DOUG LATTUCA: If you were to go online and search for the perfect bicycle you’d probably peddle into a dead-end, you’d find bikes out of stock or unavailable. Here at Syracuse Bicycle on Erie Boulevard some of the same speed bumps are in the way. Although demand reached its peak three to four months ago due to COVID-19, Manager Zak Field says it’s the supply that’s breaking the chain.
ZAK FIELD: The supply chain has greatly impacted the supply and demand for bicycles. The demand definitely exceeded the supply, so a lot of the bicycles that we receive now on a truck that drops off 40 bikes, there’s a pretty good chance 30 to 40 of those already have people’s names on them that have waited a significant period of time.”
LATTUCA: While the racks are filled with shiny new bicycles, Field says “there are way more that are just nuts and bolts”.
FIELD: We have approximately today about 3,700 bikes on backorder right now through multiple manufacturers. Some of those bikes are coming next week, some of them are coming early 2023. The interesting part about that is we have a map that guides us as to when those bikes are coming in, sooner which ones are coming later, so we can kind of guide the customer in the buying process.
LATTUCA: Field says he’s dealt with a wide array of customers – some are very understanding while others are quite frustrated. But he says one thing could get you over the hill
FIELD: The possible advice that I could give to someone regardless of their budget is to plan way ahead even if you know exactly what you want, let us know what that is and we can get a plan together as far as helping you figure out when that bike is coming. What doesn’t play in people’s favor is when they come in and need a bike today that we don’t have under the roof because it could honestly be anywhere from 7 days to 7 months
LATTUCA: In Syracuse, (Ring of a bike bell), Doug Lattuca, NCC News
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The broken supply chain has made life hard for Syracuse Bicycle.
The shop, located at 2540 Erie Blvd. in East Syracuse, is experiencing long wait times on supplies and an abundance of backorders. Employee Zak Field said it’s been up and down.
“We have approximately today about 3,700 bikes on backorder right now through multiple manufacturers,” Field said. “Some of those bikes are coming next week, some of them are coming in early 2023. The interesting part about that is we have a map that guides us as to when those bikes are coming in, sooner which ones are coming later, so we can kind of guide the customer in the buying process.”
The COVID-19 pandemic caused demand to skyrocket with more people looking to go outside and be active. Since then, the demand has stayed fairly constant, said Field, but the supply is trailing behind.
“The supply chain has greatly impacted the supply and demand for bicycles,” Field said. “The demand definitely exceeded the supply, so a lot of the bicycles that we receive now on a truck that drops off 40 bikes, there’s a pretty good chance 30 to 40 of those already have people’s names on them that have waited a significant period of time.”
Field had one piece of advice for anyone trying to buy a bike in the near future.
“Plan way ahead even if you know exactly what you want, let us know what that is and we can get a plan together as far as helping you figure out when that bike is coming,” Field said. “What doesn’t play in people’s favor is when they come in and need a bike today that we don’t have under the roof because it could honestly be anywhere from seven days to seven months.”
Syracuse Bicycle is open Monday – Friday from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., and is closed on Sundays.
