The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a few paradoxes. The bike business is booming, but some shops are closing because supply chain disruptions have cut off their supplies. And more people are riding, but bike tour companies are struggling.
The latter situation is playing out in, among other places, Maui. And two enterprises in particular embody its contradictions more than most.
"I am currently seeing more people out riding their bikes," reports Donnie Arnoult. A longtime cyclist, he owns Maui Cyclery on the island's north shore. Sales and repairs have surged during the pandemic, and rentals increased during the holidays but slowed a bit this month. "{M}y clients are people who can work remotely and they are staying in Maui for a longer period of time," he explains. So, he is "busy with less numbers, but still riding just as much as before the pandemic."
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| Photo by Matthew Thayer, The Maui News |
In contrast, Bike Maui is struggling. They re-opened in October after halting services for a few months. Though Bike Maui has a shop and mechanic "for locals and their repairs," the "majority of our business is tourism," says Ron Daniel, who directs operations, sales and marketing. Visitors are the ones who rent Bike Maui's bikes and ride in the company's guided and self-rented tours, and tourism has suffered, possibly, more in Hawaii than anywhere else in the US.
So, while many new cyclists in Maui say they plan to continue riding after the pandemic, and tourists will almost certainly return, one can only hope that Bike Maui and Maui Cyclery will still be around to serve them.
