The bicycle that brought a revolution in commuting and short distance travel is facing tough times because of a slowdown in the sector. It’s popularity is being kept alive by kids, adventure enthusiasts and health-conscious people these days. Yet this year has seen low demand from customers. “The demand for the bicycles has dropped becuase of economic conditions. In the past two years the demand of bicycles was phenomenal and witnessed a big leap. This demand of bicycles has dropped this year because of a recession in the economy,” said Nikhil Sutaria, owner of Nareshchandra and Co., located at Sitabuldi. Sutaria said that another reason for the lower demand is that most of the working class people like milkmen, newspaper vendors, factory workers, vegetable sellers etc., have switched over to motorcycles and scooters to commute. Apart from this, the school going children are not using the bicycle to go to school as most of the them are located at the outskirts of the city.

 

There are a few schools in the city, but most of the schools provide school bus facility. “The bicycle demand had dropped by 10 to 15 per cent, as compared to the same period of the previous year on account of economic slowdown,” said Hemant Kothari, owner of Dineshchandra and Co., situated at Sitabuldi. Kothari further said that this year’s festive season failed to cheer the markets and lift the demand of bicycles. The peak demand of bicycles starts from summer till Diwali. “Overall there is slower demand for bicycles in the market. It seems that middle-class is under the burden of high living expenses and the rich have altogether changed their lifestyles and priorities,” he mentioned. He highlighted that the demand of bicycles will always be there because the first thing that kids learn, is to ride a bicycle. Balancing a bicycle boosts their confidence and encourages them to learn other skills. Parents must encourage their children to be physically fit and perform exercise to stay healthy throughout their life. Kothari felt that there is a huge change in people’s lifestyles and they are adopting modern ways of living, which could be another reason for the slower demand. The bicycle manufacturers have introduced various features like gears, disc brakes, battery operated bicycles, and attractive colours to meet the customers requirements. The prices of walkers and tricycles are in the range of Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000, tricycles at Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500, bicycles for kids up to 10 years at Rs 4,000 to Rs 18,000, light weight bicycles at Rs 16,000 to Rs 30,000.

 

The E-Motorad battery operated bicycles start from Rs 32,000, depending on the range of the battery. The major bicycle brands are Hero, Avon, Ridley, Montra, Hercules, Scot, Schneil, Vector-91, Mach City, BSA, Fire Fox among others. Anirudha Raicha, owner of Ncylopedia, a premium cycle store that mainly deals with imported bicycles for performance riders, adventure riding, recreation and physical fitness said that there is drop of 10 to 15 per cent in the demand of bicycles because a slow down in the economy. He also said that the pent-up demand during COVID-19 pandemic had been exhausted. He highlighted that after COVID-19 there was a phenomenal jump in the demand of bicycles as people wanted to build their immune system by exercising and being physically fit.

 

At that time production was lower due to scarcity of spare parts and labour issues. But this demand has disappeared and the segment is witnessing a slowdown, he pointed out. The store offers international brands like Giant, Merida, Polygon, Bianchi and carbon composite lightweight bicycles. The most sought after bicycles are in the price range of Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000, he added. Sanjay Khambhadia of Nilesh Cycle Stores, and Puran Mehadia of Mehadia Cycle Co., Sitabuldi both were of the view that there is a significant fall of more than 10 per cent in the demand of bicycles, as compared to previous year. They both felt that some parents are buying motorcycles, EVs, and scooters for their children to commute from home to tuition classes and colleges instead of bicycles.