Halfords putting Bumms on seats

“There is interest in the more ‘sporty’ models either from those who are joining cycling clubs or those who
like looking good on the road.

“At the same time we have seen more people who used to cycle as children, coming to us for their first adult
bike because it is an activity they want to do with their families.”

This view is born out by figures from Mintel predicting a rise in UK bike sales volumes of £150 million,
from an estimated £650 million in 2011 to £801 million by 2016.

Membership of social and competitive bicycle organisations has risen dramatically, nearly doubling for
British Cycling over the past six years. The UK’s largest cycling charity, the
Cyclists’ Touring Club, has increased in size by around 8% per year with an
excess of 70,000 members. Cycle charity, sporting and social events, both
advanced and those for beginners, have increased year on year

With interest in hybrid and road bikes surging ahead over the last 12 months,
Halfords has seen more people turn to cycling to work because of fuel price
increases which has risen by of more than 50% between 2006 and 2011.

Mintel highlighted even more potential for an increase in cycling if workplaces
invested in the facilities such as showers, changing rooms and cycle racks.

Michael Oliver, senior leisure analyst for the research group said: “The cycle market is
well placed to capitalise on the trend of rising fuel, rail prices and
increasing road congestion.”

The report titled “Bicycles UK 2012” revealed that 61% of people think that, “cycling is a great activity to do
as a family” and almost half of respondents felt that cycling is “fashionable” today, perhaps reflecting the impact of celebrity cyclists such as Ewan McGregor, Elle McPherson and Call the Midwives star Miranda Hart.

One third of Britons own a bike and one in five people use the bike either for leisure or commuting at least once a fortnight. 6% of us cycle every day, which is still relatively small compared with the 43% of the population who use a car regularly.

Other drivers for demand include the forthcoming London Olympics, which has led to the
development of millions of pounds worth of new bike tracks, both indoor and outdoor which will remain long after the games. This combined with high hopes for the GB cycling teams’ success is expected to provide a spike of interest in
the sport which the industry hopes can be maintained in coming years.
Innovations such as the London cycle-hire scheme and an increasing number of Sustrans cycle tracks under construction across the UK have also boosted cycling.