In this article, we use so-called affiliate links. With every purchase through these links, we receive a commission from the merchant. All relevant referral links are marked with . Learn more.
What now? Will there be enough bikes for everyone in 2022, or will there be a repeat of last year's shortage with sold-out bike shops? Will we have to live with cheap alternatives to unavailable components due to disrupted supply chains? And how is it that new bikes have become 20 per cent more expensive in some cases?
Rough times, not only in the bike industry - but sometimes more so there than elsewhere. This is because several negative effects are overlapping and in some cases reinforcing each other. The industry is still struggling with supply problems. In particular, components such as gears and brakes, but also cranks and tyres, have been and continue to be in short supply. Delivery times for current components have been extended from a few weeks to up to two years. Production stoppages at suppliers due to the pandemic, but also capricious weather conditions on all continents and global transport logistics that are out of sync are responsible for this. Added to this are shortages and price increases for raw materials such as steel, aluminium and magnesium, up to ten times higher transport costs and a global shortage of containers. At the same time, demand is exploding due to an equally diverse range of motives. We obviously feel more comfortable, healthier and safer in the pandemic when travelling by bike than on buses and trains. In addition, the focus on climate protection and green energy is generating increased demand for bicycles as a green product.
Neither buyers nor sellers were happy with last year's confusion. However, things are looking up for 2022: the German bicycle purchasing association ZEG and the German bicycle trade association VDZ announced in December 2021 that bike manufacturers had ramped up production and were producing what they could. The bike shops have stocked up in good time and the warehouses will be fully stocked again at the start of 2022. There should therefore be enough bikes for everyone in the bike shops - at least at the start of the season with a well-stocked range and a wide selection. Later repeat orders from manufacturers for other frame sizes, colours or equipment, on the other hand, are likely to be difficult or even impossible, as the supply problem will continue in 2022 and beyond.
You can find these bikes in the MYBIKE test
- Contoura AL-2
- Diamond Ruby Legere
- Kalkhoff Endeavour 8
- KTM Life Lite
- Stevens Primera Gent
- VSF Fahrradmanufaktur T-100 Sport
Juggling with the possible
Many bike manufacturers have had to improvise in order to remain able to deliver: This means that different brakes, tyres or saddles are often fitted to the bike than originally intended. It is important to assemble the bikes completely. Well-known tyre manufacturers temporarily closed their order books completely in 2021, while Shimano quotes delivery times of one to two years for current components. As a result, bike manufacturers are leaving many models unchanged. The cost of further development or even minor updates has become incalculable. This is because staff are also tied up in the complicated and costly procurement of parts and the search for alternatives, leaving little time and money to invest in new developments. The good news is that current bicycle technology is also highly developed. The technical level of tyres and derailleurs is not so far apart, even in the entry-level segment, that problems would be expected with average use. The differences in performance are so small that most users will not even notice them.
Jochen Donner, test editor: "Considering the adverse conditions of the pandemic years in the bike industry, the high standard in the entry-level class is astonishing. Prices may have risen, but there is solid value for money."
Exploding prices?
What you can really feel is the impact of buying a bike on your wallet. Prices have risen noticeably. But if you take a closer look, this can be put into perspective to some extent. The Stevens Primera, for example, cost exactly €999 until 2021. Today, Stevens is asking €1,199 for it: That's a jump of 200 euros or 25 per cent! However, the 2021 price was subject to three per cent less VAT. Of course, a bike in the one thousand euro range is always tightly priced. The profit margin is probably not overly high when you factor in the costs of production, logistics and intermediate trade. What's more, in order to maintain the attractiveness of a €999 price point after one or two difficult years of the pandemic, many manufacturers have probably silently swallowed quite a few cost increases. This only works for a while. Because cost increases and general inflation will not stop in 2022 either. Delayed catch-up effects therefore also play a role in many price increases, which will have to be made up for at some point in order to be able to operate economically. It is important to keep this in mind when assessing such price increases. It is also significant that the price level has risen across all price ranges for all manufacturers.
In terms of technology, the bikes in our test are anything but cheap: although they differ in terms of character, equipment and area of use, they are united by their technical solidity and mature geometries and handling. In view of the tighter conditions caused by the pandemic years, it is a positive surprise how competently and consistently the manufacturers have implemented their qualities even in the entry-level segment:
The bicycles from Diamant, KTM, Stevens and Fahrradmanufaktur have a sporty, agile character. Cyclists who value customisation and looks are in the right place with custom supplier Contoura. If you prefer solid, low-maintenance technology, you can't go past Kalkhoff. Depending on their character, all bikes score well on everyday routes; for excursions to the quarry pond or over a weekend, models with derailleur gears are more suitable, depending on the topography. The more laterally stiff bikes from Kalkhoff, Stevens and Fahrradmanufaktur are best suited for travelling with luggage.
You can download the complete comparison test of the bike all-rounders from MYBIKE 2/2022 including all individual evaluations as a PDF below the article for a fee.
