An Upside To The Gas Crunch

'Transit officials in numerous cities report that more people taking their bikes along when the catch the bus or the train — in Houston, the number rose 33 percent in May alone, officials said. Those bikes take up passenger space, and that puts the squeeze on all paying customers.

“I believe in the future that cycling is going to not be just a trend, but a way of life for a lot of people,” said Gene Wells, owner of Fat Tire Cycle in Buckhannon, W.Va., an assessment that was echoed by Rebecca Anderson, advocacy director for Trek Bicycle Corp.

"Millions of people have bicycles hanging in the garage and they're getting them down and riding them,” Anderson said. “People are looking at the bicycle as more than just a toy.”'

Deadly tension on the roads — cars vs. bikes