On top of riding, chilling, chatting and swooning over the newest and shiniest gear together, a growing number of riders are also manifesting their passion for their two-wheelers through content creation.
OLC, Ms Lau and Ms Ng have all been uploading cycling-related content on their various social media platforms.
OLC’s Oompa Loompa YouTube channel which features interviews with other bikers and gear reviews, has gathered almost 19,000 subscribers, a “sizeable number” but not enough to “replace a day job”, he said.
For Ms Ng, while she started road cycling a few years ago upon the recommendation of an ex-colleague to try the sport, she has “become like a (content) creator of sorts”.
“Not everyone obviously does it that way. It just happens to be what I’m interested in, I love making videos,” said Ms Ng, who has 4,700 followers on Instagram.
Ms Lau has about 9,000 followers on her tiffylauonwheels Instagram account.
Mr Dean Koh, vice-president for media and publicity at the Singapore Cycling Federation said that “the rise of cycling influencers” is one of two factors that has contributed to the high-end bicycle subculture here.
The other factor, he said, is the proliferation of local cycling clubs that keep cyclists “active in their passion” by organising regular group rides.
IS LUXURY BIKE CULTURE THE WAY FORWARD?
Retailers here noted that some of the local cyclists’ preference towards more premium rides is not too dissimilar from that of other markets.
Mr Cheong of Specialized said that comparing Singapore with other markets, there is no drastic difference in demand for their various tiers of bicycles.
However, anecdotal evidence points to cyclists here having a more upmarket taste in bikes than those in neighbouring countries.
Ms Lau, for example, said that when she goes cycling in Bangkok and meets avid cyclists there, she notices that Singaporean riders tend to have more expensive bikes than their Thai counterparts.
Mr Gary Gleason, vice-president of sales at American mountain bicycle brand Wilderness Trail Bikes, noted that his company serves high-end riders who use upscale accessories in Singapore.
“It seems that the market is really kind of catered towards a more premium product,” he was reported as saying at the recent Taipei Cycle 2024, Asia’s biggest bicycle trade show.
Mr Ng of Cycle Project Store added: “The cycling community here in the Southeast Asian region are fast paced with their consumption of products and generally after the newest or latest release as compared to certain parts of the world.”
While those in the fraternity believe that the subculture surrounding premium bikes in Singapore is here to stay – given its resilience throughout the pandemic – some reiterated the importance of not losing sight of the wider cycling populace here, too.
Active mobility expert Tham Chen Munn, a former vice-president for recreation at the Singapore Cycling Federation, said that while the Lycra-clad road riders with their expensive bicycles may be more prominent, there is also the “unsung, unseen” group of bike users who ride around the neighbourhoods on shared paths.
“And when the Park Connector Network continues to expand, who does this benefit? It’s the uncles and aunties and families who use these paths, not the road cyclists,” he said.
