Start time: 13 minutes, 19 seconds
Wall Street Journal’s “This Morning” podcast spoke with Brandon Dwight, owner of Boulder Cycle Sport, about the current economy’s effect on bike shops. I don’t want to ruin the ending for you, but I’ll give you a hint: this bike shop in Boulder, Colorado (where adults on average have more bicycles than children) is doing just fine.
What about your hometown shop? Is it feeling the squeeze or is business booming?
Hey Ron,
I’ve actually heard they’re doing well, considering it’s more environmentally friendly and much cheaper than driving! I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who are also losing their cars (not just homes) in this economy. A lot of people probably have no choice other than to ride.
I can see bicycle sales increasing, but I also see folks spending less on a department store bike instead of heading to their local bike shop. And, because I have a good friend who runs a rental shop, I really worry about that business as well.
It’s fascinating on an intellectual level and worrisome on a personal level, that’s for sure.
And you’re definitely right about the green/thrifty quality of bikes. Plus, in Denver, I can navigate our excellent bike path/trail system faster on bike during rush hour than most any car!