MICROMOBILITY


MICROMOBILITY


E-BIKES 101: GETTING THE PRICE RIGHT


E-bikes pose an enormous opportunity for bike shops willing to embrace urban transport, but getting started can be intimidating for retailers. Myles Warwood explores the fluctuating costs of electric bikes


D


uring the pandemic, bike sales boomed – they continued to stay on a steady trajectory for a short while afterwards, but will we see the bubble burst


soon? Not because the want for bikes goes away - there are ever more reasons to travel by bike than before - but amid mounting fuel prices and the cost of living punching a hole in the ceiling, manufacturers are struggling to keep the costs of bike sales down.


This struggle also has a trickle-down effect on the end consumer, with the middle man being the local bike shop feeling the pinch. Not everyone can afford to keep up with escalating prices, so while there might be a bicycle boom,


this could very quickly lead to a bicycle bust with the price of second-hand and eBay-listed bikes becoming more appealing and able to hold their value.


E-bike inflation Manufacturers can point to many reasons why the cost of their bikes is rising, but let’s look at the example of e-bikes – you might be hard pushed to find one with a good motor, groupset and components for under £1,500. Brexit, shipping costs and supply chain are just a few reasons that will increase the cost of a bike build for a manufacturer, and there is only so much that they can absorb. At some point, the scales will


www.bikebiz.com


August 2022 | 37


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