When you say "no supporting infrastructure," do you mean the town itself or the bicycles?  I would be more concerned about bikes falling into disrepair than the town being bike/ped unfriendly.   IF there's the willpower to maintain those bikes, people will ride them. If people ride them, that's a first step on the road to making your town more safe for people who are riding bikes. Safety in numbers.  Demand for a safer physical infrastructure can follow. 

Local, struggling bike businesses benefit, because the more bikes there are on the road, the more it is perceived as a place where people can ride bicycles. The bike businesses stand to benefit from a bicycle revival. A renewed interest in riding bicycles is a win for them.