Rich Goodman wants to see a bicycle repair shop in Dunkirk.

A lifelong bicycling enthusiast, Rich Goodman said he is excited by the recent uptick in bike sales across the country.

Many have turned to cycling as means of getting around and exercising — two components Goodman believe are important in communities such as Dunkirk. So much so, he established the Spoke Folk Community Bicycle Project in 2007, a bike program that, among other things, helps provide bikes to people in need for personal development.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of gyms in mid-March. Since then, bike sales locally and nationwide have increased as more people look to get outdoors.

“There’s certainly been demand,” said Goodman, director emeritus with the State University of New York at Fredonia, who also provides bike maintenance as part of Spoke Folk. “Can’t turn bikes out fast enough.”

During the pandemic, Goodman said he has largely been repairing bikes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., working on each individual bike until it is complete.

Julio Garcia of Dunkirk is pictured with his bicycle earlier this week at the pier. Bikes sales have jumped locally as more people seek exercise and the outdoors. OBSERVER Photo by Natasha Matteliano

“People are going into their attics and garages and pulling these bicycles down,” he noted. “They are then looking for places they can get service.”

Goodman has made it a point to note that the Dunkirk area is in need of a full-time bike repair shop. “The need is great,” he said.

“We have been working with the city on tourism and how important it is, but the biggest thing is that you can’t get air in your tires,” he continued. “The need here for that is great.”

The impact of the virus can be seen in bike shops in the county. Rows of largely empty racks have been lining the inside of the Jamestown Cycle Shop as well as at Hollyloft Ski, Bike & Snowboard Shop in West Ellicott, where new and used bikes that typically take up copious amounts of showroom space now sit mostly open.

“This is all new territory,” said Les Johnson, owner of Hollyloft, who has seen a jump in sales the last two months but now faces uncertainty with fewer bikes coming in with demand at a peak. “We’ve been busy for two months now, busier than normal for spring time. People have been forced to stay at home, and what better way to get outdoors and get some fresh air?”

Not only are bikes flying off the shelves, but accessories including helmets, chains and tires are selling as well. “We’re scrambling to find accessories,” Johnson said. “We’re selling all our helmets, and we’re having a hard time getting tires.”

The situation is similar at the Jamestown Cycle Shop, where sales have increased this spring. Manager Mike Donner said in May 2019, the 10 Harrison St. store sold 62 bikes. In May of this year, 110 bikes were sold.

Donner noted that almost 165 bikes are on back order, and it’s not clear when that product will find its way to Jamestown. He said companies that produce bike brands such as Trek closed briefly due to the pandemic, cutting off new supply that is trickling down to local bike shops.

“None were being manufactured, so stock got depleted,” said Donner, noting that accessory supplies have also dried up at the Cycle Shop.

Most in demand are adult mountain bikes and adult comfort bikes. However, it appears just about everything is selling, including kids bikes, as evident by rows of most empty racks. In the past, Donner said he liked to keep the racks full at all times; if one bike sold, another would be put in its place.

“I’ve never seen a need like this for new bikes,” Donner said.

Across the state line, bike sales began to jump as early as April at the Warren Cycle Shop.

“It really started in April when this all hit and people were looking to get out because the gyms were closed,” said Andy Georgakis, Warren Cycle Shop manager. “People still wanted to get outdoors.”

Sales have included all types of bikes, including mountain bikes, recreational bikes and even hybrids. Georgakis said the local markets has “pretty much dried up” since the pandemic took hold.

“We have a large backorder waiting to replenish our stock,” he said. “Our used bikes largely sold out.”

Warren’s surge in bike sales comes as PeopleForBikes — a bike advocacy group — named the city as the 64th bike-friendly community in the nation. For bike safety, Warren came in at No. 1.

The organization combined data on crashes involving injury or death with information about how safe people feel when riding to come up with the safety score. In general, the scores are based on publicly available data and PeopleForBikes’ research tools, according to PFB.