T

he days when the bicycle was labeled the lowest means of transportation are fading away. Today, a bike comes with a price tag of more than Rp 60 million (US$6420) and has become a new symbol of a modern lifestyle among urbanites.

The bicycling trend has grown among Jakartans over the past few years as people are desperately seeking ways to beat traffic jams and combat obesity. It was even lauded as an “eco-friendly” agenda.

Given that thought, some people said that spending a small fortune on a bicycle gives them a “less guilty feeling”.

When visiting a bicycle exhibition at the Jakarta Convention Center over the weekend, Brama Rama-dhan and his wife Hildani Rahmiya said that allocating money for bicycles was more acceptable than spending money for cars or
sophisticated furniture.

“Luxurious cars will not look good in Jakarta because the pollution and traffic jams are so bad. Expensive bicycles are more happening. Plus, it is more environmentally friendly,” he said.

Brama says that he has a pair of bicycles, which he bought for Rp 35 million each, at his home in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta.

“I bought the bicycles for my wife and I. We enjoy riding bicycles around Jagakarsa or the nearby Ragunan Zoo on weekends,” he said.

Brama said that the millions of rupiahs were worth it for high-quality imported bicycles. Brama said that he planned to buy another bicycle. “Maybe I will buy a local brand with a cheaper price,” he said.

Dede, operational manager of outdoor lifestyle store Adrenaline, said that luxurious bicycles have become his customers’ main choice. “Around 20 or 30 out of 100 customers visited our booth today and checked high-end bicycles priced from Rp 10 million to Rp 50 million,” he said.

Dede said that imported bicycles were preferable for his customers, even though he said local brands offered the same qualified products.

“Having expensive and imported bicycles gives people higher prestige. They will proudly show their bicycles to their friends, even though they only use them occasionally,”  he said.

On the first day of the exhibition Dede said that his store had sold two bicycles priced at Rp 30 million and Rp 40 million respectively. “I believe the trend for luxurious bicycles will grow within the coming years,” he said.

During the exhibition, which ended on June 3, Dede said that his store offered high-end bicycles with prices starting at Rp 17 million.

According to Dede, there were not many people who could pay Rp 40 million in cash. “We offer a credit plan so our customers don’t have to spend so much money at the same time,” Dede said.

He said that most of his customers could afford a Rp 2 million or higher monthly installment.

Elizabeth Zoraya Paskarini, a member of Bike to Work Community (B2W), said that buying expensive bicycles was acceptable for people who could afford them. “It is their choice to buy expensive bicycles, but I can say that the average-type of bicycles with affordable prices are still enough for cycling in Jakarta,” she said.

Elizabeth, who cycles everyday from her home in South Jakarta, said that Rp 2 million bicycles were enough for daily use in Jakarta roads. “Maybe, those who buy expensive bicycles would use them for nature cycling rather than just city cycling,” she said.

Elizabeth said that the current trend for bicycling was good for the city. “It does not matter that people buy their bicycles for prestige or for their true needs, as long as they use their bikes often,” she said.

With a population of 9.6 million during the day, 2.38 million cars, 9.3 million motorcycles and another million public buses, trucks and other vehicles, Jakarta faces horrendous traffic jams every day.

Elizabeth acknowledged that the city had yet to provide proper bike lanes for cyclists. Last year the city administration inaugurated the city’s first bike lane which stretches 1.4 kilometers from Blok M to Ayodya park in South Jakarta.

The city said it would next work on building another bike lane connecting Melawai and South Jakarta municipal offices.

“It is so easy to see that the bike lane is not enough to accommodate cyclists because other vehicles could easily occupy it. But we see it as a good sign,” said Elizabeth. She also lauded the weekly car-free day event in the city’s main thoroughfares in Jl. Jend. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta.

“The event is so popular among city residents that it is always filled with thousands of people. Cyclists don’t have enough space there, but it is OK,” she said.

With the growing cycling trend, Elizabeth hoped that the government would allocate additional spaces for cyclists.

— JP/Lutfi Rakhmawati