Gluskin Townley Group reports that according to both the National Sporting Goods Association Sports Participation Study and the American Bicyclist Study, 1.2 million fewer males participated in bicycle riding while 1.3 million more females did ride a bicycle in 2012 compared to 2011. 


 

“Look at the demographics…it was inevitable that women, the new majority in America would become the driving gender in the bicycle market,” said Elliot Gluskin, managing partner of the Gluskin Townley Group in making the announcement. 

 

 

“Within the overall increase of 0.4% in the number of Americans who rode a bicycle 6 or more days in 2012 compared to 2011, the number of male participants decreased by 6%, or 1.2 million fewer males compared to an increase of 8% in the number of female participants in bicycle riding, resulting in 1.3 million more females riding a bicycle in 2012,” Gluskin added. 

 

 

This change in bicycle riding demographics resulted in the percent of male bicycle riding participants declining from 55% in 2011 to 51% in 2012, while female participants increased from 45% in 2011 to 49% in 2012.

 

 

“Our American Bicyclist Study research for 2013 found the same demographic impact, and Generation X, the 29 to 48 year olds now driving the U.S. bicycle market reported adult male bicycle owners dropping from 55% in 2012 to 45% in 2013, while adult female Generation X bicycle owners increased from 45% in 2012 to 55% of the cohort in 2013.  This is just one small finding from the 2013 American Bicyclist Study that correlates with the National Sporting Goods participation data and leads us to believe that 2013 is a tipping point year for the U.S. bicycle market and business,” Gluskin concluded.

 

 

About the American Bicyclist study:
For the second consecutive year the ABS was conducted during the second quarter of 2013 using an electronic survey delivered to a nationally representative panel managed by one of the leading panel research companies in the U.S. The sample was balanced to geographic and demographic norms based on the 2010 U.S. Census data. A total of 1,500 completed qualified responses were received.  All industry accepted research practices and standards were followed during the questionnaire design, fieldwork, and analysis of the results.  The 2012 and 2013 ABS represent the only research about adult American bicyclists since 2000.

Founded in 2004, the Gluskin Townley Group, LLC is a marketing and research consulting firm serving clients in the bicycling, fitness, outdoor, event, media, investment, and education industries. Our partners have been a quoted source on the active lifestyle consumer in major newspapers and magazines, and have been invited speakers at domestic and international conferences and tradeshows.