Many people still ride their old bikes, prompting a pop-up market for second-hand cycling-related goodies.
Durban - There’s a fringe side to the economy around the growing sport of cycling.
It will manifest on Wednesday when cyclist Bob Watts hosts a market at his Kloof home for the ever-growing cycling community to buy and sell their used bells and whistles.
“Our line-up is getting exciting. We shall even have new e-bikes for sale,” said Watts, who has been cycling for the last 20 years and, along with his wife and children, enjoys the activity.
“Cycling is a fairly expensive sport. Spares are expensive. A lot of the time technology changes. Big shops stop selling certain parts and sell only new parts.”
However, people still ride their old bikes.
Watts went on to say that cyclists often buy things “ in case” and never use them, and want neither to throw them away or give them away.
The present surge in popularity in cycling follows previous bike booms, in 1819 and in 1868, as well as the decades of the 1890s and 1970s — the latter especially in North America — and the 2010s in the UK, according to Wikipedia.
A post read: “The year 2020 saw a bike boom when the Covid-19 pandemic took hold. People looked to bicycles for something to do during quarantine, exercise and as an alternative to public transportation that allows for physical distancing to minimise the risk of infection.
“In fact, the increase in demand and the impairment of bicycle production worldwide has led to shortages of the vehicles
The event at 1A Platt Road, Kloof, will last from 10am to 2pm. Refreshments will also be available.
The Independent on Saturday