WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — The U.S. continued to import bikes at a rapid pace in February, although the monthly import totals have been declining since a peak last September.
The country brought in 1.38 million bikes in the month, worth $119 million. That's 74% more bikes than in February 2020 and 26% more in value, according to import statistics released by the Department of Commerce this week.
Although monthly import total have been declining since September (see chart below), bikes continue to come into the country at a rate well above recent seasons. On a trailing-12-month basis, bike imports were up 40% in units through February.
Anecdotally, many retailers continue to tell BRAIN that consumer demand for bikes remains very high. Many stores, especially small independent retailers, say they are unable to get sufficient inventory for the spring or summer.
The PeopleForBikes Coalition Sell-in Report shows that wholesale bike inventory continued to shrink in February, the most recent numbers are available. (BRAIN publishes some data from the Sell-in report in the Dashboard feature in our monthly print magazine.)
The monthly import numbers show all bike imports, including those bound for mass merchant, sporting goods, and e-commerce retailers. The numbers cited do not include e-bikes because they are difficult to separate from other electric vehicles that are imported under the same import code.
