BHOPAL: Gone are the days when the cycle was limited to kids and youngsters only. After two years of Covid-induced lockdowns, restrictions and health issues, the demand for cycles, particularly mountain bikes (MTBs), has seen multi-fold demand in the state capital among all the age groups.
The high demand could be gauged from the fact that even the number of cycle stores has increased from 10 to 30 in the past two years.
In order to improve fitness, the craze for cycles increased almost exponentially. “Before Covid cycling was limited to kids. Majority of the big chunks of the sale were in the kids’ section only. However, Covid has changed everything. The boom in the bicycle sector came after the first wave of Covid and that is still going on,” said the owner of Level-Up Bikes and Fitness cycle store, Nikhil Sahni.
He added that before Covid the number of cycle stores was limited to 8-10 in the state capital. “There are now almost 30 stores running in Bhopal. People have seen high demand in this sector due to which the number of stores has increased,” said Sahni.
The majority of the sale is of MTBs. “The demand for geared cycles has increased after the first wave of Covid. The sale is normal nowadays but it was too high in 2020 due to which several new stores have come up in Bhopal,” said the owner of Vedroci Bicycle stores, Varun Awasthi. He added that the majority of the sale is of segments ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000. Several new cycle groups have also formed to motivate citizens for cycle riding. “I am the founder of the Bhopal Bicycle Riders group (BBR). It was formed during the Covid and it now has over 700 members. Cycling is a new craze and people are coming in large numbers,” said the founder of BBR group, Manish Bhadauriya.
Member of the group, Vinod Pandey said that even citizens of the 50 plus age group have joined. “We meet every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday for long-ride cycling. On Sundays, people go for even 20km-300km cycling rides,” said Pandey.
