As others fall, bicycles ride high

One comes across surprising nuggets in the financial media, regardless of the economic season.

Take for instance a recent story about the bicycle industry. Interestingly, one of the world industries seemingly not suffering in the current worldwide recession, if we can agree that the embargo over calling it that has now expired, is the bicycling business.

Top bicycle and bicycle parts makers in Taiwan and Japan are reporting steadily increasing revenues, despite the falling popularity around the world of the bicycle’s four-wheeled cousin.

And while I’m not quite sure that the data support any rush to judgment that commuters are peddling to work in greater numbers, we can at least feel confident that consumer spending on this basic commodity is steady. Revenue projections put out by Taiwan’s largest such concern, Giant Manufacturing, continue uphill (in the best of senses) well on into 2009.

Bicycles, then, seem to share an exalted status, along with certain foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and precious few others, as recession-proof commodities that investors can count as farsighted (read lucky) picks.

Is this destined to set off its own wave of related media stories? Are we going to be asked to believe that increasing numbers of us are “doing the right thing” and forsaking our cars for the morning commute? The media loves to pile on a “trend” story, no matter how unproved the purported trend may be. Yet, great heaps of bike parts pouring out the doors of suppliers would seem solid evidence that something significant is happening out there.

But I for one haven’t yet noticed any obvious increase in two-wheeled commuters through my rearview mirror —- have you? Nor have I noticed fellow workmates sporting riding helmets at the office. So perhaps the thriving bicycling-supply industry stats are merely the result of more healthy activity by us consumers.

Or maybe just by investors riding off frustrations over their continually sinking investment portfolios.

> Ron Goodden is an Atlanta freelance writer.