Episode 172: Bike Buying & Repair Tips for 2021 with the Ridgways of Bike World

The father-son team of Forrest and Bif Ridgway of Bike World--close friends to RAGBRAI for decades--sit down with co-host Kyle Munson at the bicycle retailer's headquarters in West Des Moines to give us a preview of the bicycle market in 2021. In short, this is going to be another wild year in the industry, after last year's pandemic spurred a tidal wave of new riders onto bikes (that's a good thing), leading to bike shortages (not so great, but we do love to see more people pedaling). Our discussion includes: (1) the 2021 bike backlog and how to approach it as a buyer, (2) the rise of e-bikes, (3) why tubeless tires may be the right option, (4) when and how to schedule your spring tuneup, (5) which parts and components have been the hardest to get from the strained supply chain, and (6) of course, what to expect on RAGBRAI 2021.