BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) Mar 6 2012 1:26 PM MT—They say what’s bad for snow sports retailers is good for bike retailers. And that notion held true in January as warm, dry weather set the scene for a 15 percent jump in bicycle merchandise sales compared with a year earlier, according to Leisure Trends Group’s RetailTRAK data.
Sales totaled $145 million for the month, with strong 29-fueled growth in mountain bikes—up 21 percent to $19 million. Dollars sales in 26-inch mountain bikes declined 2 percent, while 29ers surged 61 percent, the Leisure Trends report noted. Also, the wheel sizes nearly reached parity during the month, as 29ers rose to $9.4 million and 26-inch models notched $9.7 million in sales.
Road bike sales continued their upward trend, rising 16 percent to almost $29 million. Sport performance models, 78 percent of the month’s road bike sales in dollars, rose 12 percent. Triathlon models, down a second straight month, declined 3 percent compared with January 2011.
Transit/fitness posted a 14 percent increase to $9 million in sales, while the lifestyle/leisure category fell 6 percent to $2.7 million.
Aftermarket accessories saw double-digit gains in several categories, including electronics (up 40 percent to $7.4 million), car racks (up 32 percent to $3.5 million), lighting (up 31 percent to $2.7 million) and hydration (up 19 percent to $2.3 million).
