More commuters turn to pedal power as gas prices spin higher.

Byline: Jim Feehan The Register-Guard

When gas reached $2.90 a gallon a few weeks ago, Eric Wold of Eugene decided to leave his sport utility vehicle in the garage and buy a bike for commuting to work.

"That was the last straw, my breaking point," Wold said. "Now, my Honda CRV will only be used on weekend hikes and going to the mountains."

Wold, who commutes about five miles from his Cal Young neighborhood to his job downtown as a Eugene wetlands program supervisor, picked up his bike last week from Collins Cycle Shop.

Wold may not be alone in the coming months as more Eugeneans are inquiring about pedaling to work, according to a sample of bicycle retailers.

The state's record gas prices - higher than elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest - coupled with warmer weather have brought more customers into Paul's Bicycle Way of Life, sales representative Andy Jones said.

"The high gas prices haven't hurt us," he said.

So-called hybrid bicycles, which combine road bicycles' larger-diameter wheels and lighter tires with a mountain bike's handlebar and seat, are popular among commuters, Jones said.

"I had one guy who told me he sold both of his cars and bought a Trek 7.3 FX," he said, citing a hybrid bike model.

Business has also been brisk at Collins, said Kevin Carlson, a sales representative and head mechanic at the retailer on East 11th Avenue. But Carlson said he's skeptical that $3-a-gallon gas is the reason why.

"For most people it won't make a lick of difference," he said. "It would have to be more serious, say $5.50 or $6 a gallon."

For Jessica Arnold of Eugene, it's not the stratospheric gas prices that have gotten her to commute by bike rather than car. She's thinking more globally, doing her part for improved air quality, traffic flow and personal health.

"Our addiction to oil has to stop," Arnold said. She leaves her Honda Element at her south Eugene house and rides her bike to the Emergency Veterinary Hospital in Springfield, where she works as a technician.

Among the virtues of commuting by bicycle: no insurance premiums, exercise and the camaraderie among cyclists, Arnold said.

"I also feel more connected to the community," she said.

Eugene is famous for its 119-mile circuit of bike paths and lanes, bike racks on its buses and a burgeoning bicycling manufacturing industry, which employs hundreds and ships bicycle gear around the world. Some Eugene businesses encourage employees to commute by bicycle.

The activity has repeatedly landed Eugene on the top of Bicycle magazine's list of "Best Cities for Cycling," alongside Seattle, Madison, Wis., and Boulder, Colo.

The city of Eugene does not have a tally of how many of its employees commute to work, said public works spokesman Eric Jones.

But the city is among the sponsors of People Powered Fridays, a program that encourages commuters to leave their cars at home each Friday through the summer.

Gas prices and the cost of parking downtown led Jones to invest in a new bicycle last month. Now he rides to work from his south Eugene home.

"Besides, I need the exercise," he said.

CAPTION(S):

A cyclist travels the Amazon greenway through the West Eugene Wetlands on a perfect spring afternoon. Record gasoline prices and warmer weather are driving more commuters into local bicycle shops.