iggle-CRC, Planet X, Orange Bikes, Islabikes… The last 12 months have seen some of our biggest bike brands go to the wall. Of those that have survived, many have been forced to offer unprecedented levels of discount. The closures have led to hundreds of job losses – Wiggle-CRC alone axed approximately 450 last month – and the winding down of iconic, established manufacturers is an outcome no one would have wished for.
As an end-user, though, it’s been hard not to be tempted by the discounts – bargains galore, with deals as enticing as 50% off and even buy-one-get-one-free. But is now the best time to buy? To answer this question, we need to understand how this situation arose and where prices are set to go next.
The bike industry is currently facing myriad problems, most of which began in 2020. With the boom in demand for bikes and kit during the pandemic lockdowns, brands, distributors and dealers couldn’t keep up. “In a very short period, a slightly overstocked industry suddenly ran out – off the back of rampant demand around
