There is definitely an upswing in the number of roadies, at least in the Chicago area. I am noticing more and more people out riding, even in the cold weather we are having here. It seems like there are more people riding than ever before. A good example was the last organized ride I participated in, the St Pats Ride in Wauconda, Illinois..several hundred showed up despite extremely cold weather and sleet/rain.

Mountain bikes are losing their popularity around here. Most people are figuring out there is not a whole lot of good off road riding around the Chicago area. We do have good bike trails. Once the weather turns nice, they are packed.