SANDAKAN – The Covid-19 pandemic – that has required people to stay at home for extended periods of time – has made people take up new hobbies, and in Sandakan, riding a folding bike is becoming increasingly popular.
It started in August last year when a group of friends decided to purchase folding bikes for themselves after seeing its popularity in Indonesia.
Jupridin Rustam, 42, said that he purchased his first folding bike for RM1,200 because he felt that it was fashionable.
“I feel like a folding bike is fashionable, and is very in line with streetwear fashion that I love. I then bought a second folding bike from Kuala Lumpur for RM2,900. I think they are made in Indonesia.
“I have spent about RM500 to upgrade these bikes piece by piece, but it is my passion now so I think it is worth every Ringgit,” he said.
His brother, Burhan Rustam, has spent RM12,000 on his folding bike that he ordered from the United Kingdom.
With their friends, the Rustam brothers started to ride their folding bikes together.
It started from about 10 people, now, Jupridin estimates that there are more than 230 people in the area with a folding bike, with about 180 of them in a WhatsApp group named ‘Sandakan Folding Bike’.
Why folding bikes? How are they different from a regular bicycle?
According to one of the friends who started the group, Jok Samsudin, a folding bike is more convenient for people to carry, especially those with smaller vehicles, and for them to keep at home, for the obvious reason that it is foldable.
“A lot of people started to become interested in this is for health reason. We have to stay active and healthy during the pandemic. Somehow, folding bike grew to become a fashionable item. A lot like cars, people would add accessories on it to make it look more attractive and stylish,” he said.
Folding bike enthusiasts usually purchase their bikes from local stores, while some make online orders from Indonesia and the United Kingdom.
Jok said that the folding bike trend started long ago in the United Kingdom, where people use them to get to work. In Asia, in recent years Indonesia has started producing their own folding bikes with their own brands.
“The price of a folding bike depends on where it is made, and also its specs. It could go from around RM600 to more than RM20,000. Rare and vintage folding bikes would be priced higher.
“It does not stop after we purchase the bike. We would upgrade it piece by piece, until we are satisfied with the end result,” he added.
Jok said although there are folding bike groups in Kota Kinabalu, Keningau, Labuan and Sarawak, he thinks that the group in Sandakan is the most active and has most members in Sabah.
Riding together
In their WhatsApp group, the cyclists would discuss and agree on a specific time and place for a ride, and they would gather to cycle together.
The furthest route that they have cycled so far is 48 km, from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (Sandakan campus) to Pisau Lalasun. It took them about two to three hours to finish the route.
Jupridin said that a riding session could reach up to 70 members.
“It is a lot of fun, getting to know new people with the same hobby and cycle together. It is also a healthy activity, and some of us have lost so much weight because of these sessions,” he said.
One of the members of the group, Mohamad Kadir, is the founder of a charity organisation, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Marhaen Sandakan.
“One day, we decided to help our friend in his charitable cause during our cycling session. We distributed food to homeless people at town.
“We find that it is easier to go with a bicycle because we are able to go from one place to another faster (than walking), and we are also able to go through narrow lanes.
“The food was donated by restaurants for charity, and we were just helping to deliver them.
“The first time felt very good as we were able to do what we love, exercise, and at the same time help people in need,” Jupridin said.
Since then, the group has repeated the activity multiple times, but was halted by the movement control order (MCO) called in January this year.
“Now that the MCO is lifted, we plan to continue the activity soon,” he said.
Safety of the cyclists
The group has asked for the government to consider constructing a bicycle lane in Sandakan.
According to Jupridin, the number of cyclists have increased over the years as people are becoming more health conscious, especially after the pandemic.
“With the high number of cyclists in Sandakan, I hope that the government would consider constructing a bicycle lane for us to ensure the safety of the cyclists on the road,” he added. – The Vibes, March 28, 2021
