TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bicycle producers are currently gaining staggering profits as the bicycling trend has become immensely popular as people’s mobility was restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesian Bicycle Entrepreneurs Association (Apsindo) secretary-general Eko Wibowo said a two-fold surge in bicycle sales would only happen during two annual holidays.

“Ever since the large-scale social restriction was enacted in April, the spike nearly reached four times higher,” said Wibowo on Tuesday, June 30. According to the association, the surge in bicycle sales was felt by both domestic and imported products.

The industry was caught off guard by the sudden popularity of bicycles as Eko said last year’s domestic sales would roughly amount to 5-7 million units annually. “That is the existing market, but now we are having difficulties recording the actual number of beginner markets have emerged as this was totally out of our expectations,” he said.

He elaborates that 60 percent of the current market prefers foldable bikes; 30 percent are for the mountain bike market or MTB; while the rest constitute other products such as city bikes and bicycles for children.

However, most domestic bicycle producers are only depleting warehouse supplies without adding larger production capacity as the domestic bicycle industry is still limited to chassis welding and assembly with other crucial parts such as tires, groupsets, and wheels being imported from overseas.

AIPI chairman Rudiyono said that bicycle purchases are still dominated by imported products rather than locally made products. In a year, Indonesia can import up to 7 million bicycles while only producing around 2.5 million of them domestically.

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YOHANES PASKALIS