How has the pandemic affected the bicycle supply chain, tube industry?

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a bicycle shortage. How has that impacted tube manufacturers in the bicycle supply chains? Getty Images

Back in February, most of us didn’t know much about COVID-19, but as it progressed from merely being a new illness affecting a few to becoming a full-blown, worldwide contagion, we became well-versed in the health problems it causes and how patients are treated. Suddenly we were all aware of shortages in medical equipment and supplies, which wreaked havoc on overwhelmed hospitals in many metropolitan areas.

The spread of COVID-19 led to shortages of several items sold at the retail level too. Because the illness spreads mainly through respiratory droplets that develop from coughing, sneezing, and talking, the pandemic led to a run N-95 face masks, surgical masks, and many other sorts of commercially available face coverings. No surprises there. When we learned that a simple cloth mask would be sufficient to impede the spread, quite a few people dusted off their sewing machines and got to work. It wasn’t long before many stores’ craft departments ran a little low on cloth and most—or all—ran out of elastic. Still, no surprises.

Beyond these sorts of problems, other shortages were somewhat surprising, but thankfully not nearly as serious.

Toilet paper? Not really sure what caused that, but it’s probably best attributed to the behavioral quirks of human nature. A few people buy more than they need, the inventory drops, and before long it’s a buying frenzy with no explanation.

A low-margin commodity, toilet paper is made by processes that run full-tilt 24/7, so rebuilding the inventory after a demand shock takes some time. That one is history, of course.

Interested in adopting a dog? Finding the pooch of your choice isn’t as easy as it once was. Sheltering in place takes a toll on people, especially singles, and many found a salve for loneliness by bringing canines into their lives. Hopefully the many new pet owners don’t reverse course when the epidemic reverses course.

I don’t know if the industry has any sort of a tube shortage, but we sure do have a bicycle shortage.

In early 2019 my exceedingly low-quality bicycle, which was about five years past its expiration date, went to the boneyard, so my wife figured we should replace it in late June this year. Looking at the nearly empty showrooms in the local bicycle stores reminded me of looking at the empty bread racks in a grocery store hours before a snowstorm is forecast to hit. Sales skyrocketed earlier in the year as many people looked for ways to avoid public transportation and perhaps sought additional modes of outdoor recreation, and certainly manufacturing and deliveries were disrupted by COVID-19.

Some speculate that inventories likely won’t be fully restored until well into 2021. Interestingly, it’s a worldwide phenomenon and perhaps a boost to tube producers who serve that market.

If your company is involved in the bicycle supply chain, or if you’re dealing with any other shortage and you have a story to tell, please drop me a line—I’d like to hear about it.