Sales up at Cedar Falls, Iowa, bike shops; Iowa City Bike Library expects to move
Cedar Falls, Iowa, bike shop owners say their spike in sales in recent years give credence to a recent University of Northern Iowa study showing bicycling has a $364.8 million economic impact on the state annually.
The study said bike shops, like those in Cedar Falls, have sold about 18,300 bikes, according to the Cedar Falls Patch.
Brian Bottke of Europa Ski and Cycle noted that cyclists are attracted to Black Hawk County's more than 100 miles of paved trails, in addition to many miles of "soft trails" promoted by by the Cedar Valley Association for Soft Trails. The city of Cedar Falls passed a bike plan in 2009 and have since installed bike racks that have encouraged residents to run errands and shop by bike.
The online newspaper noted that the League of American Bicyclists ranked Iowa the sixth most bike-friendly state last year.
In other biking-related news out of Iowa, the Iowa City Patch reported that the Iowa City Bike Library -- a volunteer-run nonprofit that rehabs donated bikes -- is moving closer to other bike-friendly business, a so-called "blinky light district."