Thursday, October 9, 2008

Bike sales boom as car makers scrape by

Supply shortages, prepaid waiting lists, skyrocketing demand... I'm not talking about high oil and gas prices here, I'm talking about the booming bike economy. As people flock to the utility and affordability of the bike, manufactures like Giant are facing major challenges when it comes to feeding the world's appetite for bikes -- selling a record 460,000 units last month. Could it be that fuel prices, eco-awareness, and the need to fight obesity are creating a perfect storm for a two-wheeled domination? From the article:
"After a slow 2006, sales took off last year in Europe and America as fuel prices shot up. Suddenly a bicycle seems like the remedy for many modern ills, from petrol prices to pollution and obesity."

Not to kick automakers while they're down, but it seems that bike sales and car sales have an inverse relationship -- and we're kinda partial to bikes. As car sales nosedive slump, Giant -- the world's largest bicycle manufacturer -- has actually been experiencing bike shortages in New York as demand suddenly started outpacing supply. The cycling giant (sorry) has seen its stock prices shoot up 5.65% so far this year. Considering the horrid state of the world economy, that's pretty remarkable. Now, about those bike lanes? 

[via Treehugger]

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