According to data from Czech Statistical Office, imports of bicycles to the Czech Republic fell by almost one third in 2009.

Statisticians said that bicycle exports from the country also decreased. Bike sales declined for the second year in a row in 2009 owing to unfavorable weather and the start of economic crisis.

In January to November 2009 period, bike imports dropped by around 30% YoY to 198,495 units. The value of imported bicycles fell by 18.5% to CZK 1.137 billion.

Exports amounted to 310,521 bicycles in the first 11 months of 2009, a drop of around 25% YoY as compared with the same period in 2008. The value of exported bikes fell by one fifth to CZK 1.29 billion.

According to estimates of the Czech Bicycle Dealers Association, Czechs bought around 360,000 bikes in 2009, which is around 10,000 fewer than in 2008.

(Sourced from Czech News Agency)