Bike sales have increased in Billings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Owner of The Bike Shop, Scott Barber, says his store is almost empty due to the increased amount of sales.
“It’s been absolutely ridiculous basically since April. April, May, and June our sales have been absolutely through the roof, and you now come to find out, that’s pretty much a global reaction to the pandemic,” Barber said recently.
Barber says bike manufactures have sold out of their 2020 lines leaving retailers to wait until 2021 to fully restock their stores.
Barber says bikes priced under $1,000 were sold out first, selling from early May and into the end of June. After that, the supply for bikes in the $3,000 range were out of stock. Now, some of the most high-end bikes cannot be found for customers.
Barber says he doesn’t expect to completely restock his store until his order of 2021 model year bikes comes out next year.
“Realistically, we won’t be back to fully stocked normally where we have eighty to one hundred bikes rotating in stock. That won’t happen realistically until maybe December, hopefully before Christmas, then into January,” says Barber.
While the pandemic has caused bike retailers across the country and in Billings to empty their supply, Barber says he hopes that people in the Billings community continue to ride and promote the city trail systems.
“Love that fact that we are busy. It’s amazing and all that but, the biggest thing about it that I could say, I would really like see the people who are buying these bikes now to stay on them and really get involved with the community, and help us change the culture a little bit, and help us get safer roads, get a better trail system, and get people out here to really experience Billings for what it has to offer,” says Barber.
Barber says he currently meets with city council to implement more bike lanes for bikers in Billings. He is a board member and treasurer for Pedal United and has partnered with the Bureau of Land Management to help improve bike trails at Swords Park, Zimmerman Park, Phipps Parks, Norms Island, and has even helped to create a kid pump track near the Blue Creek fishing access.