The Impact of Bicycling on Local Economic Vitality

In 2015, singletracks.com published the results of a survey of over 1,400 cyclists in the US, and provided the following statistics (in part):

62 percent of mountain bikers travel specifically to ride in other locations
On average, mountain bikers take two mountain biking trips a year
Those who do travel to a venue spend about $382 each trip
They travel on average 566 miles from home

In short, we as cyclists are an itinerant bunch when it comes to exploring the world around us on a bike.

In a related vein, there are numerous examples regarding how cycling has had a significantly positive impact on the economy of a particular community or area. For example, in May 2017, Outside Magazine published an article entitled “How Mountain Biking Is Saving Small-Town, USA.” Similarly, in June 2019, Colorado Public Radio News published an article describing how bicycling (and other actions and activities) are revitalizing Nucla, CO, another small mining town (uranium and coal). The Walton Family Foundation published a study documenting how bicycling provided $137 million in economic impact to northwestern Arkansas in 2017. In each of these articles, the authors describe how a few individuals in the community played a key role in envisioning how development of mountain biking trails could serve as a nucleation point for increasing the economic vitality of a city or a region through tourism and other activities related to bicycling. More importantly, those individuals took action to help that vision become reality, and to positively impact the economy of the community.

In short, mountain bikers like to travel to experience new trails and locales, and it behooves communities to help make their natural surroundings available to cyclists so they can immerse themselves in those surroundings, and while doing so, contribute to the economic vitality of that community or area.

There are numerous other articles and case studies documenting the impact of bicycling on improving economic vitality through the development of bicycling venues and infrastructure. For example, one can review the work of organizations like the League of American Bicyclists (such as this case study), IMBA, Rails to Trails Conservancy, and many other local or regional organizations.

For those who are seeking information regarding riding opportunities in a specific area, there are fortunately a number of excellent sites that provide information at the national (e.g., singletracks.com) and regional or local level (e.g., Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association or Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance). In addition, almost every local bike shop is aware of these types of organizations, venues and activities in their local community. Therefore, the local bike shop is often a great place to ask about these types of activities in a community or region. If you are interested in bicycling activities in a given area that you will be visiting, do an online search of the local bike shops in that area, peruse their websites, and give them a call to gain their advice in advance of your trip. Local bike shops often have cycling venues and activities listed on their website, and bike store personnel are generally very eager to share that information with you on the phone or in person.

As always, if you are in need of a replaceable rear derailleur hanger, you can use the “1-2-3” process and other information available on derailleurhanger.com to quickly find the hanger required on bike, or click on the “Contact” link on our website and we will respond quickly to provide personalized assistance

Please let us at derailleurhanger.com know if we can assist you in any way. Happy riding!