From the AP
The manager of Sid's Bikes in Manhattan realized he had a supply problem early this summer as an unprecedented number of people walked through the door and rode out on two wheels.
Dahon foldable bikes, which you can easily take on a train or into the work place, were gone by June. Sid's just got another shipment.
They always want to point to the story of the day as the cause- gas prices, or now the economy
It appears to be more than gas prices that have spurred bike sales. The malaise over the U.S. economy has led to changing behavior. The nation's unemployment rate jumped above 6 percent last month for the first time in five years and its likely to get worse as the U.S. economy continues to stumble along.
Can't they see we're in a tidal shift in American transportation?
"Now if I'm going to go five miles, I just always take my bike," he said. "If I bike in the morning, it just makes the whole day better."
While business at bike shops normally slows in the winter, Jim Rose says more customers are requesting studded snow tires.
"I'd like to live in a place where everything's within biking distance," he said. "It's just more fun."
Besides, he said, sometimes biking gets you there faster.
"I sort of have a sly grin on my face when I bike through traffic and everyone's stuck in their cars," he said. "It's not all about the environment or saving money, it's about having fun."
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