Bike sales jump

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   I know that DutchJosh has had several posts about bike sales on his 'scenario' thread, but they are buried in that thread.  In some of them he talked about the need to change our habits to be more climate friendly.    So here is some interesting news from Finland.   I think that this is good news

 Bicycle sales up 70% in June as e-bikes gain traction
[...] Sales of both traditional and electric bikes have been high since early this year, says the industry group's CEO, Veli-Matti Kankaanpää. He says sales were initially perked up by the mild, nearly snowless winter in southern Finland, and then by the coronavirus pandemic, which began to spread in Finland in mid-March.
"The effects of the epidemic on people's everyday lives last spring were the final impetus for many who were already interested in cycling. When people had to start avoiding public transport and at the same time many suddenly had more time than usual to spend outdoors, there were no longer many reasons not to try cycling for commuting or as a pastime hobby, for instance," says Kankaanpää.
As of June, sales for this year were up by about 36 percent higher than during the same period of 2019.
"These changes will probably be seen for years to come. More interesting than the sales spike is the cultural shift in how many people have discovered cycling and adopted it as part of their everyday lives," Kankaanpää says.
The business lobby says that sales of e-bikes have risen briskly, though they still only represent about one tenth of total sales. [....]
Riku-Pekka Mikkonen, head of sales at Finnish bike manufacturer Tunturi-Hellberg, says that this year many people have replaced their second car with a regular or electric bicycle.
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/bicycle_sales_up_70_in_june_as_e-bikes_gain_traction/11444968