bikes are gaining newfound popularity in the US during the coronavirus pandemic as Americans search for alternatives to public transportation and exercising at the gym, according to a report by The New York Times.

The surge in demand is cleaning stores out of their inventory and creating long preorder lists while stores await deliveries from China and international suppliers.

But Americans' increasing interest in bikes could extend further than the length of the pandemic as people's lifestyle choices and cities' bike friendliness shifts during the global crisis.

Hundreds of miles of road have been opened up to cyclists throughout the country with 74 miles in Oakland, 20 miles in Seattle, and 100 miles in New York, the Times report said.

According to 2017 US census data, less than 1% of workers commute by bike, but opening more space for cyclists could lead to a lasting surge of people relying on bikes.

"We are absolutely confident we are going to see more bike commuting in the months ahead," Polly Trottenberg, New York City's transportation commissioner told the Times.

Bike stores have been considered an essential operation during the coronavirus pandemic because of their transportation value.

And at first, stores went through their cheaper inventory of kids bikes and bikes under $1,000. But as demand continues to climb customers are purchasing pricier bikes.

Bike shops are seeing record levels of business, with some stores' sales jumping up nearly 600% and preorder lists longer than some have ever seen. Electric bikes are also seeing big bump in sales.

"We've never seen a surge like this across a range of products," Robert Margevicius, executive vice president of Specialized, a mammoth US bicycle company, told the Times. "Everybody is scrambling to get more."

But the run on bikes is proving to be more than shops can handle.

Stores are running out of inventory and wait times for more shipments stack up as manufacturers' crippled by the coronavirus try to get back on track with production.

Some cyclists could be waiting until August for their new set of wheels.

Read the original article on Business Insider