MOSCOW, Russia - With Western sanctions and the ever-growing isolation of Russia in the international arena, serious pressure is being put on the country's bicycle industry. The shortage of bikes and a sharp rise in price of those bikes available are key problems the sector is currently facing. So where are the bikes and parts needed to support the industry currently coming from?

MOSCOW, Russia - By no means was 2021 an easy year in Russia. Late and scarce deliveries, lack of components for OEMs, high inflation and overall uncertainty, made it a year of surprises. On the other hand, Russian authorities didn't introduce strict lockdowns, and people didn't travel abroad much, so they spent money locally. But not everybody got hold of a new bicycle.

MOSCOW, Russia - The 2020 season was all but boring. At Velopark bike show in late February everybody expected a steady growth of the market. At that time, it was already clear that some restrictions were planned for medical reasons. But the scale of the looming problems was unknown.

MOSCOW, Russia - The Russian bike market didn't make any significant achievements in 2019. Sales is estimated at 3 - 3.5 million bicycles; half of that number is locally assembled with China made parts. The other half is imported directly from China. Only some 30,000 bikes are of internationally renowned brands.

Spring started early this year in Russia. It rapidly boosted sales of summer sport goods, namely bicycles, kick-scooters, roller blades etcetera. However, apart from basic mass-market bikes and bike products, Russian buyers get disappointed failing on finding what they are dreaming on in their local stores.

Despite its population of 143 million people, Russia's bicycle business is still small and humble. However the market has a potential to expand. This proved