LOCALadk Magazine

is past year, millions of people went for a bike ride. Sales of kid bikes increased 100 percent. Fitness bikes shot up 125 percent. e gravel segment boomed 144 percent and sales of casual cruisers rocketed up 200 percent. Essentially, most new bikes were pedaled out of the bike shop even before they got in the door. is is all very cool, but here's what else happened and why it's more important. People dug through the pile at the back of their garage and pulled out their old rusty ride, cleaned it up, and went for a spin. Not only did a whole new group of people experience bicycling for the first time, but millions more got back on the bike and remembered how much fun it is to go for a ride. "We're literally offering a 'barn rescue tune-up' as repair category," said John Dimon, owner of Human Power Planet Earth in Saranac Lake. "And part of me feels like that is what I do here on earth. It's a good feeling to see people riding a bike, and these days I see more people than ever out riding." And when Dimon says more people, he means all people. It's kids, commuters, and people pedaling to get healthier. "Seeing anyone out riding a bike is great, but it's really something special when I can give a bike a second or even third life. And right now, that's really the only option. Every new bike I have on order is already sold," said Dimon. So, when will new bikes be available again and what will the impacts of the bike boom be moving forward? According to Dirk Sorenson, a sports industry analyst at e NPD Group, it's going to be at least into 2022 before new bikes are readily available. But, he says, that's not such a bad thing. Bike shops, like Dimon's, are putting their focus on riders' basic needs, like getting that old bike back on the road and helping them find places to ride it. BIKING THE ADIRONDACKS Story by Doug Haney, Photography by Dave Kraus 61 LOCALadk

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