The advance of the cyclist stepped up a gear yesterday when Halfords, the bicycle and car accessories chain, said it hoped to open 50 stores devoted entirely to cycles.

The company is putting more emphasis on bicycles as high fuel prices and the economic downturn drive hordes of commuters on to the saddle. The number of commuters cycling to work has increased by 3.3 million since the start of the credit crunch, according to one survey.

The company said that its rapidly expanding cycling and car maintenance divisions were now responsible for more than half of its business. Drivers who have not defected to two wheels are also spending more time patching up their cars.

Halfords is piloting eight stand-alone stores, trading under the names Cycle Republic and Bikehut, in the hope of breaking into the increasingly lucrative “premium cycle” market, which consists of shops, such as Evans, that cater for middle-class consumers who cycle to work or for leisure.

David Wild, the chief executive of Halfords, said that there was “potential for at least 50 stand-alone cycle stores across the country”.

The long-running trend towards the bicycle has accelerated as high fuel prices and fears of widespread job losses have kicked in, the CTC, the national cyclists' association, said. It predicts the economy will increase the number of miles cycled in Britain by 40 per cent, based on data after the oil price rises and recessions of the 1970s.

Roger Geffen, the CTC's campaigns and policy manager, said that cyclists had nearly doubled in number since 2001. He added: “London has shown that it is possible to maintain cycling numbers during affluent times.”

FirstGroup, Britain's largest bus operator, said earlier this month that consumers were ditching their cars and taking the bus because of the state of the economy and high fuel prices.

Sales of new cars have fallen steeply. Registrations of new cars fell by 23 per cent in October, the sixth consecutive monthly decline.

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