LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - For Victor Miller, bicycles are a way of life.
"I restore 70s and 80s lug steel 10 speeds," said the 57-year old Miller as he tinkered with the brakes on a bicycle he is overhauling.
It's a passion he's worked on at Vic's Classic Bikes for years.
"My business has ridden the wave of rising gas prices since I started it out of my garage four years ago," Miller said.
Since then, gas prices have brought in a virtual Tour de Force of people.
"I don't have to pay too much to fuel my legs," Christiana Schuman said as she walked out of Miller's shop with a new bike tire.
About 75% of Miller's clientele, including Schuman, have started cycling, mainly because of high gas prices
"Yeah, I probably save about $50 a month biking to and from school," Schuman said.
"People whine and complain at $2.00, $2.50, $3.00, $3. 50. At $4.00 [a gallon], they change their behavior. And that's what I've noticed. Now, people are starting to do that."
In fact, Miller says gas prices are changing his behavior.
"If it's not raining and I dont have to haul something in my station wagon, I'm going to be using the bus and a bicycle," Miller said.
That's also an option for Lisa Rifkind. We caught her filling up a gas container to bring to her son-in-law who just ran out of gas because at $3.95 a gallon, it's just too expensive for him to fill up
"I can't afford to go to work just to buy gas to go to work," Rifkind said. "I can't do it."
If gas prices aren't enough to get you on a bike, Miller said he had a possible solution to get more people to use two wheels instead of four.
"I'd like to see a lot more bicycle infrastructure and a tax on gasoline to pay for it," Miller said with a laugh.
Copyright 2011 WAVE News. All rights reserved.
Victor Miller
Christiana Schuman
Lisa Rifkind
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2012 WorldNow and WAVE, a Raycom Media Station. 