4/9/22 11:20 AM

Went into the LBS this morning to pick up a Wavecell helmet to replace the one I bashed last year. Talked to the owner, he said they’re busy as hell, have plenty of bikes, components and gear, I guess the supply chain problems are pretty much in the past. Good to hear (not that I need anything….)

4/9/22 4:26 PM

I read something recently that indicated exactly the opposite, that there are still huge supply chain issues throughout the industry. I'll see if I can find it.

4/10/22 7:13 PM

Not true around here. I want to overhaul my touring bike, and my LBS is having trouble getting components. According to the manager, there has been some loosening up, but shortages still exist.

4/11/22 6:09 AM

I visited my local bike/ski shop last week (actually to bring in a couple pair of skis for machine tuning) and I stopped and talked to one of the bike employees that I know to ask how the industry was doing. He replied that it is better than a year ago and the store has a good number of bikes on the floor to sell, but they were still having trouble with long lead times in getting a number of individual components and parts.

Oddly, I don't recall the ski shop side of the store ever complaining that they were having a lot of trouble getting goods to sell.

Lee

4/11/22 1:31 PM

In Canada, eh, I've been trying to track down a bike for about a month now. I've been told "late July" or "the next batch of frames we get will be in October." I have 4 different models at a price point from 4 different manufacturers and have contact 4 different shops about them. None have stock. None expect stock any time soon. It's a $2500CDN (2000-ish US) stock frame/bike in an average size. Should be easy, right? Our season is short. This isn't acceptable.

I understand supply chain issues etc, but this seems more like poor industry planning. Remember Lance Armstrong making road bikes super popular? And no one could get Shimano road groups? Within months Campagnolo was specced on Cannondales as OEM equipment. Such a universal short supply of bike stuff seems more like the industry eating itself (minimum stock = minimum liability, short product cycles = lack of commitment to a model or type of bike) I just don't believe that many more people are riding these days. I get the covid bump, but 2 years with no sign of it getting better? Just like a new bike this year, I'm not buying it.

4/11/22 3:29 PM

I just know what David told me, maybe I overstated it, he did say there were some supply issues in some areas. But he said he had plenty of bikes and did not expect to not be able to supply anyone. He has a very successful, high volume shop selling Trek, ‘Dale, Cervelo, Yeti, and some electric brands. Last year he told me he couldn’t get sh*t. Maybe he has some access smaller dealers lack, I dunno.

4/11/22 7:10 PM

"But he said he had plenty of bikes and did not expect to not be able to supply anyone."

It might be worse in Canada. The population of all of Canada is about the same as California, so we're small potatoes. Still, delivery on many bikes isn't expected until July or August. I'm sure it's partly because they are taking care of their bigger American retailers first, which, I suppose, is fair?

Though I'll argue that Cannondale is technically a Canadian company now (owned by Quebec based Doral) and Canadian brands like Norco and Brodie are also out of stock until later in the season. It just seems wrong that the Canadian market will be getting 2022 bikes in July and August when 2023 bikes are generally announced about two months later in October. FWIW, I've seen some of the models that are unavailable in Canada as "in stock" at some American retailers.

4/14/22 6:02 AM

A friend of mine in the import business was saying that the cost of shipping a container from Asia to the US went from 3k to 30k as of last October or so.

4/16/22 4:09 AM

I visited my LBS for a repair & c yesterday, and things look better, but still tight. Cartridge BBs, for example, were in short supply--and this is a LARGE repair-oriented shop in New Haven. Conditions may vary, but the problems aren't all over yet.