Bike Shops in 2020
The East Bay bike community rallies and wrenches on
Sports Basement
When Sports Basement reopened two weeks after shelter in place began, three-quarters of online orders were bikes and bike accessories. Gino Cancilla, the bike shop manager at the Walnut Creek location says the trend hasn’t subsided since then. “We pretty much sold every bike we had, and not one bike was selling better than another.” From kids’ bikes to expensive mountain bikes and road bikes, he never knew what he was going to sell each day. In his more than ten year career at the store, Gino had never seen the bike shop this busy: they were selling, building, fixing, and renting bicycles non-stop. Despite Sports Basement having to furlough most of their floor employees, Gino was able to bring the bike shop staff back to full capacity and hire even more thanks to the high and consistent demand.
People have also been taking advantage of Sports Basement’s bike rental program during the pandemic. When customers weren’t sure about purchasing a bike, they’d rent one for a day, week, or month to try out.
Whether folks are buying or renting, it’s clear biking has never been more popular. Around the Walnut Creek store, Gino has witnessed a huge increase in biking on the Contra Costa County canal trails, Mt. Diablo, and other mountain biking trails. “The road closure on Mt. Diablo would be one of the greatest times for cyclists, not having to worry about cars on the mountain. You always bump into someone you know,” he adds.
He’s hopeful that this trend will continue well beyond 2021. “I don’t see it slowing down at all…I hope we continue to stay busy. It’s awesome to see this many people enjoying bikes. Bikes are awesome.” Gino commutes daily to and from the shop. You can find him on gravel trails on his days off.
The Bikery
Since the doors opened 12 years ago, the Bikery has been first and foremost an education and community workshop. The Bikery is operated by the East Bay non-profit Cycles of Change. The emphasis has never been on bike sales, rather it’s a space where people can borrow tools and learn how to fix a bike themselves for a fraction of the regular price. Before the pandemic, the Bikery was open only three days a week, usually during after-school hours to serve youth in the East Oakland community. When the lockdown was announced, Cycles of Change had to suspend all education programs, and Benji Rouse, manager of the Bikery, started transforming the store to meet the new public health requirements. It took three weeks of hard work: staff ordered personal protective equipment, created an online appointment system, and implemented protocols to diligently sanitize all surfaces.
Since then, Benji says “the Bikery has been busier than ever before.” To accommodate the rush, staff trained Cycles of Change educators to jump into the Bikery sales floor operations. As supplies and parts for refurbished bikes became more scarce, resourcefulness was key. “We had to apply this recycling mentality to everything we did. It was a fun challenge but also stressful,” Benji adds.
Most customers were coming to biking for the first time since childhood, or for the first time ever. The most popular bikes were for customers between 4’11’’ and 5’5’’ looking for a simple and affordable getaround bike. “Any small bike would go out the door in a day or two,” Benji says. They remark that the popularity of those bikes is a reflection of communities served by the Bikery. “We see a lot of women and people of color buying a bike for the first time here.” Benji adds that people come to the Bikery because they don’t always feel welcome at typical bike shops. The Bikery offers a space that is welcoming, inclusive, and more affordable than other retail shops. Bikery customers are often looking for a bike for less than $300 which, Benji says, is totally doable.
Increased sales from the Bikery have helped fund Cycles of Change education programs, which have moved online for the time being. Benji hopes that the bike boom continues after the pandemic. “The more people bike, the more other people will bike…we could get to a point where it feels accessible to more people.”
My Buddy’s Bike Shop
Before the pandemic, a typical day at My Buddy’s Bike Shop in Livermore was chill and mellow. On a busy day, about fifteen people would come in, which was manageable by two full time employees and the owner, Chris Beratlis. When shelter in place started and bike shops were categorized as essential businesses, it only took Chris three days to reopen the shop. Blue tape marked seven feet along the floor and hand sanitizer was placed everywhere. Since then, the line in front of the store has been non-stop, with an average of 100–200 customers each day, only letting up when the shop closes for the night. Record sales continued even in winter months, almost equivalent to the best summer months at My Buddy’s before the pandemic.
“People want to do something in their spare time. And the only sport they could do with their family safely is to bike, hike, or jog.” Chris says. Since the pandemic began, Chris hired more employees to increase their capacity.
Although there was a major delay in cargo shipping from China, Chris says the record-low stock shortage was actually beneficial to smaller mom-and-pop bike shops like My Buddy’s Bike Shop. Without an online store to manage, they had more availability in-store and an easier walk-in system than their larger competitors. “We want people to be able to get services they need without making appointments,” Chris adds.
These days, most people are looking for bikes under $1,000. He sees a lot of parents trying to get bikes for themselves and their kids. E-bikes are also growing in popularity despite the steeper price tag. Chris sees growing opportunities for folks of all ages to get back on trails and outdoors thanks to e-bikes. Chris says “everybody that lives under the sun wants to ride a bike. It’s that good.” He has seen an increase in the number of mountain bikers in the Tri-Valley and all around the East Bay Regional Park system. Chris even started a petition to open more trails for mountain biking.
“Giving out the Bike to Wherever Day bags to customers was the single best thing we did last year” he says. “It gave us an opportunity to introduce what’s happening yearly and raise awareness to new folks.” Chris is excited about this unexpected boom, and is hopeful that the bike base nationwide continues to grow after the pandemic. “We got a bigger base than we have ever had before. A lot of people will continue biking and it’s a win win for everyone in the community.”
