Since the start of the pandemic, biking has become increasingly popular. Bike shops around the United States have been experiencing a sharp increase in sales of their entry level to mid-range bikes. The LA times has done research about his topic and found that “9% of American adults say they rode a bike for the first time in a year, because of the pandemic.”This created a problem for the shops to keep up with the increase in demand. The virus created problems with manufacturing in China and then importing those goods to the U.S. This limited the number of affordable bikes that are available in stores. However, for those looking for high end bikes and parts there were still plenty of options because demand was not as high.
Bloomington resident Michael Wallis has capitalized off this shortage. Wallis works for UITS doing IT for IU. However, as what he considers a part time job, Wallis builds and sells bikes.
Michal Wallis talks about how COVID has effected the bike industry
Wallis remembers getting his first bike as a kid and biking all around and leaving skid marks all over his driveway; which was promptly followed by a scolding from his dad. However, Wallis didn’t start working with bikes until college when he wanted to make some extra money. He has continued working with bikes off and on since then, and has accumulated a good assortment of parts and tools.
Considering he has all the biking tools one would need in his workshop; during quarantine he was able to fix, build, and sell many bikes that he had lying around.
One of his customers was IU senior Devin Mackay. This was Mackay’s first bike since he was a child. He wanted a way to stay active and get some fresh air during the pandemic, so he turned to biking. He was looking on IU classifieds when he came across a bike Wallis had for sale. It was within his price range and the perfect fit for Mackay to get into biking.
Wallis doesn’t just sell to Bloomington residents, however. He also posts his bikes on Craigslist and had customers come all the way from Indianapolis because they just weren’t able to find affordable bikes near them. He was selling bikes faster and from a wider range than he ever expected.
Often, there is more than money at stake in selling a bike, for Wallis. Some of the bikes he sells are bikes he has used himself. He builds a connection with his bikes and it becomes a little hard to let some go. However, he knows he has had good use of them, and it is time for them to bring joy to others.
Wallis shares a story of when he sold a bike he had used for a while.
Considering Bloomington is home to Little 5 and a vast amount of Bike trails it is a great place to get into the biking community. A good way to start is talking to friends and neighbors, or visiting one of Bloomington’s many bike shops.
Looking for a bike shop? Wallis put in a good word for these three shops here in Bloomington.
https://revolutionbikeandbean.com
https://bikesmiths.net
https://bikeshoptest.squarespace.com
