ALBUQUERQUE — Someone recently came into Fat Tire Cycles in Albuquerque hoping to trade his four-wheel-drive pickup truck for a $5,000 bicycle, but shop owner Steve McCampbell Sr. didn’t bite. With bike sales blazing and gas hogs languishing in used-car lots, McCampbell said, "I didn’t want his four-wheel-drive."

High gas prices are driving people to bike shops in droves, an informal survey of those businesses in New Mexico shows. Some shops, like Fat Tire, report record sales to prospective commuters looking for ways to cut their fuel bills. Others say their customers are staying home more and looking for bikes as cheap recreation. All of them say their mechanics are inundated with customers hoping to breathe new life into an old Schwinn or Peugeot.

"Ever since gas got over $3 a gallon, people have been ditching their cars and going to bikes," said Brandon March, who manages the Bike World shop on University Boulevard NE.

Added McCampbell, "It’s one of the few businesses that’s gaining from these fuel prices."

National trend, mostly

Albuquerque bike shops aren’t the only ones enjoying the boom. The Chicago Sun-Times reports brisk bicycle sales in the Windy City. In Minot, N.D., the owner of a shop that opened its doors in 1960 told the Associated Press that this may be one of the best years in its history. And Usman Valiante, a spokesman for the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada, told the Financial Times of Ontario that all across his country "… bike sales are going through the roof."

In the Duke City, shop owners and managers cite a range of reasons for the increase in traffic, but higher gas prices are at the heart of them all.

"Four dollars seemed to be the tipping point," said McCampbell. When gas hit $3 a gallon last year, his sales of commuter bikes skyrocketed. The store sold more commuter bikes — which are lighter than a mountain bike but which put the rider in a more upright position than a road bike — in those 12 months than in the previous five years, he said. "In the last three months we’ve probably sold as many as all last year," he said. "I just think that all of a sudden there’s a great deal more consciousness with people about what’s happening with their pocketbook."

Across town at Sportz Outdoor, manager Randy Silva said his shop is "busy, busy, busy. It’s incredible," though not necessarily because more people are starting to ride to work. For most residents, Albuquerque is a difficult town for commuting, he said. Many people live too far from where they work to make a comfortable daily ride, he said.

Silva maintains that today’s high gas prices are leading more people to stay close to home, "and they want something to do." Whether it’s for exercise or because they can ride with friends and socialize, Silva said new bike buyers are choosing bicycles that are comfortable to ride for relatively short distances.

In Rio Rancho, High Desert Bicycles co-owner John Kibodeaux said he’s relieved to see that his customers are not as interested in commuting as in recreation. Even at $4 a gallon, people don’t feel like they absolutely must start riding to work, he said.

"The minute bikes turn into transportation instead of fun, it’s bad for the bike industry," Kibodeaux said.

Farther south, in Las Cruces, Chain Driven Bike Shop and Rental owner Robbie Tafoya said his concern these days isn’t selling bikes as much as keeping stocked up. "Getting product has probably been our biggest challenge," he said, particularly after the big earthquake in China. Most bikes are made in China, and Tafoya said his prices rose as much as 20 percent after the May 12 quake in Sichuan Province killed some 88,000 people and shuttered many Chinese industries.

Higher prices for everything from complete bikes to tires, tubes and seats has kept some prospective buyers at bay, Tafoya said. "I think we’re all hopeful that gas prices will drop, but when it goes to $8 or $10 a gallon, that’s when people will make the commitment" to not just buy bicycles but to start riding on a daily basis, he said.

Fix ‘er up, Doc

While most of the bike shop managers interviewed by the New Mexico Independent said their sales were up at least somewhat, all mentioned a strong demand for repairs. At the Bike World shop on University Boulevard, March said he’s not setting any sales records, but the shop’s maintenance work has soared.

"We’re doing more repairs than we’ve done in years and years," he said. "Tires, tubes, brake pads, tune-ups — some of these old bikes need so much work it’s not worth it." When the rehab bill comes up to $150, March said, why not spend an extra $70 and buy a new one?

Silver City residents are rolling their old stock into Gila Hike and Bike at a record clip, said owner Jay Hemphill. Sales of new bikes had started out strong earlier this year, then inexplicably dropped off given that gasoline is now $4.19 a gallon, he said. "Last week we didn’t sell any bikes, but we got hammered with repairs," he said. "You can tell people are feeling the pinch."

Whether the strong, current interest in bicycles continues is anyone’s guess, but the head of the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Guy Caruso, told a congressional committee in June to expect gasoline prices to stay in the $4 range for the next year or two at least. Global demand is rising for a supply that is generally holding steady or falling.

In the meantime, bicyclists in New Mexico can avail themselves of local knowledge to help make the transition from the couch to bicycle recreation or from car commuting to bicycling through groups like the New Mexico Touring Society and BikeABQ.