Could this be the second golden age of the bicycle?
In decline since the post-war period, businesses dedicated to the sale and repair of bicycles have mushroomed in recent years in Paris and Ile-de-France.
In the capital, the growth in the number of points of sale and repair is spectacular.
According to a study by the Atelier parisien d'urbanisme (Apur), Paris had 82 “bicycle” stores in 2014. This figure climbed to 129 in 2017 and then to 167 stores listed in 2020 (+ 29% in three years).
"Bicycle shops are one of the five most dynamic sectors in Paris," reports François Mohrt, the co-author of this inventory published every three years.
The sector's prosperity continues, boosted by the surge in sales of electric bicycles (more than 500,000 units sold last year in France).
"The repair and sale of bicycles has exploded"
The phenomenon is also palpable outside Paris, where recently opened bicycle vendors are crumbling in demand.
At Répare Cycles, a small independent store located in Grandvilliers, in the Oise, "the repair and sale of bicycles have exploded," says the boss, Romain Roumégoux.
Between May 11, 2020 and March 31, 2021, he repaired nearly 700 bicycles, as part of the operation "Bike boost", the aid of 50 euros set up by the government for the restoration bicycles.
Opened in September 2019, its establishment is always full.
“Repairs and word of mouth allowed me to make myself known, to develop myself.
And it has never decreased since the first deconfinement, ”he says.
How to explain such growth?
Admittedly, the Covid-19 crisis or the transport strike at the end of 2019 pushed many Ile-de-France residents to get in the saddle.
“But the momentum was already there before in Paris, with the creation of Vélib 'in 2007, then the development of a network of cycle paths,” emphasizes François Mohrt.
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In the capital especially, the return to favor of the “bicycle industry”, which had been in bad shape since the 1970s, followed another phenomenon: the decline of the private car.
"There remain 205 car garages in operation in Paris in 2020", counts the Apur, or barely more than the number of bicycle repairers!
"Their number has decreased significantly since 2000 (- 249 garages, or - 55% between 2000 and 2020), in parallel with the fall in the car ownership rate of Parisian households, which fell from 55% in 1999 to 34% in 2018."
"A milestone is crossed"
Installed since January in the Secrétan hall (Paris, 19th century), the co-founder of the independent brand Vélo Électrique de France has observed it: the bicycle is more and more often the number one vehicle for its customers.
“We have a lot of pressure on repair times.
Our customers tell us that they can't do without their bicycles, and that they need it every day.
A milestone has been reached, cycling has become commonplace, ”explains Simon Soussan, who plans to open three other stores soon in the Paris region.
The Holland Bikes bicycle sales and repair chain is expanding in the Paris region, with new workshops.
Holland Bikes Holland Bikes
In the business for twenty years, Bart Vos, boss of the Holland Bikes network in France, observes the surge in the Ile-de-France market with delight.
He has just opened a new workshop in the Opera district, his fifth local in the Paris region.
“The health crisis has only accelerated the phenomenon, which had already been there for five years.
In France, the bicycle is no longer seen only as a leisure activity or a sport, but as a real mode of transport in the city.
In Paris alone, there is a potential of 400 points of sale and repair, ”he believes.
The shortage of parts?
"There is a lot of pipe"
It remains for the industry to negotiate this double-digit growth, while a global shortage of parts, manufactured mainly in Asia, threatens the sector.
For some specific makes and models, waiting times of more than one year are announced.
At Repare Cycles, the issue of the availability of parts or bicycles is a concern.
“We don't necessarily manage to keep up with demand.
We can not only make people happy, ”says the bicycle dealer, whose customers flock from Beauvais or Amiens.
“I even received a phone call from a person who lived in Lyon!
"
Read also Transport: in 2020, the French voted for cycling and walking
Originally from the Netherlands, where the cycle is a very structured industry, Bart Vos remains cautious about the real extent of this "shortage".
“Be careful, there are a lot of pipes, some take the opportunity to increase their prices.
To avoid the vagaries of things, retailers must learn to anticipate and commit financially to large orders, ”he says.
This is the strategy adopted by Vélo Électrique de France.
“One of our suppliers in Portugal has 8,000 bikes currently waiting in his factory, because they are missing a fork or brakes,” says Simon Soussan.
Fortunately, we had taken the lead by pre-ordering thousands of bikes very early ”.
Formations taken by storm
Another notable concern: the lack of skilled labor to meet the maintenance needs of electric models.
"A good technician is not easy to find," says Simon Soussan.
But, the good news is that many people are retraining in the bicycle, it is a profession which attracts.
"
In Ile-de-France, the National Institute of Cycle and Motorcycle (INCM), Bourget (Seine-Saint-Denis) or Guyancourt (Yvelines) provides recognized training.
But you have to be patient to integrate a fast course.
Another solution: internal training, provided directly by employers.
With the new sales and repair boom coming this month and in June, the right profiles are in great demand.
