David Ludeke and his wife had bought a Peloton early in the pandemic as a way to stay active. After almost a year of riding the stationary bike, this spring he decided it was time to take his spinning out of the house.
“I figured I’d take the skills from the bike to nowhere, and go outside and get on a mountain bike,” said Ludeke, who is from Rockford, Michigan. “I ran into the issue of there’s no bikes anywhere. I even dabbled with the idea of getting a mountain bike last year but bikes were super backordered then as well.”
Demand for bikes has skyrocketed. Nationwide sales of mountain bikes were up more than 150% in April 2020 compared to that time in 2019, according to market research company NDP Group. Bike shops in West Michigan are experiencing that same influx, leaving customers facing higher prices and long wait times to get a new bike.