Cycling The shortage of wheels and spare parts finally eases – sometimes there was even a shortage of cars used by professional teams

Last in the spring it began to appear throughout the industry, from professional stables to ordinary bicycle shops: the Corona era had increased the demand for wheels and their parts so that certain parts were difficult to obtain and wheel delivery times suddenly increased.

Demand had also started to grow in Finland before 2020, but when other trends were suddenly combined with the desire to avoid public transport, holiday travel money in the pockets, the benefit of a work bike and the growing popularity of outdoor activities, the spike was complete.

“Strong demand prompted retailers and importers to prepare for even larger orders by 2021, and the availability challenges began,” says Huntter, CEO of Bike and Cycling Equipment. Juho Huttunen.

“Delivery times for many products are usually 60 to 90 days, but last spring up to 2 to 2.5 years.”

Because wheels consist of hundreds of different parts, the lack of a single component may have delayed deliveries for a long time.

For example, there was a shortage of certain tires and sub-kits last year. The situation was suddenly reflected in the highest level of cycling in the professional teams.

For example, the sports manager of the Groupama – FDJ team Jussi Veikkanen says the brake pads, chains and strollers needed by the team were scarcely available last year.

Under the Italian tour that began on Friday, the situation was already better.

“Fortunately, nothing catastrophic is missing, even if someone’s favorite socks are now exhausted. Fortunately, the overall picture is good. ”

Delivery times lengthening and availability problems have required garages to anticipate their own needs and equipment orders even more without just having knowledge of the availability of goods.

Kjell Carlström The Israel – Premier Tech team, led by the company, therefore decided last July to continue in the 2022 season with the same suppliers, so that last year’s equipment can also be used now if necessary.

“It turned out to be the right choice because we’re driving this year with last season’s components as well. We haven’t gotten enough parts to be able to build the wheels with new, 12-speed Shimano parts. The production of previous 11-speed parts has been reduced, so their availability has also varied, ”says Carlström.

Usually teams sell their racing equipment after the season, but now many teams did not do so, including the Veikkanen stable.

“In one crash, you can go half a bike change, so it’s good to have the equipment in one. The biggest challenge is products from the Far East, ”says Veikkanen.

In addition to the availability of bikes and their parts, a strong increase in the popularity of home training was also observed at the top of the sport, when the availability of training resistance used indoors was sometimes poor.

Stalls also had to bother with cars. Groupama – FDJ extended its leasing agreements with Skoda for a couple of years for an extra year because no new cars were available.

Israel – Premier Tech also decided to replace the BMWs previously in use with Skoda cars, but the required 20 passenger cars could not be delivered until the beginning of the 2022 season, and the team had to resort to partially used or rental cars.

Managing the logistics of the team’s three, sometimes four, parallel competition programs became complicated.

“The first few months were pretty painful. When the cars were received, they had to be fitted with the necessary racks, race radios and tapes. That, too, took time, because there was a shortage of radio systems in particular, when all the teams had the same situation, ”Carlström said.

Availability puzzles has been affected by a number of factors: growing global demand, plant closures in China and, among other things, last year’s floods in Germany, which hampered traffic from the steel mills to the chain mill in Portugal.

Earlier this year, professional criminals stolen truck parts from a truck in Germany, postponing the production of up to 10,000 wheels at the Czech plant in its worst year.

Meanwhile, world freight traffic has been mixed, and extensive corona quarantine in Shanghai can now sway the situation again.

“If before the corona a container from Asia to Europe cost $ 2,000, now the price is 10,000 to 15,000. It is felt in the prices of space-consuming products such as wheels and helmets,” says Country Director of Cycle Service Nordic, which imports bicycle accessories and spare parts. Christoffer Cederqvist.

In addition, in the past, a container could be booked quickly, but now it has to be packed well in advance, although there is no certainty about when the goods will be completed.

Thus, professional teams also have to consider transport costs. The current rise in petrol prices will add additional costs to them, as more than 50,000 kilometers per stable car can easily be generated each year.

Although the world situation is still uncertain, delivery times for wheels and parts have shortened again as traders and wholesalers have adapted to longer delays and more goods have been ordered to be ordered from stock.

At the same time, production has clearly increased. Demand for bicycles appears to have declined slightly, but remained higher than before.

“We are selling at least twice the number of chains and gear kits compared to 2019, but not enough to meet demand,” Cederqvist says.

According to Huntter’s Huttunen, the situation is good for the average consumer.

“There are plenty of bikes in the store and service shops are able to service them because the situation of spare parts and accessories is better than last summer. There is the greatest shortage of high-priced road and gravel and electric bikes, and delivery times are long if there are exact requirements for the make or model. ”

Carlström’s team is chasing points

This year The Italian tour started from Budapest on Friday, and the first three stages will be run in Hungary before the race resumes after a break from Sicily. The competition ends in Verona on May 29th.

Jussi Veikkanen’s Groupama – FDJ will compete in this year’s competition to win milestones on any given day.

“We have a well-gone classic spring behind us. A single stage win would be a tough thing. We do not set any restrictions, but we start running a good race, ”says Veikkanen.

Kjell Carlström’s Israel-Premier Tech is aiming for milestone wins, especially for its tightman Giacomo Nizzolo, who grabbed one win last year as well.

It’s important for the team to achieve enough ranking points this year to maintain its World Tour-level license, but the early season has been unlucky for the team.

“We have had illnesses and injuries. Somewhere out of 31 drivers, 21 were out of the game at the same time and it was difficult to put the team together in even one race. Once the drivers are in shape, the points situation can be corrected suddenly. Touring Switzerland and France is important to us this year, as are the races in Belgium, ”says Carlström.

AG2R Citroën stable Jaakko Hänninen starts the race in good spirits. He drove Giro in his second year, so a three-week stage run is no longer a leap into the unknown. Even the fall of spring is no longer a hassle.

“After that, there were several races in the tube, and the spine was not straightened properly. Now the osteopath and massage have opened the locks. Health problems have not affected the enjoyment of driving, but the goals for the season have had to be adjusted according to the situation. They will be specified when the calendar for the autumn season is known. ”

Timo Kulo, Shimano’s country manager, has also been interviewed for the story.