At the beginning of the pandemic, most state and local governments implemented orders that restricted travel and business activities within their communities, with varying levels of ramifications for bike shops and people who bike. To minimize the economic consequences the bike industry would face, PeopleForBikes worked diligently to ensure that bike shops were treated as essential businesses and that bike riding was classified as an essential activity at the federal level. Below are a few examples of why we fought for bicycling and bike business to be listed as essential:

Check out our recent webinars related to COVID-19 and the changing bike industry landscape:

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, bike industry leaders have expressed an urgent need for insights on industry trends to help guide them through this crisis and beyond.
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The PeopleForBikes Research and Statistics Subcommittee has developed a new Business Intelligence Hub to provide a comprehensive package of ridership, retail sales and consumer data that will serve as a weekly snapshot of the state of the bike business and bicycling participation in the U.S.

We answered a lot of questions about the Paycheck Protection Program in the bike industry when it launched in April, and we want to make sure bike businesses that took out federal loans are prepared for tax season. We've compiled the resources below to help:

At the beginning of the pandemic, Ride It Out was PeopleForBikes’ cooperative industry campaign to inspire people to embrace bike riding during these challenging times with the help of Ride Spot. As tens of thousands of Americans turned to their bicycles, we developed turn-key social media assets, valuable information, a webinar and other tools for bike businesses to help their customers embrace bicycling and #RideItOut.

As summer rolled around, we transitioned into our Joy of Riding campaign. With the bike boom in full swing and COVID-19 still restricting most people’s daily routines, we recognized that many riders were getting on their bicycles for the very first time, or for the first time in a long while. With the help of Ride Spot, PeopleForBikes’ navigation app and online platform built to break down the barriers to cycling, we helped these new riders rediscover the joy of bicycling and get on their bikes as a healthy, socially distanced activity the whole family could enjoy.

Stay on the lookout for future Ride Spot campaigns to help keep your customers riding in the coming months.

As COVID-19 spread across the U.S. and restrictions and orders were changing state by state on a near-daily basis, PeopleForBikes worked to track which states enacted restrictions on businesses that could remain open and what activities people could still engage in to minimize the spread of the virus. This spreadsheet (and visual map below) contained a regularly-updated summary of relevant state orders during the early months of the virus.

As spikes continue to occur nationwide and states and local municipalities continue to enact or alter restrictions, if you have specific questions about restrictions in your jurisdiction, you are advised to seek advice from legal counsel or local authorities. If you have questions or concerns regarding how these actions affect you or your business, we strongly encourage you to ask your local government officials for clarification.

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, PeopleForBikes worked diligently advocating for greater federal government support of bike businesses. We published a blog on May 22 highlighting our fight for bikes in Washington, D.C. and we sent a letter to congressional leadership to ensure that local governments have the flexibility to develop innovative solutions that support well-connected transit networks, specifically biking and walking infrastructure.

We created our COVID-19 resources page to make critical information readily available to ensure the bike industry and bike businesses were well-informed on the steps and actions taken by the federal government in reaction to the virus and its effect on American businesses. Below you can find a timeline of the events, actions and policies that are relevant to the bike industry:

Relief Packages:

On March 30 and June 25, PeopleForBikes submitted letters to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, asking that the office consider granting exclusions from the Section 301 tariffs on goods imported from China for several categories of bicycles, components and accessories, including adult bicycles, tires, inner tubes and helmets.

PeopleForBikes has aggressively advocated for the United States Trade Representative to extend its current Section 301 exclusions for bicycle products in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have successfully obtained exclusion extensions on key product categories, such as kids’ bikes, through the end of 2020. The latest information regarding all Section 301 exclusions is available here.

This ongoing crisis requires continued, concerted action from everyone to help stem the spread of COVID-19. If your business has remained open, here you can find information on keeping you, your business and your customers safe: