Frisbees have been "abandoned", why has cycling become so popular?

What is your favorite way to relax? Nowadays, more and more people are beginning to like cycling, and more and more people are joining in and enjoying it. The author of this article analyzes this popular hobby of cycling, let's take a look.

The 2023 Tour de France is in full swing, igniting the passion of cycling fans around the world this summer.

At the same time, the craze driven by bicycles in China is becoming more and more fierce, and "cycling" is becoming the most popular sport this summer.

On Xiaohongshu, there are more than 2.89 million cycling-related notes , and the number of video views related to the topic of "night riding" on Douyin has reached 3.2 billion.

The sales data also give us an intuitive sense of how popular cycling is. This year's JD.com 618 data shows that bicycle sales have soared by 500% , and the turnover of many brands has doubled several times year-on-year. Some models even have orders scheduled until 2024.

According to data from the China Cycling Association, as of 2022, more than 100 million people in the country use bicycles as a common means of transportation, and nearly 10 million people participate in bicycle-related activities and events every year.

So, what is the magic of cycling that makes people so addicted to it?

1. Camping and Frisbee cooling down, why can cycling continue to warm up?

In recent years, with the rise of the "national sports craze", more and more niche sports have entered people's horizons. Almost every once in a while, a new Internet celebrity project will be born, such as frisbee, camping, and land rush.

Cycling is also a popular activity in the past two years, but it is one of the few "survivors" after the tide faded, and it even has an upward trend against the trend. What are the reasons behind this?

First of all, the threshold for participation in cycling is low.

Most sports require someone to play with you. A football game often involves more than ten people, a half-court basketball game requires at least six people, and even table tennis requires two people to play against each other.

However, there is absolutely no limit on the number of participants in cycling. One person, one bike, can ride freely and feel the beauty of nature.

Compared with other sports such as Frisbee, cycling has no restrictions in terms of rules. Whether it is a 100-kilometer ride for an expert or a 5-kilometer ride for a novice, as long as you feel comfortable and relaxed, it is the best mileage.

In addition, cycling also requires very little time. For office workers who travel between big cities, there is no need to deliberately set aside time to go to the gym or the stadium. Just ride a bike after work, enjoy the cool breeze, and relieve stress while exercising.

In the cycling content on many social platforms, "healing", "decompression" and "health" are the keywords that appear frequently. It is obvious that apart from external driving factors, people fall in love with cycling and feel more about the positive feedback brought by this sport.

On the other hand, cycling has received policy support due to its "low-carbon and environmentally friendly" attributes. In recent years, with the continuous improvement of urban slow-moving traffic systems, it has also objectively provided external conditions for cycling.

For example, the cycling greenway in Changping, Beijing is 42 kilometers long with 8 entrances and exits. It is called a "cyclist's paradise" by cycling enthusiasts because of its spacious lanes and wide views.

Chengdu has also launched a 100-kilometer cycling greenway around the city. By opening the "Chengdu Tianfu Greenway" applet, you can view popular routes, food, car rentals and other practical information, which greatly enhances the cycling experience of cyclists.

Today, cycling is no longer just a form of transportation, but a new lifestyle and even a way of socializing that is environmentally friendly, convenient, healthy and fashionable.

2. The unique social attribute is the key to the popularity of cycling

Cycling is different from other sports. You can ride in a group or alone. This sport, which is suitable for both "socially adept" and "socially phobic", obviously reaches a wider range of people.

Especially among the contemporary young people, there are many "social phobias". It is not easy to find an exercise program that can be carried out quietly without being disturbed, so cycling has become an excellent choice. Riding a bike alone to chase the wind and enjoy the scenery along the way makes them feel very comfortable.

In addition to being able to "enjoy yourself", cycling also allows you to "travel with companions".

Invite a few friends, ride your favorite bicycles, and travel through city buildings or natural scenery. Not only can you enjoy the joy of riding, but you can also make an appointment with your riding friends for afternoon tea or a midnight snack after riding. This has become an activity with social attributes.

Looking back at the outdoor activities that have become popular in recent years, whether it is Frisbee or camping, the "strong social" attribute is the key to their popularity. Even people who didn't know each other before may become close friends because of an activity.

In addition to cycling with friends, cycling clubs have become a new trend under the "cycling fever". More and more clubs are attracting a large number of cycling enthusiasts, recommending cycling routes and organizing cycling activities.

Take the club100’s trip to Pinggu in Beijing as an example. After arriving at the destination, the club will organize riders to eat reservoir fish by the local lake and then camp outdoors.

Interesting activities allow riders to not only enjoy the beautiful scenery, but also enjoy local delicacies and take beautiful photos during the ride.

