Bicycles are so in again that they’re out of stock. So many people want them – not just in Rhode Island but globally – that it will take a month or more to get your hands on one.
For the past two months, Matt Bodziony, an owner of Quadfire Racing LLC, better known as NBX Bikes, has had to explain how global economics are impacting the manufacture and distribution of bicycles to his customers.
The new demand for bikes started even before Gov. Gina M. Raimondo ordered people to stay at home and before she closed businesses such as florists and retail stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rush at Narragansett-based NBX began when the weather turned warm in March. Even then, people were hearing that bicycle stores might be ordered closed, so they started making purchases in anticipation, Bodziony said.
“There was this incredible surge,” he said. “It was a little bit like a supermarket prior to a snowstorm.”
Then, when people were told to stay at home, they started getting antsy. They bought bikes. When they were told to stay out of state parks, off state beaches and, for a time, other recreational areas, such as basketball courts, they again turned to bikes.
Every time something else was shut off – especially the gyms – people wanted bikes.
The unexpected demand, coupled with shutdowns of manufacturing facilities in Asian countries that produce the bikes, has meant a monthslong backlog for new orders.
At NBX, sales have increased across all categories. Until mid-June, Bodziony had four locations. He sold all but the Narragansett store and is now concentrating on his base store.
Like many small businesses, NBX has changed how it interacts with customers. For repairs, the business has adopted a system of phone or text conversations about what the bikes need, rather than having a customer come in and talk about it in person.
The efficiency of that new system is a keeper, Bodziony said. Post-pandemic, he plans to keep the digital system intact. It gives his employees more ability to prioritize their work.
In sales, much of his time has been spent on education. Initially, he spent time educating new riders on the features of particular bikes, helmets, accessories and how to use them. Lately, he said he’s been talking more about global economics, and explaining to his customers why they have to wait for their order.
The wait, which he estimated at a month or more, cuts across all brands and types of bikes.
In March, Bodziony ordered supplies as the initial wave of demand hit. Now he regrets not buying more.
“Crystal ball, if you knew what was going to happen, you’d buy a lot more inventory in April before everything ran out,” he said.
Once everyone gets their new bike, Bodziony said he thinks they’ll keep using them.
He doesn’t think they’ll go back in the garage.
At NBX, he’s seen people react when they ride a modern bicycle for the first time, after years of putting up with an old standby.
“It’s like you’re driving around in a VW from the ’70s and then getting a new car,” he said. “That’s the beauty of what’s happening, the exposure to it.”
OWNERS: Matt Bodziony, Chris Dale
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Bicycle retailer
ADDRESS: 922 Boston Neck Road, Narragansett
EMPLOYEES: Nine
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2007
ANNUAL SALES: WND
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Macdonald@PBN.com.
