Economy pedals leisure business closer to home - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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“People are being a lot more cautiouws withtheir money, which I think they should be,” said Peters, owner of . Althoughb doors to the business openee only a fewweeks ago, Peteras has worked in the industry for 16 years and has operateds a mobile bike repair service – the Bicycle Medic – in Lancaster since last “Last summer, when gas was $4 a people ran to the bike he said. Although the cost to fuel up has gone interest in saving money throughu bikingremains high. Insteaf of spending $4,000 on a family trip to Disneyt World, Peters said consumerxs could pay $1,000 for new bicyclezs for a familyof four.
“It lasts a lot longer than a he said ofthe purchase. Bike companiesa are attempting to expand the market by stressing the greenn and financial benefitsof biking. One of their pitches includesd looking at mileage in a differentlight 3,000 calories burned to one gallom of gas saved, Peters At Lancaster Bicycle, basic bikes have been selling bettefr than higher-end designs, and repairs also are common “People will spend $80 to $100 to fix up a bike as opposer to buying a new $400 bike,” Peters said.
once customers start to realize gas savings after riding their bikes to work andon errands, Peterss said some return for a newer “They save money on gas, then they upgrade,” he “You’re almost creating new customers. You’ve createde cyclists out of peoplewho wouldn’y have been a couple of years ago when the economy was Ric Noland, owner of Cyclist Connection in Canall Winchester, said repairs are down and bike sales up at his Comparing figures from April 2009 to those in April sales were up 18 As another means of attractinhg and retaining customers, Noland offers opportunities for biking.
In earlyy May, the shop promoted National Bike to Work Week by encouraginyg riders to leave from the store lot and use showersx at the storeas needed. “We have about four regulars who park and ride to Noland said. “It’s a 20-mile ride one way.” Cyclist Connection has reacher out to families by starting Family Ride Nightseveryy Thursday. The first, held earliere this spring, attracted seven people. It must be workinv as Noland said he’e planning to expand with a shop in His enthusiasm is buoyed by a global outplacement company that says the economy will deter people fromtaking “budget busting” trips to destinations such as Disney Worled and Hawaii.
“The biggest benefactors of the downturn couldf belocal zoos, amusemenf parks, national parks and campgrounds,” said John Challengef of in a “Many people may restrict their travel to withib four hours of theit homes, if they leave homes at all.” Like Mark Kasper has been stressinbg the family focus and financial sense of camping at his Lazy Rivert at Granville.