7 best bicycle shops in Singapore - shops to buy cheap bikes under $500
PHOTO: Hup Leong
PUBLISHED ONMarch 21, 2020 11:00 AMByClara Lim
Maybe you're looking for a cheap bicycle for your commute, now that e-scooters are practically banned in Singapore.
Or you're trying to get in shape without having to pay $250 a month for a gym. Or you just want a better way to exercise your rambunctious dog at the park.
Whatever your reason for wanting a cheap bicycle, you're not going to feel welcome at a lot of bike shops and cycling communities.
Never mind that bicycles are the mode of transport of the peasant class in China. In Singapore, it's a status symbol, so be prepared to be judged if you forsake the $2,000 all-carbon, 25-speed monster for a $100 "market" bike.
That said, there are several bicycle shops (and online marketplaces) in Singapore where you get to buy a reasonable quality bicycle under $500.
7 cheap bike shops in Singapore
| Bicycle shop | What they specialise in | Starting price* |
| Carousell / Togoparts | Used bicycles of all types & in all conditions | $ |
| Aleoca | Cheap basic cruisers and folding bikes | $ |
| Decathlon | Cheap but decent quality bikes of all kinds, good selection of kids’ bikes | $ |
| Rodalink | Polygon bikes (Indonesian brand known for affordable mountain bikes) | $$ |
| Hup Leong | Merida bikes (specialise in road bikes but also has hybrids) | $$ |
| Treknology | Trek bikes (famous mountain bike brand) | $$$ |
| Hello Bicycle | Hipster European cruisers | $$$ |
| My Bike Shop | Folding bikes, e.g. Dahon, Tern bikes | $$$ |
*Price legend:
$ - Up to $200
$$ - $200 to $500
$$$ - $500 and up
Used bikes from Carousell/Togoparts ($)
A used bike is the way to go if you're looking for a really cheap bicycle that you won't mind locking up at the MRT station overnight, and the two best marketplaces for used bicycles are Carousell and Togoparts.
If you're not fussy, you can find tons of used bicycles for sale on Carousell in all styles and conditions. The majority of these are from people who simply lost interest in cycling, are forced to declutter, and/or have kids who outgrew their bikes.
Basic "market" (cruiser) bikes for adults generally hover around $50 to $100, but you need to check if the condition of the bike is actually decent, or if it veers more towards "bicycle carcass stolen from HDB void deck".
It's good to budget about $50 more in case you need to swap out or fix the tyres, brakes, chains and so on.
Cycling forum Togoparts also has used bikes for sale, but because it's for hobbyists, prices tend to be higher and the people are more concerned about brand.
On the positive side, sellers - if they are genuine sellers and not parts-flippers - tend to be better about bike maintenance.
It goes without saying that before you deal, be sure to check the used bicycle very thoroughly. Singapore MTB has a very comprehensive used bike checklist to refer to.
Aleoca Bicycles ($)
Given the risks of buying a bicycle second hand, you might want to opt for a brand new bike instead - and the cheapest bicycle brand in Singapore has got to be Aleoca.
The cheapest and most popular Aleoca bicycles are their classic, cruiser-style models ($139 on Lazada).
These won't win awards but they're a functional way to get around your neighbourhood, and they're cheap enough such that you won't mind locking them up at the MRT station while you go to work.
For a bit more versatility, you can opt for an Aleoca folding bicycle (from $99 on Aleoca website, probably the cheapest in Singapore). It's not ultra-portable like the fancier folding bike brands down this list, but it's cheap and functional.
Location: 202 Bedok South Ave 1, #03-11 (Aleoca showroom) or selected Giant / FairPrice Xtra hypermarts. You can also purchase through the Aleoca website or LazMall store.
Decathlon ($ to $$)
Decathlon has been a serious game-changer since it opened in Singapore, and I say this without a trace of irony. Previously, you had to pay top dollar for quality sports gear, but Decathlon is the great sporting goods equaliser - it makes surprisingly nice and durable stuff for way lower prices.
So it's a great place to look for a cheap bicycle in Singapore, especially if you find that Aleoca-type bikes are too flimsy for you. I'd recommend Decathlon over Aleoca if you're on the larger/taller side because the bikes are designed and tested for ang moh sizes.
Decathlon bicycles start from about $200 for folding bikes or cruisers. But to get a better selection, you might want to increase your budget to $300, which will open up more options.
Also worth considering are the bike accessories, which are really cheap - locks, baskets, panniers etc. going from $10 to $30.
If you're shopping for your kid, Decathlon also has an excellent range of children's bikes. They may be more expensive than the generic kind you can buy from Giant, but they're better quality.
Location: 230 Stadium Boulevard (Decathlon has several outlets but the new Kallang outlet is best - it's huge and has lots of models available for test rides.)
Rodalink ($$)
Rodalink is a small chain of speciality bicycle shops that's an upgrade from shopping at Decathlon or Giant. You get better customer service and information because they cater to the more experienced bicycle enthusiast crowd.
Don't be too put off by the professionalism though, because Rodalink does carry some relatively cheap bicycle brands, most prominently Polygon bikes, an Indonesian brand famous for making really affordable mountain bikes.
Now, if you're into mountain bikes, you'd know how crazy expensive these can get in Singapore - well into the thousands.
Frankly it's a little shocking how obsessed Singaporeans are about MTBs, given, uh, our conspicuous lack of mountains and the fact that there are a grand total of 4 MTB trails here (one of which is not even on the mainland…)
Well, good news for broke MTB enthusiasts! A basic Polygon mountain bike will set you back "only" about $400 at Rodalink. Alternatively, Polygon also makes city cruisers starting at $400 as well.
