SALEM, N.H. — After years of stagnant national sales, the gas crisis may be pumping some new life and changes into the bicycle industry.
"We're seeing more and more people buying bicycles for doing errands," said John Maurice, bicycle manager for Buchika's on South Broadway in Salem, N.H. "The bike industry says 60 percent of all car trips are for 2 miles or less. Because of that figure, people are buying bikes to go to the library or grocery store. If it's two to three miles, people are interested."
Bike shop owners across the country say more people appear interested in riding, and sales have risen by as much as 20 percent from a year ago, according to the National Bicycle Dealers Association. Bike repairs have climbed even more dramatically, as high as 60 percent at some outlets.
The U.S. bicycle industry racked up $6 billion in sales in 2007, including bicycles, related parts and accessories. This year the association expects revenue to stay about the same, despite increased interest in bikes and accessories for commuting. Officials say that's because people are buying less-expensive bikes in the slow economy.
Maurice said that while sales of new bikes have risen 20 percent at Buchika's, the biggest change he's seen is the conversion of old mountain bikes to more town- and errand-friendly bikes.
What that usually means is taking the fat knobby tires off and replacing them with new wheels, tires and all sorts of equipment to make them more functional for street and sidewalk use.
He also said a lot of people are coming in looking for bike racks to mount over the back tire to which they can then attach things, like panniers — the French word for saddlebags. The panniers are used to carry stuff around, like groceries.
"They sell grocery bag panniers that stay flat when you're riding but open up to perfectly fit grocery bags for the return trip," he said. "In the last five years, I had no requests for panniers. Now, I can't even buy them. There's a shortage of them."
Jerry Gauron, owner of the Andover Cycle Stop for the past 25 years, said that while he's selling more bikes, the biggest increase in his business has been updating old ones.
"I haven't seen some of these bikes in 30 years," he said, noting that people are going into their sheds and pulling out old Schwinns, Peugots and Univegas, along with old-style racing bikes, and bringing them in for a cleaning and a tune-up.
"People want them modernized and designed more for comfort than speed," he said, noting that he puts on upright handlebars, new seats, tires and other amenities. "These bikes are coming out of the woodwork. They've been stored for years and people say, 'I can pedal my way around and save a couple hundred bucks a month in gas money.'"
Older bikes often need a light or medium tune-up, typically costing between $75 and $180, depending on the shop and the bike's condition. The most common repairs are to replace tires that have rotted from disuse and cables that have rusted beyond repair.
Other parts of the country are also seeing an uptick in sales and repairs.
"Bike sales have gone up since the price of fuel has gone up," says Brad Winter, general manager of Bicycles Plus in Folsom, a Sacramento suburb. "In the last two to three months, we're starting to see more people willing to commute (by bike)."
"My favorite thing is when people come in and say, 'I need a bike because I just sold my car,'" says Jess Clifton, mechanic for the Bicycle Chef in Sacramento.
Rather than mountain bikes, more customers come in looking for commuter bikes in the $200 to $600 price range, which is lower than many high-priced road bikes.
Also popular are hybrid bicycles, a cross between a mountain bike and a street bike, recommended for commutes between five and 10 miles.
Maurice of Buchika's and Gauron of Andover Cycle Stop, are also selling a lot of hybrids.
"They're more upright, more comfortable," Gauron said.
Gauron said some people coming into his store are using their bikes for commuting, with one customer riding as much as 15 miles each way to and from work.
But Maurice said most roads in the Merrimack Valley "aren't conducive" to commuting, because there are very few bike paths, narrow shoulders and crazy drivers.
"People get scared they're going to get hit by a the side-view mirror of some yahoo's truck," he said.
In Europe, more bikes are ridden because in some countries, every time a road is built a corresponding bike path is built as well.
He said Windham has a good bike path heading toward Derry, and that both Derry and Salem, N.H., may be building extensions so that one day people can ride all the way to the Methuen line.
And for cyclists worried about sharing the road with a big SUV or speeding cars, help is on the way.
On Friday, N.H. Gov. John Lynch is expected to sign a bill requiring vehicles to give bike riders a three-foot buffer when they pass.
"If people are given safe routes to ride bikes, they would ride them more often," he said.
Material from Scripps-Howard was used in this report.
