WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — The U.S. imported 4.7 million bikes in the first quarter this year, worth $565 million at port. In dollar value, that's up 52% over the first quarter last year and 143% over the same quarter in 2020, when the pandemic supply chain first slowed.
The first quarter this year followed massive import numbers in the second half of 2021 (see column chart at bottom). The third quarter last year was the largest, valued at $571 million.
The country of origin of bike imported has shifted significantly in the last four years, as the pie charts below show. Four years ago the Trump administration's tariffs on Chinese imports had not yet taken effect. Since then, the U.S. has sourced an increased number of bikes from Vietnam and Cambodia to escape those tariffs. However, Vietnam exports declined steeply in the second half of 2021 because of COVID-19 shut downs there.