It can be said that the unique social attribute has become the key to the popularity of cycling. Whether you are a social person or a social person, you can find your own fun in this sport. It is hard for such a "versatile" sport not to become popular!

3. Cycling is so popular that it has become a hot spot for brands to compete for marketing

The rich offline cycling experience has also triggered a sports trend and social craze on online platforms. Many young people are happy to share cycling content online, including cycling routes, cycling equipment, and scenery along the way... countless topics have helped cycling break through the circle.

Faced with the rising popularity of cycling, brands with a keen sense of smell have already been eager to try and take advantage of various opportunities to expand their voice.

The first to bear the brunt are naturally various bicycle events. For example, "TREK100" is one of the most influential cycling events in China. The event is held once a year, with a cumulative number of participants exceeding 500,000.

Unlike traditional professional events, the participation threshold of "TREK100" is lower and the social participation is wider. The event site not only has professional riders who have been engaged in cycling for many years, but also entry-level enthusiasts and cycling experts with millions of fans.

As a charity cycling event, TREK100 has always adhered to the belief of "You ride 1 kilometer, I donate 1 yuan". After the cycling event, TREK representatives donated 100,000 yuan to the Beijing New Sunshine Charity Foundation on the spot, and plan to achieve the goal of donating 500,000 yuan to charity in 2023.

For TREK Bicycles and its sponsored brands, every year's event brings huge exposure. In addition, the charitable nature of the event can further enhance the brand's image value in the minds of users.

The "cycling fever" continues to ferment, and the brands involved are not only bicycles, but also electric vehicles.

On July 17, Yadea launched the Cycling Festival, where users experienced test drives, took photos and checked in, opening up new ways to play in the summer and conveying the concept of green and environmentally friendly travel. With the popularity of the event, the discussion of related topics on the entire network continued to rise that day.

Another highlight is that Yadea launched the "Global Cycling Plan", and officially set up five major stations including Inner Mongolia Station and Hainan Station to encourage users to go abroad and ride around the world from China.

Through such an interesting way of participation, it not only conveys the concept of green travel, but also demonstrates the brand's excellent product strength.

Therefore, even if it is "new product in old wine", the brand should be innovative. Through the combination of offline activities and online promotion, the exposure can be maximized and the influence can be expanded.

4. How long will the cycling trend last?

Looking at the history of the past 20 years, there has been a wave of cycling craze almost every few years.

The new round of "cycling fever" that has broken out in recent years seems to be stronger than any previous one, and even triggered a wave of out-of-stock of high-end bicycles.

In the current bicycle market, a professional road bike with a unit price of more than 10,000 yuan takes a long time from payment to delivery. Although the bicycle market is so hot, some people think that the cycling trend will not last long.

This kind of "wild consumption" will not last long, it is more of a blind herd mentality. Once the enthusiasm fades, the equipment you bought with a lot of money is likely to gather dust in the corner of your home.

After all, all "influencer sports" have a common problem, that is, the popularity comes and goes quickly. At the peak, people flock to them, and sometimes the sales of a brand in one month can equal the sales of a year in the same period.

But judging from a lot of data, I think this wave of "cycling fever" will not subside in the short term.

Data from Tianyancha shows that as of now, there are more than 108,000 bicycle-related companies in China. Among them, more than 13,000 new companies were registered in 2022 alone, an increase of 14.7% over the same period.

The surge in the number of bicycle companies reflects the rapid growth of China's cycling population. According to the "2018 China Cycling Sports Big Data Report", since 2015, the number of Chinese sports cyclists has increased by about 2.7 times in four years, and the average cycling mileage per person has increased by nearly 50% in four years. By 2022, China's cycling population has exceeded 100 million.

Perhaps we can use the "candle economy" to explain this craze for cycling.

Before the Industrial Revolution, candles were the most important light source in life. After the Industrial Revolution, when people thought the invention of electric lights meant the disappearance of candles, they unexpectedly became popular again.

This is because candles, as embellishments of daily life, and candlelight dinners can provide emotional value that electric lights do not have.

The same is true for cycling, which allows people to temporarily relieve the stress of work and life and return to nature. It has become an important way to relax and heal themselves.

5. Final Thoughts

As people's awareness of healthy living and environmental protection increases, cycling, as a low-carbon, healthy mode of travel and leisure sport, is gradually becoming a popular choice among the public.

This trend also provides valuable opportunities for brand marketing. While keeping up with the trend of the times, brand marketing should focus on innovation and personalization, and use various marketing methods to allow brands to deeply experience cycling culture and interact with users in real time to increase the emotional value of the brand.

Author: Yan Tao San Shou; WeChat public account: Yan Tao San Shou;