PORTSMOUTH, Va.— Bicycle business is through the roof at Scat Bikes in Portsmouth, but they aren’t selling new rides - they’re fixing them.
“When folks discovered that they couldn’t go to their gym or couldn’t go hang out with their friends, they started to find ways to get outside, and bicycles make a lot of sense," said owner Brian Mowry.
People are peddling their way through the pandemic, and many of them eventually end up needing to go in for a tune-up or new parts.
Customers bought up almost all the new bikes, and now the showroom is a storage room for bicycles that are waiting to be fixed.
“[During] our busy season, we may have 25 - 30 bicycles for a repair in at a time, and we can usually get them completed within four or five days,” explained Mowry. "Right now, we have over 100 bikes. It’s about 125 at last count, and it’s taking close to three weeks for some repairs to get back.”
He says the pandemic has brought the busiest repair season they’ve ever had.
Mowry says most bikes are haven’t been used in a few years or riders are using them and finding out that the bikes need a little further adjustment.
To avoid some common problems, owner Mowry says riders should make sure tires are properly filled, oil the chain every few weeks and listen for odd sounds the bicycle doesn’t normally make.
Related: COVID-19 forcing many of us to head to our garage or the store to enjoy a family activity!
It’s an unlikely pandemic problem, but one that Mowry is happy to help fix.
“Everybody really seems to be enjoying their bikes, and I’d love to see that continue into the future, even after everything is all said and done.”
