> They are vehicles that need maintenance. You can do much of that maintenance yourself if you're a nerd, but the vast majority of cyclists are dependent on local bike shops to sustain the cycling community.

I do my own maintenance and choose to use local bike shops to source parts. I'm not really a bike nerd. I service my own bike since it's more convenient to pull out my spare bike to buy some easily transportable parts than it is to transport a bike to the shop. I can also fix my bike in an evening and have it ready for the next day, while it may take a shop a couple of days to get around to it.