Bicycle production reaches 130 million units.

• Author: Gardner, Gary
• Position: VITAL SIGNS

Bicycle production was up 3.2 percent in 2007 to 130 million units, continuing a trend of several years. China produced two of every three bikes made worldwide. India, the European Union, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Brazil were the next five largest producers, accounting together for about a quarter of the total.

The share of all trips made by bike varies greatly among countries. Chinese cities still register some of the highest cycling rates in the world, despite growing interest in cars. In the most-cycled cities, such as Tianjin, Xi'an, and Shijiazhuang, the bicycle accounts for more than half of all trips. In the west, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany have the highest rates of cycling, ranging from 10 to 27 percent of all trips. This compares with about 1 percent of trips in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.

In Africa, where bicycles are often unaffordable and walking is generally the dominant transportation mode, cycling's share of trips registers in the single digits except in a few medium-size cities such as Morogoro, Tanzania; Eldoret, Kenya; and Ougadougou, Burkina Faso, where 10-23 percent of trips are made by bike.

Electric bikes, which use an electric motor to assist pedaling, are a burgeoning market segment, with most production again taking place in China. Sales of electric bikes in Germany nearly tripled in 2007. For aging populations and for riders tackling hilly terrain or living in hot climates, electric bikes make cycling a viable transport option. Yet battery disposal poses a potentially significant environmental downside to e-bikes.

Increases in global commodity prices in 2007 and 2008 could soon affect bicycle production. Price hikes for steel, butyl, rubber, titanium, and other materials are driving up production costs, and materials shortages have left tens of thousands of partially completed bikes in warehouses.

At the same time, the spike in gas prices in the first half of 2008 began to stimulate cycling, especially among commuters. Dealers began to stock bikes and accessories in anticipation of increased demand. In some U.S. cities, rising gas prices led officials to resurrect or start police bicycle patrols. The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and other European nations reached high cycling rates through policies that give priority to cycling, walking, and public transportation over private automobiles. Bikeways that are separated from traffic, stoplights timed to the speed of bikes, shortcuts...