Bike shop sales thrive during stay at home order

HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WDTN) – With fitness clubs and recreation centers closed down, cycling remains a safe sport and that’s good news for area bike shops.

Joe Stiffler owns the Huber Heights Bike Shop and runs one of the very few businesses not effected by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Basically because of lack of competition in the fitness business, pretty much everything else being closed, people are turning to bicycles for exercise and entertainment,” he said.

While business is booming now, the coronavirus pandemic could eventually catch up with the bike industry.

“There’s a little bit of fear of that happening because of the factories being closed overseas for a while, but we deal with it as best as we can,” said Stiffler.

Joe’s clientele consists mostly of casual riders and families who leave his shop feeling a little bit better perhaps due to a sense of freedom they find riding on two wheels.

“You know, most people are just tired of being at home and they have kids that might be at home. The kids don’t have soccer, they don’t have baseball, I don’t know if I’d call it a sense of relief but I think they are very happy to get some bicycles and have something to do,” he said.

2 NEWS spoke with a few other bike shops who say they are also overloaded with work, so if you’re looking to get your bike a tune-up you should do so sooner rather than later, so you can get back on the path.