The coronavirus epidemic changed many things, including traffic, as the urgent need and desire to travel by bicycle increased in almost every corner of the world. In the previous months, this need caused a lack of bikes at stores, but salespersons added that it was the quality of the bicycles that lacked and not their number.
G7Â reported that no matter the type of the bicycle, whether it was made for cycling in the city or the mountains, every store in Budapest was able to sell the last piece of them. As the epidemic started in Hungary and the weather became warmer, people started to search for alternative ways of travelling. Being scared of the infection, many chose to ride a bicycle. Companies were in their prime during the spring season as every single vehicle from the cheapest to the most expensive was sold in many stores of Budapest and other parts of the country.Â
The number of bicycles sold increased by 35% in the spring months. According to the director of the Hungarian Bicycle Association, every single prototype that was manufactured found its owner.
Some stores experienced hardships, though, especially those that sell imported vehicles. When the epidemic’s first wave started, many French, Chinese, and Italian companies closed for weeks or months to keep their workers safe, and trade between the countries stopped. China, for example, was not able to export bicycles to Europe between December 2019 and April 2020. Hungary, on the other hand, is considered to be one of the many countries with the strongest market for bicycles. In 2016, 402,000 bicycles were made in the country, which is 3% of all the bicycles of the European Union.Â
The bicycle market does not expect an increase in the number of sales as many vehicles were sold during the spring months, and the autumn and winter seasons do not increase the enthusiasm to ride a bike.Â
According to statistics, 250,000 to 300,000 bicycles can be sold each year in Hungary. Companies expect that those people who bought cheaper prototypes would like to put more effort and energy into this healthy and relaxing sport and soon will come to stores again to buy more advanced and expensive bicycles.
Source: www.g7.hu
