Published: May 14, 2008 06:37 pm            

Gas prices kick bicycle sales, repairs into higher gear

By Amy Moore

The Orange Leader

Four-dollar-a-gallon gas is good for business — especially if you run a bike shop.

As the price of gasoline rises, the number of people interested in alternate transportation grows and bicycle stores are reaping the benefits.

Bicycle dealers say commuters around the country are dusting off their old two-wheelers — or buying new ones — to cope with rising fuel prices.

“It’s not just the price of fuel. They’re aggravated at what seems like artificially high prices,” Eric Bender of Bicycle Sports said. “People are using this (gas prices) as a kick in the pants and using it as a reason to get fit. It’s not that people can’t afford it (gas) they just don’t want to pay. This way they can burn calories and get exercise.”

Bender, who is in management at the Beaumont bicycle shop, said most people who come into his store are looking for a bicycle to ride to the store or to work to cut down on using their vehicles for short trips — trips that use the most gas and are most harmful to the environment.

“The best part is that people are getting exercise and getting outside. It’s a good psychological thing, too. People forget how enjoyable it is to ride a bike. The fuel prices have been a catalyst for people to get out and ride” Bender added. “If there’s a silver lining to this cloud, that’s it.”

He said the store has seen a boost in sales from not only new bicycles, but bicycle repair and accessories — including carts and trailers for groceries.

But things aren’t so swell for Chad Boatman, owner of Bayou Bikes in Orange. Boatman said for Christmas he stocked up on several types of bikes thinking parents and bike riders would be buying them up for the holidays. The sad fact, he said, is that his bike sales have not increased.

“If anything it’s (bike sales) declined. My sales plummeted after Christmas,” he said. “People come in here looking and say the bikes are too expensive. Then they go to Wal-Mart and buy a cheap bike that breaks and they bring it here to get repaired. I think people are just in a recession.”

Boatman did say the sales of his BMX bikes rose among men.

About 18 million bicycles have been sold annually in the U.S. over the past few years, accounting for about $6 billion in annual sales, said Fred Clements, executive director the National Bicycle Dealers Association.

And while the idea of bicycle commuting is a cost-effective one, in Southeast Texas it’s not a safe one, Bender said.

“What’s held bicycles back is not enough safe routes from neighborhoods to stores. Cities don’t hesitate to put sanctions in for others, but there are no bike paths and certainly no utility paths for people who want to ride for transportation and that’s a big issue,” he said. “We need to see that addressed by cities.”

The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week this week and Bike-to-Work Day on May 16.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

        

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