On en a des tonnes de vélos . . .

Double Digit Growth for US Bicycle Market

WASHINGTON, US – In 2010 the US bicycle imports came close to setting a record for units entering the country. It did set a record for total FOB value of bicycle imports. Last year a total of 19,876,313 bicycles were imported in the US, an increase of no less than 33.2% related to 2009.

Keeping in mind that 2009 was a recession year, the increase of just over 33 % in bicycles of all wheel sizes imported through December 2010 is a clear recovery from the downturn the previous year. Nevertheless the recovery is remarkable as 2009 sales were lowest in a decade while 2010 is the second best since 2000. The total FOB value of all bicycles imported during 2010 totalled US$1.3 billion, setting a new all time record for the annual FOB value of U.S. bicycles imports.

The main supplier for the US market is still China. Last year they exported 18,918,753 bicycles to the US, an increase of 34.2%. The average FOB unit value remained more or less the same at US$ 51.04.

While US bicycle imports originating in China jumped significantly in unit volume bicycles imported from Taiwan showed a more modest increase of 11.4% to 854,626 units. This difference could be attributed to the more modest increase and more stability at the upper end of the US bicycle market where US brands tend to purchase more high-end product from Taiwan compared to China.

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