Biker stats

Each July, the National Bicycle Dealers’ Association puts out a special issue of its trade publication, the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN), focused on cycling statitsics for the previous year. The most recent stats are from 2012, and include the following (more can be found at www.bicycleretailer.com):

• Biking has become more adult-oriented in the past decade. In 2003, youths ages 7-17 accounted for 41.7 percent of all cyclists, and only 27.3 percent in 2012.

• The total U.S. market for new bicycles in 2012 was $3,660,174,000 and $2,465,800,000 for new parts, meaning the bike industry is worth more than $6 billion annually.

• Of the 39.3 million cycling participants in America, 47.2 percent (18.5 million) are occasional riders who use their bikes between 25 and 109 days a year, 39.2 percent (15.41 million) are infrequent riders (6-24 days), and 13.6 (5.35 million) ride 110 or more days each year. Of those, 51 percent are male with a mean age of 35.5 and 49 percent are female (mean age 34.2).