Cycling in India has been considered poor man’s commute for ages, but not anymore. Post lockdown, the Indian cycling market has seen a surge of over 400% in the sale of cycles and their accessories. The cycles which were lying at the store for many months got sold within few weeks. The period from July – December 2020 had seen an unprecedented change in human behavior around the world. It was hard to believe that cars were easily available to buy but for a cycle of choice, one had to wait for longer than usual.
OUT OF STOCK
Things became worse when riders started grabbing whatever was available in the market. The cycling accessories, clothes, and spare parts were missing from the shelves for long period. Pre-booking and Out-of-stock became the new reality in the cycling world. This drastic demand and supply gap ensured people bought more expensive bikes than their budget.
WHO BOUGHT THE STOCK?
We. Everyone one of us bought it. It’s difficult to claim that the purchase was done only by the young generation, in fact, all age groups started seeking for a new bike in the house. When the demand skyrocketed, bikes costing 1 to 5 lacs also went out of shelves.
IS CYCLING A FAD?
As Indian roads were full of cyclists, more people started looking for one. This trend made many of us believe it’s a fad. Is it really a fad? Most of the riders we met are riding on regular basis. The potential of riding a cycle became very much high on regular basis since the taste of exploring the city was so easy.
It’s so soon to claim if it is a fad but cycling is here to stay in long run. We have seen fewer cyclists on roads in winters but eventually, the spike in cycling sales, increasing number of riders, and the craze ensure that the regular riders’ number will be multi-fold in coming years and we hope this goes on.
WHAT NEXT?
Cyclists in India are demanding a better infrastructure so that they can make it a part of regular commute. Cyclists have started to point out the poor road infrastructure in the country.
Beside the demand, we need to inculcate cycling in our school syllabus to make it early age habit. We also need to ensure that cyclists and pedestrians are given preference on road with other motor vehicles.
We also believe cycling sport events shall be highly promoted and supported by government and private organization.
In the conclusion, cycling is here long to stay. We just need to pedal towards a better future.
