Affordable bikes are hard to find during this time of coronavirus. Though Bike Wheel Bikes in Potomac looks full, most of the bikes pictured are waiting for repair. Photo by Peggy McEwan
The rumor is true, it’s hard to find a good new bike – at a reasonable price.
“Bikes and puppies,” said Daniel Heimlich, a customer standing outside Big Wheel Bikes in Potomac Saturday.
Heimlich and his son Josh, 15, were waiting to pick up one of their bikes that was being repaired.
Actually, everyone arriving at the store had to wait outside for service.
The store is small, and manager David Zovko said serving customers outside was “the easiest way for me to make sure I was protected and the customers too.”
Saturday was a busy day with customers picking up bikes that were repaired and dropping off others. Some quick adjustments were serviced while customers waited.
A look inside revealed a double layer of bikes on racks on both sides of a center aisle.
No bikes available?
“Most are customer’s,” Zovko said. “Here for repair.”
He also said some were second hand bikes for sale and a few were new, also for sale.
“We have high-end road bikes, high-end mountain bikes, and used bikes,” Zovko said.
For high-end, think thousands of dollars.
The run on bikes began in earnest in March, said Mike Sendar, owner of Big Wheel Bikes, a chain of five local bike stores. “We had all we wanted through May but in the beginning of summer the supply dried up.”
The shortage, he said, was mainly lower priced bikes and kids’ bikes.
Big Wheel Bikes has been in business 50 years and this is an unusual situation, he said.
The Potomac store, which opened in 2009, did not close during the quarantine, Zovko said, because they were considered essential under the blanket of transportation.
“People did not want to use public transportation,” he said. “With gyms closed, they were denied exercise opportunities and cycling was an option.”
Zovko is hopeful the situation will ease up soon.
“Everything’s set to drop right now,” he said. “Manufacturers introduce new stock at the end of August.”
Meanwhile, he said, they are just rolling with the punches.
“This year [we’ve] had busy days just about every day,” he said. “This year has been one of the craziest in 20 years.”
Big Wheel Bikes is located at 9931 Falls Road. Call 301-299-1660 or visit http://www.bigwheelbikes.com/