When Julius Mayo walked into Light Street Cycles in Federal Hill a few weeks ago it certainly wasn't out of force of habit.
"I hadn't been on a bike in about 20 years," he says.
Nonetheless, Mayo went on a test ride with a staff technician and intends to buy his own set of wheels.
Most people his age - he'll turn 73 in December - regard bicycling as kid stuff. But Mayo felt an almost magnetic pull to get back in the saddle.
"I watch people riding on the street," he explains. "It looks so healthful, so free."
Other prodigal pedalers apparently are returning to the fold, and the Baltimore area in particular has an array of cycling clubs and user-friendly trails that can help make the transition a smooth one.
According to Bikes Belong, a nationwide coalition of suppliers and retailers, bicycle sales have spiked dramatically since August. An estimated 20 million bikes will be sold this year, a level the industry hasn't seen since the heady, gas-crunch days of the early 1970s.
"I don't know if it's gas prices or the nice weather," Light Street Cycles owner Penny Troutner says of the heavier-than-normal traffic in her shop, "but you never get this in September and October."
Bicycle riding, like swimming and perhaps cursing, is one of those ingrained habits that supposedly never gets completely erased from one's memory bank. Still, taking it up after an extended layoff - which, for all intents and purposes, means donning that thorny crown of "adult beginner" - can be daunting.
Lori Newman, a 41-year-old graphic designer, got the urge to cycle three years ago after moving to Reisterstown. She borrowed her husband's beat-up old bike and began exploring scenic Worthington Valley with a girlfriend. The fact that Newman hadn't been on a bike in more than a decade quickly hit home.
"The traffic kinda freaked me out a little bit," she says. "I acted more like a pedestrian. I'd walk my bike across roads."
Newman wound up taking a few of the Baltimore Bicycling Club's free orientation classes, which cover safety precautions and basic maintenance. That gave her the confidence to move more at ease in the fast company of automobiles.
"What I learned from the bike club," says Newman, "is that you should pretend you're a very skinny car."
Gordon Peltz is a seasoned cyclist in his 60s who leads many of the Baltimore club's introductory classes. He encourages people to give biking a try no matter what their age. You may discover a different, healthier lifestyle. Or maybe not. Either way, it's a win-win proposition.
