Bicycle repair shops across the Twin Cities are seeing an increased demand for service as unusually warm winter weather is bringing in cyclists who are eager to hit the trail.
The influx in repair demands is also bringing with it a number of riders who opted to keep biking throughout the winter.
“We’ve had several customer who’ve been riding throughout the winter and aren’t wanting to bring their bikes in for a tune-up just yet,” said Andrew Chaffe, store manager at Freewheel Bike Shop in Richfield. “We also have our usual customer who want to get ahead of the curve, they’re already behind the eight ball.”
With service demands two or three months ahead of what’s typical, Chaffe says they’re seeing a variety of issues that need fixing.
“A lot of what we see with the commuter who’ve ridden through the winter, not just because of the salt but with all the chemicals, we see a lot of rusty parts like chains, disc brake rotors, and cables,” he said. “A lot of moving parts that are typical wear items just get a little more excessively worn down because of the winter grime and grit.”
Other common issues Chaffe and his staff see come through the door include flat tires, brake adjustments, and alignment issues.
“Typical turn around depends on what’s required. In some cases it may just need a few minor adjustments and we try to get real simple stuff done on the spot if we can. It really depends on what the customer’s needs are. We’ll adjust our schedule accordingly. A lot of our customer are longtime customers and let us take our time. That helps us with our turnaround time on bike repairs.”
Four years ago cycling exploded in popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That popularity has carried into 2024.
“Covid was good for a lot of reason,” Chaffe said. “We had a lot of people who hadn’t been on in a bike in 20 or 30 years. People wanted to get on a bike and it was one of only a few things you could do. Some of those people are becoming more adventurous and they’re signing up for rides. Gravel is a big venue for riding right now and with all the mountain bike trails around town, we’ve seen an explosion in mountain biking probably more so than we have in a long time.”
The demand for bikes in the early stages of the pandemic that Freewheel’s basement that’s typically full of bikes was nearly emptied in one weekend.
“We were fortunate we jumped on that and were able to get ahold of bikes. We were able to keep the store relatively full.”
The biking boom has also included a rising demand for electric bikes.
“We’re selling more and more electric bikes every year and it’s for a variety of reasons. Some people are choosing not to have two cars in the family. A lot of people see the use for them whether it’s going to the grocery store or commuting to work,” added Chaffe. “A lot of people with hip and knee replacements, they just want to get out and ride a bike. We find people who purchase e-bikes are riding on average four-times as much and four-times as far because they don’t have to worry about getting home anymore.”