Hood mentality: Peloton in Changi Village

SINGAPORE — It’s Business 101 to open where your customers are. But these days, it isn’t enough to only have a great location. Instead, it’s also about collaboration, community, and how your neighbourhood further inspires your enterprise. We check out three new enterprises whose addresses are very much at the heart of what they do.

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TRI-ATTRACTION IN THE VILLAGE

Before you dismiss Peloton as just another hipster bike cafe, take a look at its surroundings and interiors: No colourful, picture-perfect photo backdrop, no “too cool for school” bicycles, and no fashionably coiffed Instagrammers obsessed with photographing their flat whites. Instead, half of its space is dedicated to sporty gear such as Hammer energy gels and Ceepo bicycle frames — and there’s nary a cupcake nor eggs benedict in sight!

The word “Peloton” means a body of cyclists and over here, it’s mainly three parties coming together: Triathlon gear company Swim Bike Run, Mouss Kamal and Rashidah Saheer.

Kamal, who owns popular coffee joint Penny University, said: “I got to know the owners of Swim Bike Run as they are regulars at my cafe and we got to talking about working together to open a place that combines triathlons and coffee in some way. I’ve seen concept places like these in London and Melbourne, and I think it’s something that could work here as well.”

In keeping with the concept, they narrowed their search to discover where they could find triathletes in training. Changi Village was the perfect spot, with plenty of runners, cyclists and Ironman wannabes training on weekends.

To cater to their needs, Peloton keeps its menu simple and healthy. In addition to java, an array of juices and healthy food options such as yoghurt and granola, and tortillas. Kamal said more grab-and-go options such as salads and sandwiches are also in the works.

Outside Peloton, there are A-frame bike stands for customers to park their bikes. Items from specialised brands such as On Running and Funky Trunks, which are not readily stocked elsewhere, are available, and there’s even a whole shelf of triathlon mags.

What’s more interesting are upcoming plans to set up a small refueling station outside the cafe, a wash-down area and shower facilities. And because Swim Bike Run is a social enterprise, Peloton hires disadvantaged youths to enable them to learn life skills such as retail and cafe management. To further promote this cause, the youngsters are currently undergoing training to run eco bike tours to nearby Pulau Ubin as part of an initiative called Tour De Ubin.

“We’re looking at introducing our eco tours after Ramadan,” said Kamal. “The tours will begin at Peloton and we’ll take participants to the various parts of Pulau Ubin. We’ve also acquired another space at Civil Service Club which will be ready in September. It will serve as a bigger retail store so what’s left here will be more of a showcase of products. We want Peloton to be a one-stop hub for the triathlete community in Changi.”

Peloton is located at at Blk 1, Changi Village, #01-2008.