Gas prices push U.S. bike sales to near-historic peak

"Tim Campbell" wrote:

We Like Bike

[snip]

CNN just did a piece on the skyrocketing bike sales. In the long run,
I think it's wonderful. In the short run, though, it feels like being
a skier when snowboarding first started: you're the capable one trying
to dodge all the out-of-control newbies.

If this is anything but a blip, watch for prices to start increasing.
I'll be looking for sales while they're hot. Also a good time to
clean out your garage and do a big eBay'age. They're gonna' need
stuff ... and--as far as they know--it doesn't get any better than
that Biopace crankset you've been holding on to ;-)

It's probably also a great time to be a physical therapist, massage
therapist, orthopedic surgeon, ER physician, or cardiologist. Not
/everyone/ getting on a Huffy is really in shape to ride.

On a hopeful note: perhaps those for whom pure economics provided the
impetus to ride will take note of the issues that the rest of us have
faced (traffic, errant motorists, bad/nonexistent spots for cyclists
to ride, etc., etc.) for years, and take a fresh shot at vocalizing
their concerns. More advocates couldn't hurt.

In article ,
Neil Brooks writes:
"Tim Campbell" wrote:

We Like Bike

[snip]

CNN just did a piece on the skyrocketing bike sales. In the long run,
I think it's wonderful. In the short run, though, it feels like being
a skier when snowboarding first started: you're the capable one trying
to dodge all the out-of-control newbies.

I've detected a recent spike in apparently new riders,
or people who've been off their bikes for a long time,
out on the streets. It's not bad. Some of 'em are
riding rather kewl old bikes -- Raleigh 3-speeds and
suchlike. They're not very conversational, though, as
they grunt & wheeze up the upslopes. And a lot of 'em
haven't yet figured out about the door zone.

If this is anything but a blip, watch for prices to start increasing.

The Canadian federal gov't recently proposed a protectionist,
consumer-level $50 tax on imported bikes.


cheers,
Tom
--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

(Tom Keats) wrote in
:



The Canadian federal gov't recently proposed a protectionist,
consumer-level $50 tax on imported bikes.


Sure, Canada is a petroleum _exporting_ country, and Schwinn is now a
Canadian company!

--ag

Neil Brooks wrote in
:



On a hopeful note: perhaps those for whom pure economics provided the
impetus to ride will take note of the issues that the rest of us have
faced (traffic, errant motorists, bad/nonexistent spots for cyclists
to ride, etc., etc.) for years, and take a fresh shot at vocalizing
their concerns. More advocates couldn't hurt.

Exactly. The more riders, the safer and more efficient each ride becomes
-- eventually, anyway.

--ag