Bicycle consumption puts pedal to the metal

Strap on your backpack, hit the pedal and travel light… an increasing amount of people choose to travel on their bicycle in many cities, creating a significant income increase for bicycle businesses.

In 2022, the income of bicycle and e-bicycle businesses was 210 billion yuan ($28.7 billion), up 3 percent year-on-year; profit exceeded 10 billion yuan, an increase of more than 20 percent, People's Daily overseas edition reported on Thursday, quoting a report released by the China Bicycle Association, a non-profit organization.

Several brands have became popular on its platform, with road bicycles performing the best in the market, according to data provided by online shopping platform JD.com.

Between July 1 and August 10, road bicycles priced between 1,000 yuan and 2,000 yuan saw a 180 percent increase turnover on a yearly basis; and the turnover of cycling clothes above 2,000 yuan was 11 times more than before. The turnover of road bicycles above 5,000 yuan increased by 530 percent.

Recently, a number of organizations released data on high-end bicycle sales and have proved the fanatic "riding fashion".

Here are some of the reasons why travelling on bicycles is growing within consumers, and why, even when shared bikes are all over the place, they still choose a mid-high class bicycle.

Some of them think that the ease of riding during their commute really matters.

Zhu Yifan, an employee who works in a food company in Shanghai, recently bought a foldable bicycle for 2000 yuan for commute purposes. She said that the distance between her home and the company is 10 kilometers and riding a light bicycle can not only avoid the peak rush hour of the subway, but also save energy and does not take up much space.

A number of consumers, however, are buying for exercise purposes. As a sporty person, Li Zhi believes that cycling is an efficient way of exercising.

Li said that "riding is a whole body exercise, which is friendly to the knees and other vulnerable parts, while also exercising the heart and lung function and improving the overall body functions."

Some other people take on cycling as a new way to socialize. Cao Yu, a manager from a cycling club in Beijing, pointed out in an interview that there are nearly 10 cycling clubs in Beijing at the moment.

Bicycle consumption towards the high-end level, also reflects the continuous improvement of high-quality bicycle supply. This is mainly reflected in the material, production process, quality and after-sales aspects.

"Medium and high-end bicycles can meet the needs of various travel activities and exercise, which brings new opportunities for the transformation and high-quality development of the bicycle industry," said Zhang Wenzhong, a researcher from Chinese Academy of Sciences.