Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 26, 1993 TAG: 9308260226
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, W.VA. LENGTH: Medium
Mountain bikes - with flat handlebars, fat tires, rugged frames and sticker prices around $500 - have zoomed ahead since their invention in the 1970s.
And conventional, curved-handlebar 10-speeds - called road or touring bikes - have fallen behind. Mountain bikes now account for two-thirds of the $3.5 billion-a-year U.S. bicycle market. That's up from 5 percent in 1982, when combined gross sales were around $2.5 billion, according to Steve Ready, owner of Interbike, which produces bicycle trade shows.
At the Charleston Bicycle Center, owner Bill Nottingham sells 10 mountain bikes for every conventional 10-speed.
"In fact, we almost celebrate every time somebody comes in and buys a [10-speed], because it's so infrequent," he said.
At the Tempe Bicycle Shop in Tempe, Ariz., a handful of 10-speed bicycles are tucked in the back just beyond the mountain of mountain bikes. Store mechanic Brian Siebert works mainly on mountain bikes because "that's pretty much the only thing that's being sold."
Said Dick Moran, marketing manager for Trek Bicycle Corp. of Waterloo, Wis., one of the industry's largest companies with $200 million in annual sales: "It's been a fast train, that's for sure. . . . It just became a craze both for the people buying and the people selling."
The mountain-bike phenomenon parallels what Moran calls the "Jeep factor."
"You drive around town and see all these four-wheel-drive vehicles and you know these people never use their four-wheel drive," he said. "But it looks neat, and it's a comfortable and stable ride.
"It's the same thing for mountain bikes. Eighty percent of the people, maybe 90 percent, never take mountain bikes into their intended domain."
Tell that to a New Yorker. In the Big Apple and other major cities, mountain bikes are the rage on the road.
"It's the hot look and it has been for a few years," said Ready. "For New York, it's a macho look . . . it's cool. But more importantly, the streets are brutally potholed and rutted. A mountain bike is much more suited for those streets."
For many, the mountain bike offers access to the outdoors and spectacular scenery in places such as Vermont's Green Mountains, California's High Sierra and the Appalachians.
"It's the thrill of conquering the woods," said Charleston resident Ann Pauley. "You get to the top of a hill and you say, `Yes! I rode up that mountain.' "
In seasonal places such as Charleston, mountain bikes are more stable on wet or snowy roads. Road bikes have much less traction because of their narrower tires, said Nottingham.
Ski resorts are developing mountain-bike courses and white-water rafting companies are offering "pedal-paddle" packages.
"People around the cities . . . have mountain bikes and all they have is asphalt to ride on," said Joe Stevens, marketing director for Mountain River Tours in Hico, W.Va. "They're looking for someplace to get their mountain bikes dirty."
While sales are surging, no single company is reaping a windfall.
An American firm might design the bike. But the frame might be brazed and painted in Taiwan; parts such as pedals, brakes and hubs could be from Japan; tires might come from Korea or Thailand; the seat might come from Italy. And U.S. retailers assemble it.
"The long and short of it is, the bicycle is a very international product," said Ready.
Still, some say mountain biking may have hit its peak.
Environmentalists and hikers are campaigning to limit access, warning that too much riding in the wild is a threat to trails. And mountain bikers eventually become envious of the speed road bikes provide.
But Ready predicts only a feeble comeback for road bikes.
"Mountain bikes are closer to what most people should feel comfortable riding," he said, although he added that cross bikes, a new product combining features of both mountain and road bikes, are "more comfortable yet."
\ WHAT THE DEALERS SAY\ Dave Reimer, service manager, Unicycle in Blacksburg: "We're selling 90 percent mountain bikes and one-third of our profits are made between mid-August and mid-October."\ \ Ron Glowczynski, assistant manager, East Coasters, Roanoke County: "Mountain biking has skyrocketed in the last five years. . . . Southwest Virginia has some of the best mountain biking trails in the country."\ \ Scot Leweke, Cardinal Bicycle, Roanoke:"It's not just a trend. Mountain biking has been around for 10 years." Chuck Cooper, Cooper's Schwinn, Salem: "Even if people come in here looking for another kind of bike, 90 percent of them buy a mountain bike. They like the stability and comfort."
by CNB