"That is not delivered," "Not delivered," says Vincent Canzano in front of a bundle of order forms.
The founder of the Franscoop bicycle shop, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, is finding it increasingly difficult to fill his store.
His children's department in the basement is nothing more than a vast empty cellar.
No more balance bikes, no more a single tricycle protrude behind these stone walls.
In the rest of the store, the same sparse shelves, from city bikes to road models, including the leisure range: "I don't have a single mountain bike anymore"
An exceptional demand
Like him, many bicycle dealers are struggling to meet a galloping demand since the first deconfinement.
For some models in high demand, such as gravel or some road bikes, waiting times can extend until next spring.
For our cycle sales professional, this rush to cycle is unheard of: “When the first mountain bikes appeared there was a very, very high demand, but it was not at this point.
It's really exceptional, ”says Vincent Canzano.
And even among industry giants like Decathlon or Intersport, cycle shelves are sometimes still bare.
"Everything had to be accelerated"
This surge in demand has also jostled cycle manufacturers.
The brand of high-end electric bikes Mustache, which assembles its models in the Vosges, came close to the shortage: "We managed to replenish a little stock but a few weeks ago the shelves were almost empty", observes Grégory Sand , co-founder of the brand, in front of rows of boxes filled with new bikes.
The Vosges company plans to increase from 200 to 300 bikes assembled every day to meet the galloping demand.
“Everything had to be accelerated when we saw the speed at which the market was suddenly developing,” says Grégory Sand.
A brand new line of ATV assemblies sprang up in early summer.
If this extension of the plant was already planned, its deployment was accelerated after the health crisis.
The result is 40 new hires, before the arrival of an additional team by the end of the year.
READ ALSO>
The Parisian tested: the new Monday 27 of Mustache, the electric bike of everyday life
"We come close to supply disruptions almost every day"
In order to be able to multiply your production capacities, you must also be able to import spare parts in sufficient quantities.
"It's a market that is globalized", slips Emmanuel Antonot, the other co-founder of the French mustache brand.
"If I put a derailleur, for example Shimano, on order today, I will have it in a year", regrets the company manager, "On small components, we come close to supply disruptions almost every days ".
Emmanuel Antonot does not expect a rapid normalization of the market: “It will take two years to stabilize the situation.
Everything should be normalized by 2 022. Many component manufacturers will increase their production ”.
At the Confederation of the European Cycle Industry, we also have a feeling that the supply difficulties are set to last: “It will take several months to fill this gap, but that does not mean that there will be no bikes. in stores, ”says Manuel Marsilio, general manager of CONEBI.
Does that mean that there will be fewer bikes under the tree this winter?
“In our case, there will be Mustache bikes for all those who have already ordered them” smiles Emmanuel Antonot.
Newsletter - Most of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le Parisien
I'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to enable you to receive our news and commercial offers.
Learn more
Bike shortage: why it's so hard to buy a new bike