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Jakarta Post

Folding bikes looking for space in the city

The use of bicycles is becoming a routine part of life for many Jakartans, who bike to work during the week and take advantage of empty streets on car-free days

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Mon, June 29, 2009

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Folding bikes looking for space in the city

The use of bicycles is becoming a routine part of life for many Jakartans, who bike to work during the week and take advantage of empty streets on car-free days.

Given that there is not much space in the capital, many cyclists need a bike that can be easily carried and stored; enter the folding bike.

Ridwan Arief, a member of the Indonesian Folding Bike Community, id-foldingbike, has four folding bikes.

"Bicycling is a hobby that sometimes goes beyond the joy of riding. I also enjoy collecting different kinds of bikes," Ridwan said.

Folding bikes cost between Rp 1 million *US$100* and Rp 50 million.

"Collectors don't care about price. They want the satisfaction of having it," he said.

Their ordinary bike contemporaries find visiting malls troublesome, as they must park their bikes outside, along with motorcycles. But riders of folding bikes have a different story.

"The guards often ask me to demonstrate how to fold and unfold my bike before entering the mall," he said.

"I think it is a growing fashion to carry a folding bike," he added.

Azwar Hadi Kusuma, chairman of id-foldingbike, says there is growing interest in folding bikes in the city.

He recalled that, in 2007, when he launched a folding bike mailing list for his friends, id-foldingbike@yahoogroups.com, he started with only 20 members.

"Now we have 1,200 members," he said.

"Folding bikes are all about fun. Anybody can become a member of our community, free of charge," he said.

The group organizes cycling activities not only in and around Jakarta, but across the country and even overseas.

The activities are spontaneous and fun, held mostly at weekends and after work hours.

"We had a trip to Singapore earlier this year. We, in a group of 10 cyclists, toured around Singapore," he said. "We met a Singaporean who shared the same interest. He later joined our mailing list," he recounted.

Azwar says riding in Singapore is more convenient as the city provides bicycle lanes.

"I think our city should follow their good example by providing special lanes for bicycles in the city so that people can switch to a lifestyle that is environmentally friendly," he said.

Members of the mailing list explain that a benefit of the innovative design is that they can ride their bike to work in the morning and in the evening, if they are tired, they can simply fold-up their bike and take a taxi. (nia)

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