Spring's early arrival leads to busy time for bicycle workshops
The sudden arrival of a warm spring has been followed by a surge in cycling, and bike workshops are seeing a steady growth in customers.
Joosep Nilk, the owner of the Vokitööd bike workshop in Tallinn told "Aktuaalne kaamera" that Estonians are cycling more and more.
"It's funny, I just came back from Spain a week ago, and then I saw that there were a lot more cyclists on the streets here. Even once the sun comes out Estonians get practically everywhere on the streets. What's really cool is that there are actually a lot of cyclists in Tallinn. The last weekends have been quite busy," Nilk said.
Nilk said he started his business in the basement of his apartment building, expanding initially to three garages, and now operates nearly a dozen.
Chain store Hawaii Express reported a similar uptick in business.
"When the weather is nice, people come to buy bikes. When it snows, they come to buy skis. When neither is happening, nothing gets done," said Märt Märtson, a company salesperson. At the moment, Hawaii Express is in the first of these three categories he outlined.
As bikes get dusted off after the winter downtime, they necessarily often require a tune-up and other maintenance. With the surge in customers, Märtson said booking an appointment is recommended.
"It's definitely worth booking a maintenance appointment right away because more and more people are coming, and the queues are starting to grow. Right now, there's a one or two-day wait, but it might soon be up to a week," Märtson noted.
Two young cyclists "Aktuaalne kaamera" spoke to were the Jalakas brothers, who soon realized that work needed doing to their bikes.
One of the brothers, Alden, shared that he rides his bike every day, mainly to school but also just for leisure rides.
Miko, the other brother, noted that while an initial check of his bike suggested the brakes needed replacing, closer inspection revealed that he needed a new bike altogether. For that reason, he said he hadn't had much chance to cycle this spring so far.
"I think when I get the new one, I'll ride more," he said.
While March brought the start of cycling season for many, keen cyclists say that you can ride all year round, if the correct equipment is chosen.
"I did my first rides in February already, I have really good clothes for that. I wouldn't say my tires are made for it, but I chose asphalt and comfortable roads for me, and I didn't ride in the forest where it was slippery. If you're a fan, a bike fan, you'll ride anywhere, and you might even go on a date by bike," one enthusiast, Anastasia Peterson, explained.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Aleksander Krjukov
Source: "Aktuaalne kaamera"
