No bike, no luck

Mountain bike availability is historically low. Photo: Nihal Thakur

PARK CITY, Utah. — When the snow melts, the no-brainer move used to be to simply pick up a new, used mountain bike and hit the trails. Well, those days are in the past as the serious shortage of bikes is a reality for many Parkites this season. The struggle is real.

“Where there used to be 600 used bikes available throughout the community, there are now 200. People are reluctant to get rid of their old bike because they’re so challenging to replace.” — Charlie Sturgis, former executive director of the Mountain Trails Foundation and former co-owner of White Pine Touring

The pandemic has created supply chain interruptions, concurrently demand is up with locals having more time on their hands to get out and ride as a result of remote work, remote school, and less travel outside of the county. Gone are the days of locals given the green light to rummage through their neighbors’ garage for a used bike with which to barter for an employee day ski ticket, or two. Everyone knows someone who’s in the biking industry but even those professionals will laugh when asked for that old-school hook-up, shake their head and explain how they genuinely wish they could help out but to no avail…

Old-stand-by-hand-me-downs are harder to come by right in your own home as older siblings now just ride their bikes into the ground.

Shopping options include but by all means are not limited to: 

• Bicycle Collective  
• Christian Center of Park City
• KSL Classifieds

Expanded search parameters come down to A) location via a desperate drive to the borders of Idaho or Wyoming, B) upping the ante and/or C) lowering the specs standards. Seekers are also gaining new skills learning to fix them up or make the downright undesirable decision to spend that stimulus check on a new mountain bike.