WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — Bicycle imports were up 49% by unit count in January, compared to January 2020. In dollars, imports were up 26% year-over-year.
The import figures from the Department of Commerce, released Friday, include all bikes imported except e-bikes. The January import numbers were the smallest since last May; imports may have declined from late 2020 because a 25% tariff on China-made bikes was re-imposed on Jan. 1 so importers made extra efforts to try to get bikes onshore before that deadline.
However the imports continued a remarkable surge that began in earnest last June to fulfill demand from the pandemic-fueled bike boom. On a trailing 12 months basis, imports are up 37% in units and up 18% in dollars. The average value of a bike imported in January was down 15% from the year before, from $98.44 per bike in January 2020 to $83.25 in January 2021.
The imports totaled 1.46 million bikes, valued at $122 million.
