Arkansans get on their bikes like never before.
By Lindsay Southwick
Photography by brian Chilson
The shutdown we presumed would last a couple of weeks back in March has turned into months, with no sign of things returning to pre-pandemic status anytime soon. Sports, concerts, vacations, special events and extracurricular activities have all been postponed or outright canceled, leaving all of us feeling the effects of COVID-19 in one way or another. It seems one of the only things that has been spared from closure has been the great outdoors. So, if there’s an upside to the shutdown, it’s that people are getting outside. Thank goodness for that! Fresh air has never been more necessary for our mental stability.
In a survey conducted by BikeNWA, 72 percent of respondents said they’ve spent more time doing outdoor activities with their family since the shutdown began, and 28 percent said they’ve explored trails they hadn’t been to before the pandemic.
It’s no surprise that Arkansans have turned to cycling as a means of burning off some cabin fever. It helped that bike shops were deemed essential businesses (as providers of transportation) and were allowed to stay open throughout the pandemic. In a time when small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open, many bike shops across the state are only struggling to keep up with demand. At Arkansas Cycling and Fitness in Little Rock and Sherwood, inventory that usually lasts months has been selling in a matter of weeks.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” owner Richard Machycek said. “In April, I sold more than double the number of bikes I usually do this time of year. May is shaking out to be more of the same.”
Business has remained steady at Phat Tire Bike Shop’s nine locations, though it’s not necessarily business as usual. Instead of helping tourists riding the trails, they’re staying busy providing services to locals with extra time (and energy) on their hands.
“We’ve seen a trend for family bikes,” said Nickel Potter, director of operations for Phat Tire Bike Shop, which has locations in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Rogers, Siloam Springs and Springdale.
“There are lots of riders getting their first entry-level hybrids or beginner mountain bikes. Single-speed kid bikes have been popular as well. And we’ve seen a good amount of service work demand. Lots of new tires going on old bikes.”
Initially, it was bikes in the under $1,000 category that were in high demand. However, it didn’t take long before high-end bikes, like those built by Bentonville-based manufacturer Allied Cycle Works, started seeing an uptick in business as well.
“Something clicked around the second week of April and that’s when business really started to pick up for us,” Allied CEO Brendan Quirk said. “Some momentum we had had from a strong first quarter came back, and we’ve had a really strong stretch ever since. People are investing in their dream bikes and we are feeling pretty optimistic about things.”
All those bike repairs, purchases and tune-ups translate to more bikes out and about. While fewer cars on the road bode well for road riders, the trails are a different story. Even with a ban restricting out-of-state travelers in April, the trails remained busy with Arkansans. Now that the ban has been lifted and people are looking for ways to fill their summer calendars, don’t anticipate that things will die down anytime soon. Though many trails handle crowds with grace, it seems more necessary than ever to put our very best trail manners to use.
“There’s an incredible number of new riders right now, but it’s not just them who lack best practices,”
— Rich Drew
“There’s an incredible number of new riders right now, but it’s not just them who lack best practices,” Rich Drew, founder of The Ride Series MTB Skills Clinics, said. “New riders don’t always know what they don’t know, but being a skilled rider doesn’t always translate into trail etiquette. It’s always important to have appropriate skills and know-how to use the trails respectfully, but it’s even more important with potentially crowded terrain.”
Drew encourages everyone to keep a few things in mind:
1. Yield. While the climber is said to have the right of way, many times someone descending doesn’t have the ability to safely stop. Yielding as much as you can is just a good rule. Sometimes this means communicating with oncoming riders to determine who will wait and who will pass.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. In April, I sold more than double the number of bikes I usually do this time of year. May is shaking out to be more of the same.” — Richard Machycek
2. Don’t ride beyond your comfort level. Riding beyond your ability poses a risk to yourself and others. There is no shame in getting off the saddle if something is above your pay grade.
3. Look up. It’s easy to get caught up in what’s directly in front of you. Be cognizant of what’s ahead and always be expecting someone.
4. Keep a safe distance. Keep at least three to four bike lengths between you and other cyclists.
5. Practice patience and use common sense. The trails belong to everyone, so be kind to others utilizing them — hikers included. The busier the trail, the more patience you need to have.
Avoiding large group rides and taking care of the trails are two more things worth noting. Some cities have been forced to lay off at least some of their maintenance staff, making it necessary for those using the trails to be good keepers of them.
It’s been a weird couple of months and, unfortunately, and it’s not over yet. It’s hard to know exactly what the world will look like when the virus finally leaves us alone. It would be a shame if we went through all of this without taking away something from it. Let’s hope it’s caused all of us to examine our lives with a little more scrutiny. What are the things we are anxious to get back to, and what are the things we are OK leaving behind for good? An optimist might even say this pandemic is giving us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to push the reset button on things that need to be reset. Let’s hope that some of the habits we’ve created and hobbies we’ve discovered during this time will stay with us long after this is over. It’s been a unique time that’s allowed everyone to get outside and enjoy whatever their little corner of the world has to offer them. Luckily for us, our little corner is pretty great. Let’s hope when COVID-19 is in the rear-view mirror, our bikes are not.