Commuters look to two wheels
By DANIEL ARCHULETA Managing Editor
CITYWIDE It could be the weather. Perhaps it’s rising gas prices. Cleaning up the environment may factor in. Regardless of the reasons, local bike shops have noticed a definite upswing in the number of people using pedal power to commute around town.
A number of shops have reported that overall sales numbers are up and bikes are rolling out of showrooms at a brisk pace. Bike accessories and service appear to be leading the charge as more people opt to trade four wheels for two.
“It’s hard to judge, but it seems that sales are up anywhere from 10 to 20 percent,” Andrew Smith, owner of Bike Attack on Main Street, said. “We’re noticing a real increase. Certain things you don’t sell regularly have been moving a lot faster.”
Smith said that sales always pick up during the summer months, but has noticed that this year has been particularly good for business. A sudden demand for 27-inch tires, which were once standard equipment, is a telling sign that a new wave of commuters are retrieving aging bicycles and restoring them to road-ready status. Manufactures have since gone to a new industry standard, with 27-inchers becoming a remnant of a time that has since rolled by.
“People are bringing their old bikes out of the basement to get them up and going,” Smith said.“[The old tires] are still available, but nobody predicted that there would be such a demand.”
The run on the once-popular tire size wiped out Bike Attack’s stock forcing Smith to scramble to restock his inventory. He said he’s currently prepared to handle what is sure to continue to be an ongoing trend.
Along with equipment, specialized types of bikes have proven to be popular among bicycle commuters. Hybrids, bikes that embody qualities from both mountain and road bikes, have drawn the interest of recent buyers. Riders are also on the hunt for bikes that serve particular needs.
“We sell specific commuter bikes that hold everything from books to briefcases to coffee,” Andrew Jed, a salesman at Performance Bicycle Shop on Broadway, said. “It’s all a matter of how easily you want to get across town.”
With commuting playing a major role in the growth of bike’s popularity, not all riders use their rides to get to and from work.
“I’m thinking of buying a bike for recreational purposes,”said Whitney Bridge while he was perusing the goods at Performance. “I’m looking for a bike to ride to places like the market. I live too far to ride it to work, but I’d definitely ride it to local places, especially since parking is such a pain.”
Not every shop in town has noticed quite as sharp an increase in sales figures, but the sudden demand for equipment and services appears to be a universally strong segment of the industry.
“I haven’t seen people running in off the street to replace their car, but it seems that more people are refurbishing their existing bikes to get them ready for the road,” Jay Wolff, the general manager at Helen's Cycles on 25th Street, said.
Apparel has been a popular category for Helen’s as have racks and baskets. Wolff said that people turning to bikes for commuting purposes often look for products that make taking items along for the ride an easier undertaking.
As human-powered commuting grows in popularity, the need for maintenance and service has kept pace. Some commuters have even taken a proactive approach to keeping their bikes on the road. One of the most popular spots for hands-on cyclists, Bikerowave, gives people the opportunity to work on their bikes using the shop’s tools and equipment and provides access to low-cost parts that have been donated to the repair collective.
“Part of [the reason I came to Bikerowave] was the cost,” Katie O’Shea, 30, said. “Part of it was wanting to learn. Another part of it was to be more involved with the biking community on the Westside. I’m am just voracious about learning how to maintain my bike.”
She recently became a member of the cooperative and took advantage of the access to both tools and knowledge to re-equip her bike for commuting.
“It is the best place [to work on bikes} in Los Angeles,” O’Shea said. “You’re learning to take care of your bike along the way.”
She uses her bike to commute from her home in Mar Vista to El Segundo every day. The 8-mile commute to her job as a designer at an advertising firm gives her an opportunity to park her car and be kind to the environment at the same time. She’s come to rely on her bike so much that she is putting her car up for sale.
“I only use it a couple of times a month,” she said. “I usually only drive it to the recy-clable center. I could always ask my roommate to drive me instead.”
While consumers and retailers point to a number of factors fueling the emergence of cycling as a viable commuting option, most agree that nothing but good could come from it.
“Santa Monica is always trying to be more bike friendly,” Wolff said. “It is the solution to a lot of the problems out there.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 2, 2008. Read the original PDF.