While bicycle sales shot through the roof as people took to exercising outdoors or commuting to work by pedal power during the pandemic, manufacturers struggled to keep up as factories were temporarily shut down, leading to a worldwide shortage. This mismatch between rocketing demand and dwindling supply led to empty floors in bike shops, leaving many disappointed customers. Like the majority of products nowadays, most bikes are made using parts sourced from all over the world, and particularly from Asia. Halfords says it has a diverse supplier base across the world, and is "working increasingly closely with our suppliers to meet the demand as more consumers take to cycling in the UK". It has had tens of thousands of customers on waiting lists for deliveries. Looking ahead into 2021, the question is whether bike sales will continue to shoot up, or return to normal levels after Covid-19 eventually passes. One report estimates the growing popularity of cycling will only continue. UK sales are predicted to exceed £1bn by 2023, up from £842m this year.
