At all levels, from the dealer on the corner to the manufacturer with domestic and foreign production facilities, the bicycle world sees itself “working at full capacity” to satisfy a skyrocketing demand as best it can.

But the industry cannot yet give the all-clear: Delivery delays are still to be expected, possibly for another two years.

With rare unanimity, representatives of dealerships, manufacturers, purchasing and industry associations have all sung a lament at a high level.

During a virtual press conference, for example, a spokesman for the manufacturer Riese und Müller, which mainly produces on customer request, said that the delivery time for most models, including common ones, had to be more than doubled from five to twelve weeks.

It's mainly the electronics that are stuck.

Because bottlenecks do not primarily exist with complete wheels.

In the meantime, there is a lack of components in particular - both for new production and to an even greater extent as spare parts.

Everything is rare

Retailers and their customers feel this twice: Retailers report announced delivery times of between six and twelve months for particularly popular bicycle models.

An even greater problem for workshops is that by no means exotic wear parts are hard to come by, so repairs and routine maintenance are greatly delayed.

Whether it's tires, brake parts or sprockets, everything is rare.

The purchasing association Bico, which is a wholesaler on the one hand but also has its own brands, is waiting for outstanding deliveries of components worth three annual sales - measured against the figures before the demand jump in 2020.

The word “distribution justice” is being used: it looks as if components are first delivered to the producers of electric bicycles, then to manufacturers of motorless bicycles, and only thirdly do the same parts come onto the market as spare parts.

Even the two-wheeler industry association suspects that the large suppliers, on which all manufacturers are usually more or less dependent, prefer to supply their largest customers.

There are certainly opportunities for new providers or copiers of tried-and-tested technology, but such a changeover takes time, just like the attempt to bring production back to Europe.

"Desired bike" often not at the "desired location"

At the same time, there is agreement that there are actually sufficient quantities of goods on the market in this country.

But often the “desired bike isn’t in the desired location”, one dealer has in stock what another could use in his workshop.

Dealers who are networked via an association such as the VSF have opened exchange markets: "Offer tires, look for sprockets." At the same time, larger warehouses are being set up as a further cost driver.

And the customers looking for their dream bike?

Instead of expanding their search geographically, which is obvious when manufacturers display dealer directories and the availability of specific models 300 kilometers away on the Internet, customers were advised, as in previous years, to be more flexible: It might not necessarily have to be a bike from the 2022 model year - the differences to something suitable from the years 2020 or 2021 are not that big.

The idea is, and not just as a joke, to forego novelties for a year.

Extended model cycles are being seriously considered.