BOULDER, CO (BRAIN)—The Bicycle Leadership Conference's six-week original consumer survey received more than 2,300 responses.
“Some of the write-in answers were quite heated,” said Bikes Belong’s Kate Scheider, who conducted the survey. “People who ride a lot clearly feel invested in our industry.”
Findings included that 76 percent of respondents were men and 24 percent women. Sixty-seven percent bought their last bike from a bike shop, with “Pro Deal-Industry Hookup” finishing second at 8 percent.
Once the basic demographic info was collected, women were given another extensive survey about their buying habits and satisfaction levels. Good news: 85 percent of women surveyed are very or somewhat comfortable in their bike shop. Bad news: More women rely on web reviews for product info than on their shop salespeople.
Hiking, weight training and running were the top three non-cycling athletic activities mentioned. “This kind of cross-sport comparison can be incredibly valuable in identifying new markets,” said Brad Edmondson, a demographer who will moderate the “Who Are Our Customers” panel and present survey data on Wednesday, April 14.
The Women's panel, moderated by Megan Tompkins of BRAIN, will take place Thursday April 15t. Tompkins, Ellen Johnson from Pacific Cycle, Sally McCoy from CamelBak and Pam Kruse from Village Bike and Fitness in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will present and analyze the women's survey data.
Other findings include that 70 percent are on Facebook, while 28 percent are on Twitter. And these numbers will no doubt continue to increase between now and BLC, April 13-15.
The comprehensive consumer survey results will only be available at the BLC in April. To register, or to learn more about who’s speaking and who’s attending, click on link at the top of the page.
Cyclingnews.com, Bikeradar.com, Belonews.com and Bicycling.com also helped with this survey.
