More commuters pedaling to work

Two years ago, Dave Cole made a decision.

"I felt like I was challenged: You can't live without a car," he said. "So I sold my car."

Without it, Cole, a graphic designer, began to bike. He has been hooked ever since.

"I'm just totally saturated in bike life now," he said.

Others may soon follow in his footsteps. Last week, Washington's average gas price climbed to a record high of $4.34 for a gallon of unleaded. Local consumers are looking for ways to cut down on trips to the pump and, for many, that means biking more and driving less.

"We have seen a larger amount of people coming in and announcing the fact they aren't going to be driving because of gas prices," said Leon Ettelson, a sales manager at Kirkland Bicycle Shop. "Whether or not they're doing that, I don't know."

Out of 50 customers each day, Ettelson said, about 15 come in complaining about gas prices. But not all are biking as an alternative to driving.

Overall, more people are bicycling, regardless of purpose. Recycled Cycles, a shop in the University District, estimated its sales are up at least 20 percent this year, on top of 20 percent growth the year before.

With a bike advocate in Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, city officials have approved a Bicycle Master Plan to promote commuting and recreational riding, via a network of bike lanes and trails. Nickels has said he wants to triple the use of bicycles in the city within a decade.

The Bicycle Master Plan identifies a goal of 143 miles of bike lanes by 2016 (there are currently 31 miles), along with making bike lanes at intersections more noticeable. The Seattle Department of Transportation counted 2,273 cyclists riding into downtown on one day last September during the morning rush hour.

These commuters are buying road bikes and other accessories, such as lights and racks, to make their trips easier. Gregg's Greenlake Cycle, whose sales are also up, stocked a bike strictly for commuting, the Trek Soho, for the first time this summer — and already 30 have sold.

But the Soho can cost as much as $1,000. Some, instead of buying a new bike, just use what they have.

"The cost of gas has taken away disposable income as well," said Marty Pluth, general manager of Gregg's. "So it's hurting us in that way. What [people] are doing is bringing the old bike out of the garage." People then bring those bikes in for repairs and tuneups, Pluth said.

Andy Friedlander, a spokesman for REI's flagship store in Seattle, said more customers are taking the store's bike-maintenance classes. That, he added, suggests people are trying to get the most out of their old bikes.

Ettelson said that his Kirkland store is actually behind in sales compared to other years, but he attributed this to the past month's poor weather. He said that if his customers do commute by bike to work, they aren't riding more than 10 miles.

The trip from Kirkland or Redmond into Seattle is too long for some people to make on their bikes, Ettelson said.

Bus ridership is "way up," said Linda Thielke, a spokeswoman for King County Metro Transit, and the agency regularly receives requests for more bike lockers, so riders can store their bikes at bus stops. Metro has added 13 lockers, which store multiple bikes, for a total of 210 systemwide.

Some people, of course, just want to go on a bike ride.

"It's a type of exercise I don't despise," said Meghan Tesh, a customer at Recycled Cycles who can't commute to work because she's a nanny and needs her car. She started biking to train for a triathlon.

"I do love my car, but ... it's nice to get from point A to point B without being in a car."

REI's Friedlander said gas prices aren't the only reason people turn to bikes.

"It's also summertime."

Jeff Raderstrong: 206-464-3301 or jraderstrong@seattletimes.com