Caroline Dickinson used to drive all the time — to work, to go out with friends­, anywhere she could. Now, with gas at almost $4 a gallon, she has changed her motorist ways and started finding other means to get around.

“I like riding bikes because I get to save the planet,” Dickinson, a junior from Olathe, said. “I’m not driving a super heavy car around everywhere just to move me from place to place.”

Dickinson hasn’t always been environmentally conscious, but after living in Lawrence for a few years, she converted.

For more than two years, she drove the three miles to her Starbucks job. Now she is trying to make the trip by bike as often as possible. When she does drive, Dickinson motors around in a 2007 Toyota Yaris, which gets about 39 miles to the gallon. But even with good gas mileage, it isn’t fiscally feasible for her to drive anymore.

Dickinson isn’t alone. As gas prices rise so does transportation creativity. The past few weeks, local bike shops have seen an increase in business as riders pull old bikes out of storage for the first time in years. Some are even buying new bikes.

Area bike shops saw a similar trend in 2008 when gas reached a national average of $4.11 a gallon.

“2008 was such a whirlwind, it was insane for us,” Adam Hess, a Sunflower Outdoor and Bike Shop bike mechanic, said. “People start seeing the bottom line on their monthly expenses and try to find a way around that’s cheaper.”

Brian Shay, the owner of The Re-Cyclery, primarily a used bike shop at 315 N. Second St., said in 2008 there was a 25 to 30 percent increase in sales. He’s hoping this year will be similar.“I’ve already seem a lot of people cleaning out their garages and sheds bringing their bikes in to get fixed,” he said.

Repair or upgrade?

Those rescuing abandoned bikes from storage still need to do a few checks before riding.

“Tires are usually the biggest things and cables and chains tend to rust up,” Shay said.

At The Re-Cyclery and Sunflower Bike Shop, 804 Massachusetts St., those replacements can be relatively inexpensive. Shay said for about $100 a $500 bike can be as good as new . If repairing an old bike isn’t an option, Aaron Miller, also a Sunflower Outdoor and Bike Shop bike mechanic, said consumers should ask a few questions before buying a new one. Road surfaces, distance and transporting materials are all factors.

“There has been a growing trend in hybrid-style bikes, lighter weight and simplified bikes meant for paved use,” Miller said. “There isn’t really any one bike that is the bike for beginners or commuters, but these newer hybrid-style bikes are definitely the most ideal for just getting around.”

A new hybrid bike at Sunflower starts at about $400. The Re-Cyclery doesn’t usually have many hybrids but it does have used road bikes, which can be just as good for riding on paved roads, Shay said. Because most of The Re-Cyclery’s bikes are used, the starting price is about $150.

Road rules

In addition to repairs and replacements, Hess said cyclists need to understand that riding a bike in traffic isn’t like driving a car.

“You can’t be an offensive bike rider. The biggest thing I see is people who try to assert themselves on the road but it just doesn’t work. Don’t assert yourself. You’re at the mercy of huge, slower stopping vehicles around you.”

The city requires cyclists to obey all traffic laws. Cyclists can ride on either the street or the sidewalk, except for Massachusetts Street where bikes are not allowed on sidewalks.

Lawrence has a few bike trails, but most are not helpful to commuters. However, cyclists can plan a route using a city bike map, which gives information on traffic flow and speed. Maps can be found online or at any bike shop.

The two main pitfalls of riding to work are bad weather and transporting materials.

Most bikes have rack components, which can hold a variety of different sized bags. It might not even be a bad idea to stash a rain jacket in there just in case.

According to Trek bicycle manufacturer, 40 percent of trips are within two miles of the home and 25 percent are within one mile. Depending on the route, it might take a little longer to reach a destination by bike than by car but in some cases it can actually be quicker.

“You can skip the delays, that’s what I like about bikes,” Hess said. “You are never sitting behind somebody waiting on somebody else, you can go your own way.”

While biking might require some extra effort, the benefits quickly add up. Switching from a four-mile car commute to bicycle will save about 66 gallons of gas per year, keep 51 pounds of carbon monoxide out of the air, and burn 36,000 calories over the course of a year, the equivalent of 10 pounds in fat, according to the Trek website.

“We are a society build on cars, not bicycles,” Hess said. “But the more people we can get riding bikes, the more positive effects we will see as far as people buying things locally and urban areas becoming smaller, more village-like.”