E-bikes, pedelecs or normal bicycles: Either it is not currently available or it costs a lot of money. But why is that so? The extremely high demand from buyers is only one reason for this.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Reason 1: The high demand and the e-bike
2 Reason 2: bike instead of restaurant
3 Reason 3: Transport costs explode
4th Reason 4: Shortage of raw materials
5 Reason 5: e-bike instead of car
If you currently want a bike or an e-bike, you often won’t get one. And when they do, dealers charge a chunk of money for it. It is true that the average price of bicycles has more than doubled in recent years. And that is not only due to the second spring that the e-bike has ushered in.
REASON 1: THE HIGH DEMAND AND THE E-BIKE
Demand exceeds supply. If you want to have a bicycle or e-bike now, you have to expect long delivery times. Many manufacturers are completely sold out. It is questionable whether they can still bring models to stores this year. If you still get your dream bike, you have to live with a certain color or do without extras. Since the demand is higher than the supply, the price rises. And that enormous. According to the Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV), it rose by 38 percent from 2019 to 2020.
The e-bike is primarily to blame for the price increase. Last year around 40 percent of all bicycles sold had an engine. Since e-bikes are on average four times more expensive than bicycles without a drive, the average price increases.
REASON 2: BIKE INSTEAD OF RESTAURANT
But it’s not just the more expensive e-bike that is causing average costs to skyrocket. Cyclists who buy a bike without a motor generally spend more money on it. More money for high-quality materials like a frame made of carbon . Corona may be an argument here. Since many were unable to travel or eat out during the pandemic, they invested the money they had in a high-quality bicycle.
REASON 3: TRANSPORT COSTS EXPLODE
It is also the corona crisis that is affecting the entire economy. Raw materials have become just as expensive as transport. Bicycles and e-bikes from German manufacturers are usually assembled in Germany. However, the individual parts often come from Asia. Before the pandemic, a 40-foot shipping container cost around 1,500 euros for the route from China to Germany , but it is currently around 10,000 euros. In the end, the manufacturers pass the additional costs on to the customer. In addition: During the pandemic, people bought all kinds of technology, clothing and the like online. Significantly more than usual. And these goods, too, are mostly imported from Asia and lead to full and therefore more expensive containers.
REASON 4: SHORTAGE OF RAW MATERIALS
There is a lack of raw materials. Whether steel, plastic or semiconductors: Not only manufacturers of computers, the PlayStation 5 or e-cars are currently unable to deliver as many goods as they would like. The shortage of raw materials also hits the bicycle and e-bike industry with full force. Whether aluminum or carbon frames, whether the battery in an e-bike or the modern bicycle lamp: raw materials are essential for the individual components. If you want to deliver to your customers anyway, you have to pay significantly higher prices for raw materials. And that is reflected in the price for e-bikes, pedelecs and bicycles.
REASON 5: E-BIKE INSTEAD OF CAR
Ultimately, it is also the turnaround in mobility and the increasing awareness of the environment and climate protection that are motivating people to find a clean alternative to the car. If you live and work in the city, an e-bike is an obvious choice. Thanks to the motor, you can travel quickly without exhausting yourself. Often you drive past cars standing in a traffic jam and get to your destination even faster than by car, bus or train.
