One side effect of the coronavirus pandemic? People are biking -- so many in fact, it’s getting hard for some New Yorkers to get a bike.
Because of the fear associated with being around large groups, thousands of New Yorkers have opted to play it safe by riding bikes, which is considered a safer alternative than being on a semi-crowded MTA bus or train.
“In a usual busy spring/summer season, we would probably sell 3-4 bikes in a day. Maybe 6-8 on a busy day. Now between the phones and the crowds at the door, I must turn away about 40-50 people a day desperately searching for bikes,” said Nick, the owner of Harvest Cyclery, a bike shop located in Bushwick.
Due to the mass influx of people purchasing bikes across the city, many bike shops are depleted in resources and have encountered major difficulty keeping up with the increasing needs of customers.
“Inventory is pretty much non-existent across the board. For at least a month now, there have been absolutely zero new bicycles left in stock across every company that produces them,” said Nick from Harvest Cyclery.
Due to COVID-19’s impact, it seems like biking will be a top alternative to public transportation.
“As long as COVID-19 is an issue, people will want to avoid transport,” said Jeff Loewi, owner of Bicycles NYC.
