WTH? Bike parts mostly out of stock?

[Sino]

So, I'm wanting to buy a new set of pedals for a bike, it's been a while and they're beat to hell and back, etc. I really haven't bought anything but tubes/tires/brake pads for a few years, just no need.

I guess bike parts are another thing where the supply chain has just broken down because of COVID. Or what's going on? Huge jump in demand? Metals in short supply?

Weird.

[Chad]

Received an email from one of our LBSs about this. Basically said if you want by summer/spring, better order it now.

[AngryScientist]

What pedals are you trying to buy and where are you looking? You can usually find most stuff if you scour the net.

[houston]

I was at my LBS last week and they were ranting about the odd shortages. Ultegra chains and cassettes, helmets and bike racks are rarer than hen's teeth right now. They are typically a Cannondale/Giant/Scott shop but lately, they have Niner, Diamondback, Salsa, Intense, Marin or anything else that they can get their hands on.

I went in to buy my son a Wolf Tooth dropper lever around Christmas and I couldn't get one. It's odd how certain things are hot.

[J_B]

I've needed a new cranket since last summer. It's going to be what it's going to be...

[sk_tle]

You can still find pretty much anything but not necessarily the exact spec/model and have to compromize with a part from a different groupset/color/size/brand

[JJohnson]

All of the factors you have listed. All Covid-related. Mostly due to increased demand caused by people having more time to do outdoor activities plus stimulus money. To a lesser extent decreased supply due to various supply chain issues with manufacturers shutting down for short periods to combat outbreaks, or local regulations forcing them to. I work in manufacturing related to treecare and landscape. We're running production at full scale and are sold out until later 2022 right now on our machinery because people have time to look at their property and see they need things taken care of, plus the suburbanites generally unaffected by Covid layoffs plus stimulus income. It's not just bike-related. Almost anything outdoors was hit by an unprecedented rush over the last year. Hell, even home improvement stuff can be hard to find. Lumber cost is through the roof because mills can't keep up with demand.

[Ken C]

I have tried to order a few things from my LBS with no luck. I hit a tree this summer and broke an SLX disc brake lever clamp. They were unable to order a new lever or disc brake set. I had to order a front from one online retailer and a rear from another. The LBS has been cool about me bringing in parts to install. I pay whatever the install price is, nothing has been crazy.

Lately I give them first crack (ITA BB) but they have not been able to get anything, lately just ordering online and paying labor to install. Although not ideal, having labor projects in the winter is helpful for them.

[j44ke]

Chased a 11-34 Shimano cassette for about 3 weeks before I hit the order-now button soon enough after getting the "in-stock" email that I actually got one.

[JJohnson]

I have tried to order a few things from my LBS with no luck. I hit a tree this summer and broke an SLX disc brake lever clamp. They were unable to order a new lever or disc brake set. I had to order a front from one online retailer and a rear from another. The LBS has been cool about me bringing in parts to install. I pay whatever the install price is, nothing has been crazy.

Lately I give them first crack (ITA BB) but they have not been able to get anything, lately just ordering online and paying labor to install. Although not ideal, having labor projects in the winter is helpful for them.

I waited several months for a Salsa Chromoto fork to replace the Niner that came on my new-to-me El Mariachi that had a deadly short steerer tube. I originally ordered a Soma 29er fork but the distributor sent a CX fork instead and they were out of the right fork. LBS waited too long to order the Chromoto the first time I asked. I'm extremely patient, but that was a nightmare.

[zachateseverything]

The shop I go to has done a good job keeping replacement parts in stock but they've had a real challenge with bikes. The racks have been pretty empty since last spring. For the most part any low or mid range bike sells almost instantly. The higher end stuff sits around a bit longer. They've also brought in a bunch of new brands just to have something to sell.

The mechanics have also told me about all kind of old stuff coming through the doors for a tuneup.

I had a three month wait between when I pulled the trigger on a new mountain bike and when the shop actually got a hold of it. Trek had something like 1.7M bikes on backorder at the end of the year.

I haven't had any issues with finding spare parts but my bikes are out of date enough that I'm not competing with people building up a frame for bits and bobs but it's also not so old that there isn't still warehouse stock.

[JJohnson]

I had a three month wait between when I pulled the trigger on a new mountain bike and when the shop actually got a hold of it.

I asked the shop I used to work at to preorder me a Specialized Chisel and I got a "Sorry, no can do." Hell, even the LTD framesets that they just announced yesterday and would be ready in June are already sold out except the small sizes. Real bummer.

[kdawg]

I work opposite a bike shop and this morning asked for a Shimano external BB - he checked with Madison and the expected arrival date is mid May. Thankfully mine is just a little rough and it’s my crap weather commuter but for some people that would be a problem.

[chasea]

It's bad. Shimano, really bad. Everyone is producing at max capacity, but no one is really expanding facilities because we don't expect this to last. Increased demand, production and shipping delays. Hell, containers go missing at the docks.

Stock up on consumables. spare brake pads, chains, tires. If you expect a shop to be able to order a part that says "availability in May," for example, know that they're competing with every other shop in the country for those parts. We have 3-4 people loading carts the minute stuff goes live. Try to drop $40k on bikes with the distributor and wind up getting one 60cm Surly something-or-other. It's like Stones tickets.

Pretty much impossible to get bikes that weren't booked pre-season. Not even guaranteed to get all of those. Ask what your shop has allocated that might fit the bill.

If you are one of those people that buys a 1x bike and expects to make it 2x know that you probably can't this year.

[Smitty2k1]

For what it's worth I've found REI to have lots of stuff in stock. They ship to your home for free if you spend $50 or to one of their stores for free under that.

Their items don't show up in Google searches nearly as often and don't always have associated part numbers so perhaps the casual browsers don't stumble upon them.

They obviously don't have the whole QBP catalog or anything, but it's usually worth taking a look.

[Bob Ross]

Add tools to the list: Last week I had to go to three different bike shops before I found one with a cassette lockring tool in stock, and none of them had a chainwhip.

[false_aesthetic]

Tektro is OOS of certain OEM hydro brakes until July 2022.
In week 41 of 2020 Giant was sold out of bikes through week 39 of 2021.
One of our helmet factories has seen a lead time jump fro 60 days to 8 months.
On top of that there is a 3 week delay at the Port of Long Beach and a container shortage in China.

The US bike industry is seeing some of the best sales in 40 years.

The great thing is that most bike companies are super flush right now and brands are putting that money into more development.
The not-so-great thing is that we're expecting a bike recession in 2022-2023.

I just put together a 40-page case study for developing new ebike products. The conclusion I came to (but didn't share 100%) was: if you're starting development now, it's too late to capitalize on the boom. You need to make another boom and to do that, you need to stop thinking like a bike company.

I digress . . . .

Seriously, if you find things like chains and tubes, buy 2. It's not that the supplier is in short supply, it's that the supplier's supplier's supplier is in short supply.

[j44ke]

Add tools to the list: Last week I had to go to three different bike shops before I found one with a cassette lockring tool in stock, and none of them had a chainwhip.

You probably needed it right away, but Abbey Bike Tools has their lockring tool and chain whip in stock.

[steve garro]

chain whip

Also quite easy to make

- Garro.

[j44ke]

Also quite easy to make

- Garro.

True!