Shortages remain real - on the accessories and components

[Deleted member 4210]

Tubes- zilch
Popular Locks (Kryptonite) - near zilch
Helmets - zilch
Lights - low stock
Car Racks - zilch
Baskets - zilch
Tire liners- zilch
Bells- mostly zilch
Bike Tools - very low or zilch
Tires - near zilch on most sizes and brands
Pedals - ditto
chain lubricants - ok
Fenders - mostly zilch
Phone holders - depending on brand, surprisingly ok.
Comfort Saddles - zilch. (in prior years, you'd nearly always see at least 1000 on hand on most warehouses any given time of season - this year no dice, since before May)


This is from one major industry bike component, part, and accessory distributor, that has warehouse distribution in over 10 states. Others are similar in terms of inventory.

I was hoping they would have caught up at least a bit on some of these by now. winter season Hoarding is now going to likely be an issue when/if popular items (the regularly purchased bike 'staples') get back on the shelves.

 

[Dallant]

I’ve been waiting on a spare battery and an adjustable handlebar stem for my wife’s new Allant. My Trek guy agreed with you that there are a ton of shortages, even bike exercise stuff like the CycleOps.

 

[ebikemom]

Tires, please!!!!

 

[Deleted member 4210]

Tires, please!!!!

Yep. That's a sore spot. And sort of confusing, as its all about rubber, no mechanical or plastic parts. I would figure China's factories can crank out gazzillions of tires. Not sure I understand what exactly is happening in the China to US supply chain here. Did China's consumer demand for bikes or ebikes massively increase due to corona, like the US has ? China consumers buy over 20 million 'ebikes' annually (supposedly). Lord knows how many regular bikes they also buy. I guess even a 25% increase would put a massive drag on what the rest of the world would be allocated in terms of these basic parts. And Europe's demand has definitely spiked like ours has, according to multiple industry reports. With Ebikes though, here in the US we are still comparative (measley) 500,000, to maybe 600,000 units sold this year, compared to Europe's millions, and China's millions, and other countries that are years ahead of us in terms of ebike awareness and adoption. Either way that's lots of tires being bought and sold for all kinds of bikes. Maybe worldwide demand for bikes and ebikes in general, is really causing these shortages ??? Maybe a number of these factories are still being slowed by PPE protocols due to the virus ? We have such low visibility into any of this, due mainly to China's opaqueness on just about everything they do in their country. I guess they figure its none of our business to know this stuff ? It may be costly, and this gets into another topic, but if now is not a time to entirely re-think bringing manufacturing of all kinds back to our shores, when would be the time ? The supply situation for all types of produced goods is just really out of hand, and it was not really smart BEFORE this virus occurred, to have allowed one country be our sole source for so many things we use and consume here in the US. What were the US CEO's of all these companies thinking when they fostered China's appetite for taking on so much manufacturing ? (massive profits prioritized over all else ???)

 

[fooferdoggie]

I have not had that many issues getting stuff. try a few bigger places https://www.biketiresdirect.com https://www.universalcycles.com

 

[Deacon Blues]

I just bought a pair of Specialized Pathfinder 2Bliss tires for my upcoming new 650b wheels. Luckily, may LBS had them in stock.
I'm also switching over from drop bars to flat bars on my Cannondale Topstone next month. Hopefully, Shimano parts for the swap will be available.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I just bought a pair of Specialized Pathfinder 2Bliss tires for my upcoming new 650b wheels. Luckily, may LBS had them in stock.
I'm also switching over from drop bars to flat bars on my Cannondale Topstone next month. Hopefully, Shimano parts for the swap will be available.

A carbon e-version of a lefty Bad Boy then? Nice!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

My LBS hasn't had any trouble ordering what I've needed all through this. This includes multiple brake pads, a new chain, a different front brake, and about three pairs of tires. Sometimes it took more than a week for things to come in, and later on they recommended I order two of some things (notably tires) so I'll have spares. Maybe I just lead a charmed life.

Ski season is coming up and I've been informed that if I want anything I need to order it now.

 

[Lectric Bill]

This appeared in a recent issue of my weekly news magazine.

 

[Deleted member 4210]

My LBS hasn't had any trouble ordering what I've needed all through this. This includes multiple brake pads, a new chain, a different front brake, and about three pairs of tires. Sometimes it took more than a week for things to come in, and later on they recommended I order two of some things (notably tires) so I'll have spares. Maybe I just lead a charmed life.

Ski season is coming up and I've been informed that if I want anything I need to order it now.

I have brake pads, and chains too. No big deal. I highly doubt based on your insignificant and trivial few purchases, that your local shop is any more superior in what they can source, than any other bike shop in the US. Its industry wide dude. So your point is moot. Your timing was likely such that he happened to have them in stock, or he had some one off sources where he could find the items you needed, (which I do too) at the particular time you needed them. Many people have been lucky like you depending upon the item and timing. Eventually you will find and get what you need. I have been able to source many things too, for nearly all of my customers with few exceptions. (adjustable stems being impossible to get from bike distributors so I go to Amazon, find them and buy them, and don't even mark them up, but do it just to take care of the customer.) I happen to have a lot of tires in stock, but as I said before, when you go on line daily to the Big 3 distributors here in the US that supply to bike shops, every dealer will see goose-eggs for Qty in most tire categories, and in a LOT (like majority) of the other staples that bike riders need. I could go on Amazon and find a number of these bike items in small quantities, at various times, but I would pay a lot more than I would as a dealer buying through a distributor, and even on Amazon its been very inconsistent in terms of availability. (as an ebike shop Owner I track these things weekly - its my business to do so.) Amazon is an 800 lb buying gorilla so I would expect them to have more success than even a major bike distributor, as they have 10's of thousands of internal company buyers, many on the ground in multiple countries. I have been able to find things here and there, at other on line venues, but those venues have shortages too, and again its also been a matter of timing throughout the entire season since Covid kicked in. Its not like everything or anything has stopped being produced. But making statements on your own situation for just a few items does not in any way, shape or form, at all resemble the big picture of what's happening. if you lead a charmed life and believe that, good for you. Nothing wrong with positive thinking. It just has no basis at all on reflecting whats happening in the market as a whole. Count yourself as being lucky if that makes you feel good about all of this.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Like I said, maybe I lead a charmed life. All I did was report my own observations. No offense or harm was intended.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have experienced the spare parts drought in my area (Poland with extension to the whole Europe including Germany and UK). It is very hard to buy drive-train spare parts or brake pads... And these parts are vital because a bike cannot be ridden without brakes, for instance.

Is it true what they say all bike part production goes for brand new bikes being built now?

I have brake pads, and chains too.

For instance: Do you have TRP Q20.11 brake pads in stock? 10-12T cogs for 12-speed Shimano cassettes? 11-13T cogs for 11-speed Shimano cassettes? Entire 11- and 12-speed Shimano cassettes? (Fancy I would be your customer).