Locations:
One Commonwealth Lane, #01/14-15
166B Upper East Coast Road Singapore
18 Boon Lay Way, #01-98D Singapore
Hup Leong ($$)
Don't be fooled by Hup Leong's homely name and the fact that it's been around since 1968 - this Merdeka Generation bicycle shop in Singapore actually sells rather upmarket bicycles rather than the kind that uncles and aunties ride to the wet market. Oh and it has a rather slick online store as well.
Most people come to Hup Leong to look for Merida bicycles, a Taiwanese bike manufacturer that makes more affordable (but good quality) versions of traditionally-expensive mountain bikes and road bikes.
While most of the bikes at Hup Leong cost above $1,000, you can also find Merida's most affordable series, the comfort-focused Crossway hybrid (MTB-meets-urban-bike).
The older the model, the cheaper it gets. So it's possible to score a 2020 Merida Crossway for as little as $452 and a 15-V model for $482.
Apart from selling Merida bikes, Hup Leong also does bike repairs and it's well-known for excellent customer service and knowledgeable staff.
Location: 51 Chin Swee Rd, #01-107
Hello Bicycle ($$$)
One of the few bike shops you can find in the city centre, Hello Bicycle is a small but polished shop in Bugis.
Unlike most of the bicycle shops on this list, which focus either on "performance" brands like Trek or Polygon, Hello Bicycle focuses mainly on hipster-ised versions of the typical auntie bike. Their city cruisers look a lot more "Copenhagen farmer's market" than "Chong Pang wet market".
Because the bicycles here are mostly from European brands, they're definitely on the pricey side. A bike here will typically set you back from $500 to $900. They're really pretty though, I must say.
If you don't want to commit to a purchase, you can actually just rent one of their bikes first to get a feel for them. Rental starts at $30 for 6 hours, and you can rent them for as long as 2 days.
Hello Bicycle also sometimes sell used bikes that are serviced and refurbished in-house - for example, a second-hand Linus (Venice- based city bike) for $500. But you have to snap them up fast.
Location: 135 Middle Rd, #01-01 Byland Building
My Bike Shop ($$$)
Unlike mountain bikes, folding bikes actually make sense in Singapore. MRTs are ubiquitous, which means that all you need, really, is a little vehicle that you can take with you onto the train.
But somehow, foldies never really took off, despite NParks' "support". And for the past couple of years, folding bikes pretty much fell off the radar because bike sharing apps like Ofo and Mobike got commuters through that last mile from the station to their destination.
Now that the China startups have dropped off like dead flies, it might be time to get a foldie at last.
While you can buy a cheap one from Aleoca or Decathlon, if you want a branded foldie such as a Tern bike, My Bike Shop is probably the best place to go. They carry probably the best range of foldies in Singapore and allow you to test-ride them.
The downside is that branded folding bikes aren't cheap - My Bike Shop's bikes start at at least $500 a pop. On the other hand, they offer a free "tune up" warranty for 2 years and certain parts are completely free to replace within that period.
If you're new to folding bikes, My Bike Shop is a good place to start looking and learning about the technicalities of folding bikes. It's quite interesting from an engineering perspective, because the more portable your ride is, the more trade-offs (in terms of performance) there are.
You can refer to this guide to choosing your first folding bike.
Locations: 213 Henderson Road, #01-06 (My Bike Shop) / Blk 9 Yishun Industrial Street 1, North Spring Bizhub (My Bike Shop Too)
Treknology 3 ($$$)
Treknology 3 is an upscale chain specialising in Trek bikes, which is yet another expensive famous bicycle brand that Singaporeans super steam over.
Yup, as you might have guessed, Trek makes road bikes and mountain bikes mostly. Many models cost thousands of dollars here, but they actually have a $500 mountain bike which is considered "dirt cheap" in the land of branded MTBs.
Locations: 14 Jalan Kilang Barat (Mega Showroom) / 11 Cuscaden Rd (Cuscaden Showroom). They have outlets in East Coast too, but these are the 2 biggest showrooms.
Wait a miiiinute, just how expensive do bicycles get in Singapore?
Wondering why famous brands like Giant bikes and Canyon bikes aren't on this list? Well, these are bike brands that cost thousands of dollars and strictly for hobbyists. In no possible worlds would they ever be considered "cheap".
But if you really want to goggle at the price tags and pet sleek two-wheeled works of art, you can always visit Tay Cycle for Giant bikes.
German manufacturer Canyon bikes is another extremely hot brand that Singaporeans are absolutely ga-ga over. What's even crazier is that you can only buy them online, and every purchase is customised to your body type and measurements.
[[nid:31035]]
Each bike costs a cool few thousand pounds each, and shipping to Singapore is estimated to be about $500 a pop. You do the math yourself, because I'm scared the result might actually be higher than my net worth.
Though it's by no means as mad as Canyon bikes, another expensive cult brand to highlight is Pacific Cycles, a Taiwanese bicycle company that designs incredibly cute folding bikes.
The pinnacle of such cuteness is the CarryMe, which is practically the size of a skateboard. Believe it or not, It's small enough to be carried in a duffel bag. The cheapest model costs around $900, which to me seems extremely steep given that it can't actually get you from place to place very effectively.
But if you want to check out these little marvels of Taiwanese engineering, you can find them at E-Walker.
This article was first published in MoneySmart.