The popularity of cycling has continued to grow steadily and has skyrocketed in visibility, but who’s really out there? Describing the cycling community with simple census data isn’t ideal for several reasons. Cycling data has indicated that while cycling may have became less popular as a pastime, it has grown in epic proportions as a sport and thus skews the overall demographics somewhat. Another issue with cyclist demographics — just who is riding — is that they don’t always provide a clear distinction between trends and hard statistics. With all that in mind, here are a few statistics taken from a few sources.
Market Data Demographics
Describing the cyclist demographic with marketing data might be a good place to start. A marketing study done by Gluskin Townley Associates has produced a few quick out-takes about the cyclist demographic which provides a good overall look at just who is riding.
- Bicycling is not just for kids anymore. As kids continue to bury their heads in cell phones, typing away mindlessly, more adults are getting on bikes. (adults are also guilty of cell phone addiction)
- Youth equals diversity in the United States. Most of the children in America’s largest cities and states no longer have an Anglo-American cultural background. But more than 85 percent of bicycle riders are non-Hispanic and white. (A report done by the Cycling Commuting Center reports that the cost of a bicycle could be behind this statistic).
- Enthusiasts are driving growth. The number of frequent, dedicated cyclists continues to grow. (this is where racing and recreational cyclists tend to split the demographic data)
- Older riders ride more miles. Participation in bicycling falls off after the age of 55, particularly among women, but male riders who belong to the baby-boom generation show few signs of slowing down. In fact, riding days for men tend to increase after the age of 65.
Bike Trip Demographics
If you portray cyclist demographics on bike trips, the demographics are different. Here is some data provided by the Sightline Institute of bike trips broken out by racial and ethnic categories:
Income Levels and Bike Trips
A chart created from a study done by the University Transportaion Research Center, and authored by John Pucher at Rutgers University and Ralph Bueler at Virginia Tech, reveals that cyclist demographic data by bike trip is almost evenly split between income levels.
Demographics by Types
A study done by McGill University has yet another demographic based on transportation and infrastructure studies and has broken the demographic down into four cyclist types:
Leisure Cyclists
Leisure cyclists account for 17 percent of the cycling demographic and ride just for fun, not just to commute. Leisure cyclists like to stay safe and out of traffic and prefer bike paths, especially when riding with children. Leisure cyclists typically do not view themselves as cyclists.
Fairweather and Sensible
Fairweather riders are a bit more hardy than leisure riders and make up about 23 percent of the demographic. They prefer good weather and they’ll opt for another form of transportation in rain or snow. They also like bike paths, prefer to stay out of traffic, and may or may not identify themselves as a cyclist.
Path-Using Cyclists
Path-using cyclists are the first group to actively view themselves as a cyclist and account for 36 percent of the demographic. They are motivated by fun and convenience and the identity that cycling offers them. They try to avoid traffic, but won’t shy away from it if necessary. They were likely actively encouraged by their parents to ride for fitness and to get places.
Dedicated Cyclists
Dedicated cyclists make up 24 percent of the demographic and are the only group that take pride in viewing themselves as a cyclists. The decision to ride a bicycle is not strongly impacted by weather conditions. They like the speed, predictability, and flexibility of bicycle trips which are their main motivators to ride. Peer and employer/school encouragement are also key factors influencing dedicated cyclists. They do not mind — and sometimes even prefer — riding in traffic. Dedicated cyclists aren’t as interested in bike paths as the other three groups, but won’t go out of their way to avoid them either.
Cyclist Demographics by Sales
Demographics, pie charts and statistics can make your eyes glaze over. In a nutshell, it might be easier to understand who’s out there by the bike they ride. Note that statistics like these don’t take into account mileage and the obvious fact that high-end road or mountain bikes obviously sell at less volume than cheaper or department store bikes. The team at Brandon Gaillie, marketing experts has provided this look at industry bicycle types and sales by category:
- Mountain Bike – 24%
- Hybrid/Cross – 21%
- Road – 20%
- Comfort – 15%
- Youth – 13%
- Cruiser – 6%
- Recumbent/Tandem – 1%
Who’s Really Out There
Cyclists are a community of progressive, environmentally conscious, free-minded individuals who use bikes for transportation, fun, health, and competition. While cyclists may choose to embrace their own disciplines, it’s important to note that they all share the roads, paths, and trails together as brothers and sisters, mothers, fathers, daughters and sons. While cyclist demographics are interesting to cyclists, it probably doesn’t really matter who’s out there to them, what kind of bike they ride, or the path they choose — as long as they ride.