Minneapolis Residents Take to Their Bikes

"The latest bicycle boom has little to do with fitness and everything to do with $4 gas. People are hauling long-neglected bikes to repair shops and snapping up bicycle saddlebags. In Minneapolis, already home to the nation's second-highest number of bicycle commuters, the network of bicycle paths is getting crowded.

Metro Transit expected 700 people to enroll by January 2009 in its new program encouraging commuters to cycle to work. More than 1,100 have signed up in the first seven weeks.

The bicycle traffic on one bridge linking Minneapolis and St. Paul jumped by 50 percent over the past year."

"Commuter accessories such as grocery bag racks have become must-haves, sold out from some suppliers and wholesalers. Baskets and lights are also in demand, as are 27-inch tires, not used on new bicycles since the 1980s."