With the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic meaning cyclists around Europe are on some form of lockdown, online retailers are struggling to keep up with demand for turbo trainers.
Numerous countries – including Spain, France and Italy – have enforced restrictions on riding outside, meaning more and more cyclists have turned to indoor cycling over the past several weeks.
The popular online platform Zwift is at an all-time high, with the company recording new peaks in users almost daily during the past week. The 20,000-user barrier was broken last week, while Sunday saw the tally hit 28,299, with 30,000 users not far off – double the users the platform saw in January. TrainerRoad have seen similar growth, with active users up 50-per cent on last year.
This has meant the demand for indoor trainers has skyrocketed in recent weeks, though the lockdowns have also had the effect of shutting down businesses, including factories.
Padova-based company Elite, one of the biggest names in turbo trainers, is among them, closed due to the strict measures imposed by the Italian government. It all means that indoor trainer stock is running low, just at the time when they're wanted most.
"From last weekend, with a new announcement of the Italian Government we are totally locked down and the company is completely shut in this moment," said Elite marketing manager Marta Segato.
"We need to wait until April 6. It was something unexpected but it's due to the dramatic situation here in Italy. We hope [to] improve the situation in which we are."
Online shops around the internet have already sold out of many models from the most popular trainer brands, including Elite, Tacx and Wahoo. In the meantime, stay tuned to Cyclingnews for more information on the situation, including the best deals on the few trainers that are out there.
