Those of us who are regular cyclists have always known it — cycling is good for our health, good for our temper as we pedal away our aggressions and now — more importantly than ever — good for our bank balances.

It appears a growing number of people are getting back on two wheels in a bid to beat the credit crunch, which is good news for the county’s cycle shops.

Barry Gillott, of Ridgeway Cycles, Newbury Street, Wantage, said: “We are selling more bikes and people are buying them specifically to travel to work.

“We have particularly noticed this since last spring. What kick-started it was when the price of petrol went through the roof and people thought, ‘enough is enough’.”

Cyclists in the Wantage area have the advantage of the Sustrans Route 44, opened a few years ago, which gives them a mainly off-road path direct to Harwell and Didcot, while Milton Park is also within easy distance.

And it is the same story in Wallingford.

“A lot of people here cycle to Didcot and Harwell, and some to Reading,” said Jules Botto of Rides on Air, the cycle shop in the town’s St Mary’s Street.

He added: “Not everybody is opting for a new bike, though. Our workshops are very busy with repairs and maintenance.

“Last year was a good one, because the weather was better, and we seem to be just as busy now, ever since Christmas.

“The workshops have got busier and busier. We are one of the few shops that do same-day repairs, so people who rely on their bikes for work can depend on us.”

Mr Botto has found that price is a key factor when it comes to the choice of bike.

In some of the more rural areas, such as north Oxfordshire, commuting to work by bicycle may not always be practical — at least for the whole distance.

But James Greenwood of the Cyclogical Shop in Hudson Street, Deddington, has found there are plenty of newly-committed cyclists around.

“We have a few commuting customers here and the petrol price rises probably caused an increase. There are also people who want to spend about £50 to get an older bike up-and-running again.

“I think that with the credit crunch, you will see a downturn in sales and an increase in repairs. People don’t want to buy new bikes so much.”

The workshop staff there see a variety of older machines being brought in.

Mr Greenwood said: “People bring in their mother’s, or their grandmother’s older bikes.

We see Raleigh Roadsters, 1950s Sunbeams and another great old machine, the BSA, with its three gears.”

For those who do spend money on a new machine, he finds the multi-purpose hybrid bikes are among the most popular.

“We also sell a lot of children’s bikes. A lot of youngsters seem to go to school on them, mostly those at the primary schools in the villages.”

Cycling has always been a major feature of transport in Oxford, particularly among the student population.

But Joe Wilkins of Walton Street Cycles in the city said the shop has been busier than usual for this time of year, with both sales and repairs.

And, after the Olympic Games last year, he found more people wanting to buy road bikes, instead of mountain bikes, as a result of the British cycling successes in the Games.

At Cycle King, in Oxford’s Cowley Road, assistant manager Kevin Jedynowitz is also seeing a healthy trade from commuters.

He said: “You can virtually buy a whole bike for the price of a few tanks of petrol.”

Another interesting effect of the present economy has been noticed in Carterton, by John Baldwin, manager of the cycle department of Giles’ Sports, Toys and Cycles.

West Oxfordshire is one of the areas of the county where cycling to work could involve impractical distances, but people such as RAF personnel who live in the town have always made use of cycle transport for their short journeys to RAF Brize Norton.

“What we are finding since the recession is that people have been buying a better quality of bicycle, a more expensive model,” said Mr Baldwin.

“They seem to take the view that if they are going to spend money, they will spend it on something worth having, rather than something that will soon need replacing.”

New bike or rejuvenated bike, expensive model or cheaper run-around, it looks as if many Oxfordshire people are saddling up to ride their way through the current economic storm.

o Contacts: Ridgeway Cycles, Wantage, 01235 764445.

Rides on Air, Wallingford, 01491 836289.

Cycological, Deddington, 01869 338090.

Walton Street Cycles, Oxford, 01865 311610.

Cycle King, Oxford, 01865 728262.

Giles’ Sports, Toys and Cycles, Carteron, 01993 842396.