Waiting for the two-wheeler: Delivery bottlenecks for bicycles

Created: 07/26/2022, 06:30

By: Melina Staar

The wheel of the future?

Martin Feneberg from Benediktbeuern sells e-bikes with frames made of bamboo.

© Arndt Pröhl

It's a popular vehicle and growing in popularity.

But if you want a new bike, you have to be patient.

Bicycle dealers from the district are experiencing delivery problems with certain brands.

Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen –

It's difficult to get new bikes - that's what people keep saying at the moment.

But is it really that extreme?

What is the situation in the district?

Since the beginning of the Corona crisis, there have been delivery problems for all types of bicycles, from children's bikes to high-end bikes, according to Zweirad Riedelsheimer from Bad Tölz.

The problem is the extreme lead times at the manufacturers.

“Before Corona, the bikes were ordered at the bike fair in August and were then delivered from October.

We now have a lead time of up to 18 months and can therefore no longer react to individual customer requests.” Especially since one is also dependent on what the respective company allocates.

The delivery times for racing bikes and gravel bikes are particularly bad.

Spare parts such as wearing parts also have long waiting times.

"We therefore have to stock up accordingly in order to bridge the long delivery times".

Due to the high freight costs, the prices have also been raised several times in the past two years.

Delivery difficulties since the beginning of the Corona pandemic

According to the “Gipfelbiker” from Lenggries, availability is very dependent on the respective brand.

"It depends on where the goods come from." Brands that produce in Asia or get many parts from there are having a harder time right now.

Manufacturers from Europe would continue to deliver.

In order to be able to meet customer requirements, it is also important for retailers to network with each other.

"We talk to each other and can often help out with the bikes."

There is also a trend towards e-bikes among the “summit bikers”, although it is still fairly balanced in Lenggries.

"There are many athletes here who value a light bike." However, the demand for e-bikes will increase significantly over the next ten years, the "summit bikers" are sure.

"The delivery situation in the two-wheeler sector is still very tense," reports Peter Lindner from the "Baycicle Company" in Bad Tölz.

There are long delivery times in each category.

Many bikes would be ordered a year to a year and a half in advance.

He does receive bicycle deliveries, "but most of them have already been reserved by customers in advance".

Demand remains high.

It is true that spare parts are not always readily available, but "I believe that most bicycle dealers have enough spare parts in their warehouses".

Of course the prices went up.

"The transport costs are getting higher and higher for us too and the earnings from the bikes and spare parts are getting worse and worse." Despite the current difficulties, Linder is convinced "that the bicycle industry and especially the e-bike will continue to boom and,

Bikes with components from Asia have particularly long waiting times

Martin Feneberg from E-Bike Oberland in Benediktbeuern has been using sustainable electric bicycles for 26 years, as he emphasizes.

And now it's paying off for him.

Custom-made bicycles are usually there in less than two months.

He mainly buys e-bikes from a dealer based in Germany.

"Wheels that don't contain any components from Japan or China are also readily available these days," he says.

The costs are correspondingly higher, but the equipment is of higher quality and the bike is more durable.

According to the manufacturer, you can cover up to 50,000 kilometers with such an e-bike.

Feneberg also has something special on offer: bikes with a frame made of bamboo.

Made in Ghana, they serve a good cause, because part of the proceeds goes to social projects in the African country.

But with special brands, Feneberg also notices that delivery is difficult.

Customers are also currently hesitant to invest in e-bikes.

"The demand is basically high, but you can already feel the war."

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