David Miller, above, works on a new display at Caster’s Bicycles in Warwick.

The Providence Journal John Freidah

When the price of gasoline spiked to $4 per gallon last summer, commuters didn’t rush to bike shops in search of more economical transportation, says Reed Caster, owner of Caster’s Bicycle Center in Warwick.

But many commuters did rush to their garages and basements to spruce up bikes that have been collecting dust for the last five years, says P.J. Ramstack, sales and customer service manager at Civia Cycles, a Minnesota manufacturer of bikes designed for commuting and shopping, as well as for fun. He says independent bike shops saw their service departments prosper when gasoline prices were high.

When they did dust off the bikes, the would-be commuters accessorized them with bags, lights and other gadgets at such a frantic pace, suppliers had difficulty keeping up, according to Eric Lightbody of Todson Inc., a manufacturer’s representative agency in North Attleboro. His firm represents Jango, a “multi-activity bicycle,” for commuters and everyone else.

Caster, Ramstack and Lightbody all attended Interbike Outdoor Demo Days East, a cycling trade show that had its debut in Roger Williams Park last month. Organizers of the event expected more than 1,000 retailers, wholesale distributors and other members of the industry from the East Coast to visit 60 manufacturers of bikes and accessories. Interbike, held annually in Las Vegas, is cycling’s largest trade show in the United States. Outdoor Demo Days gives dealers opportunities to actually try the new products.

Urbana, a Canadian bike manufacturer, displayed a new bike made specifically for city commuting. Representing Urbana, Paul Harris said that even though the cycling industry did not experience a spike in sales when fuel prices soared, independent bike dealers are doing well by offering extraordinary service.

The vast majority of bikes displayed in the park were designed for pleasure. However, manufacturers such as Civia and Urbana are banking on Americans to adapt to everyday bicycling — as many Europeans have — when gasoline prices rebound to new highs.

“I think we’re going to see [gasoline] go to $5 next summer,” says Civia’s Ramstack “and when the people who are dusting off their bikes now see that high prices are here to stay, they’ll start to look for nicer and more utility-oriented bikes.” Civia makes models ranging from $1,550 to $3,300.

The Urbana is strictly a utility bike. “It’s designed for the city environment,” says Harris. “It’s a sturdy and very stiff bike, so you can actually use this bike to go over stairs, through potholes, through construction sites — whatever you might encounter in the city… One size fits all; anybody in the family can use it with a couple of adjustments.” It costs $1,399.

Giant, a California bike manufacturer, takes a different path, designing models for specific users —including a line designed specifically for women, says Tiffany Brown, the company’s women’s program manager. The geometry of a woman’s bike is different because most women have longer legs and shorter torsos than men of comparable height.

Specialized also makes bikes specifically for women, and the women’s models are selling, says retailer Reed Caster.

“The independent bike shop is still the place to go to get a good solid product and advice,” says Urbana’s Paul Harris.

“When you talk to the retailers who are really doing well, and they’re not concerned about what other people are doing to undercut them,” says Civia’s P.J. Ramstack. “They’ve built their service level so high that they ... know that their customers are coming back to them because of the knowledge they have and the service they give.”

tmeade@projo.com