Bike Sales Lag Despite High Price of Gasoline

By Brian Foley, STAFF WRITER

HAYWARD — Warren Winland pedals a bike seven miles to his job. The Fremont resident, who doesn’t have a car, has no idea how much money he saves.

“There’s no insurance and no gas to pay for,” he said. “The last time I paid gas, it was reaching $2 a gallon. It cost me $20 to fill up.”

Winland works at Wilson Bicycle Sales on Wiegman Road, a bike parts distributor. Dennis Morgan, its owner for 22 years, said despite record-setting gasoline prices, bike sales remain stagnant and Winland’s two-wheel commute is an exception to the rule.

“It’s been a hard sell for years to get people to take a bike to work or the grocery store,” Morgan said. “People will buy a bike and claim they’re going to ride it, and then a month later it’s hanging in the garage and it’s never used again. Some say they hope gas reaches $5 because then people will buy bikes, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Clarence Witt, 69, of Witt’s Bicycle Shop, bikes at least 30 miles on weekends for fun. He said he hopes to see bike sales rise along with gasoline prices.

“It’s something we thought would take off, but it hasn’t,” he said.

Bike shop owners fondly recall the gasoline crisis of the 1970s when bike sales skyrocketed to the point that shops were cleaned out.

“It was probably a 100 percent increase in sales,” said Witt, who has owned his shop for 37years. “If you sold 400 bikes a year back then, then that year you sold 800. Now those bikes are sitting in people’s garages.”

The difference between now and then, said Morgan, is that 30 years ago there were long lines and designated days to fill up at the gas pump.

“We didn’t have enough bikes for the amount of demand there was,” he said. “We were selling 60 days in advance. People weren’t willing to wait in line. But now they are willing to spend $100 for gas for their SUVs.”

Last week’s gasoline prices for the greater Oakland area averaged $2.80 a gallon, said Sean Comey, spokesman for AAA of Northern California. Since then, prices have crested the $3 mark during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Comey believes people may start to conserve in small ways, such as sometimes using public transit or telecommuting.

“It would probably be unfair to say if you were riding a bike, we wouldn’t have this problem,” he said. “Bicycles and public transportation can be great for some people. Unfortunately, most commuters don’t have discretion. People are conserving what they can. You can’t take your kids around on the back of a bicycle.”

Even if people choose the two-wheel option, safety would be an issue because Hayward does not have adequate bike lanes, Winland said.

“You deal with people who drive two blocks to the BART station who won’t walk,” he said. “I deal with irate people. I’m frustrated by drivers, especially those not paying attention in the morning. They’re either on their cell phones or putting on makeup or they haven’t had their first cup of coffee yet.”

But motorists seemingly are doing a little something about prices. Between January and April, statewide gasoline consumption dipped 0.5 percent compared with the same period last year, when it had risen 2 to 3 percent over January-April 2003, according to the California Energy Commission.

“People are doing the best they can to cut back,” Comey said. “If everyone saved a few gallons, we’d be in better shape. What we all do collectively has a huge impact. And if you want to ride a bicycle, that’s great.”

Brian Foley can be reached at (510) 293-2480 or bfoley@dailyreviewonline.com.