Bike shops see surge in sales during pandemic

When states started shutting down, people went looking for new ways to get out and exercise while social distancing. In Minnesota, bike shops remained open since they provide an essential service: transportation. Orders spiked to a level most shops weren’t prepared for. Handsome Cycles is the only independent bike company in Minnesota building their bikes right here in Minneapolis. Co-founder Jesse Erickson said typically if you ordered a bike they could build it and have it to you in a week, but right now it’s closer to three weeks. He says they’re selling twice as many bikes as a normal spring, and the surge happened a month earlier due to a mild March paired with the stay-at-home orders.