The Stories Behind: TheBikeShack that breathes new life into abandoned bicycles, donating them to those in need

SINGAPORE — I'm used to the sight of abandoned bicycles at void decks, especially during the heyday of bike-sharing services that flooded public spaces with unusable bicycles that lacked seats and wheels.

So, when I came across TheBikeShack, a social enterprise that restores unwanted and abandoned bicycles and gives them away to the needy for free, I thought it was a great idea. 

What surprised me though was the couple that founded it. Mr David Chong, 52, quit a well-paying job, and together with his wife Elena, 37, decided to focus on their pet project against the advice of their relatives. 

Mr Chong previously held managerial roles at various financial technology companies but left the industry in 2020. He also worked at American Express from 1994 to 2017. 

Since the start of its operations in March this year, TheBikeShack has repaired and given away at least 30 bicycles to those in need.

But the demand has been incessant, they told me. Each week, they receive around 60 requests for free bicycles from potential beneficiaries.

The requests spiked after they made a post on Carousell titled “free bicycle” in August, jumpstarting their social enterprise when the post turned viral. To date, the listing has more than 500 likes.

As part of their business, they also import and sell bicycles from Downtube USA, an American brand which produces foldable bicycles.

HOW IT STARTED 

At their small shop space in IMM Building, the couple told me they first formed the idea to create TheBikeShack in early 2021, after a confluence of factors led them to discover their new passion.

They recalled how their eldest son returned home from primary school in 2020 wanting to learn how to cycle.

But the boy did not want his parents to buy a new bicycle because he had just learned the 3Rs of "reduce, reuse and recycle". 

So Mr Chong bought a secondhand bicycle and fixed it up for his son.

This was his first foray into repairing old bikes and he was hooked. Since then, he has continued to restore whatever damaged bicycles he could lay his hands on. 

“I found that it wasn’t that difficult, there were a lot of references you can get online. So I started fixing (my wife's) bike, my bike and then our neighbours’ bikes,” he said. 

“When we ran out of bikes, we bought some really bad condition ones to fix up and then sold them off too,” he added.

His wife joined in the effort, and around the same time, the couple started noticing countless abandoned bicycles in Singapore.

It occurred to them that simply disposing off these bicycles would not be friendly to the environment. In addition, the manufacture of each new bicycle leaves a large carbon footprint. 

Mr Chong also recalled coming across a charity in the United Kingdom which repairs secondhand bicycles to give them away. 

“Why not create something like that here in Singapore too?” he thought to himself at the time. 

So, the couple decided to set up the social enterprise, registering the company in 2021 and securing a space at IMM Building in Jurong East in early 2022. 

As a social enterprise, TheBikeShack imports foldable bicycles and helps people sell their secondhand bicycles for a fee. The profits they earn then go into sustaining their operations and social efforts. 

But when Mr Chong decided to give up a well-paying job in the finance sector so that he could build up TheBikeShack on a full-time basis, their relatives urged him to reconsider, telling him to think of his three children. 

Initially swayed by what they said, his perception changed when Mrs Chong was hospitalised in March this year for hypertensive crisis, which occurs when a person's blood pressure surges to an unusually high level.

“It was a life-changing experience and it made me think: When are we going to start doing something meaningful?” said Mr Chong. 

He pondered, and ultimately rejected the social pressure placed on him to first do well in life, before offering a helping hand to others in need.

"It’s weird to think that I need to make a few billion dollars first before I start a charity or social enterprise. I'm never going to start (helping others) at this rate,” he said. 

THE BIKE SHACK KICKS OFF

For now, the organisation is a two-man show, with Mr Chong handling all the bicycle repairs and logistics while Mrs Chong manages the marketing and operations. 

The couple said that before agreeing to give a bicycle away, they would verify that the requestor is from a low-income household by checking if he or she has been assigned a social worker. 

They also work with organisations, such as Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities and Fei Yue Community Services, that might refer beneficiaries to them. 

After confirming the details, Mrs Chong said she will speak with the beneficiary to understand his or her needs so that they can “customise” the bicycle to their needs accordingly. 

This process could entail customising the bike to fit the beneficiary's height, as well as other add-ons like child seats. After all, their beneficiary could be a single mother who uses the bicycle to send her kids to school, said Mrs Chong. 

I spoke to one of their beneficiaries, 64-year-old Joseph Anthony, who received a tricycle from the couple in October this year.

Mr Anthony reached out to them after coming across their post on Carousell. He is unable to ride a bicycle due to a chronic condition that caused him to lose his sense of balance.

As a result of his health, he is currently unemployed. But this gift has given him something to look forward to every day. 

“It’s a wonderful thing, it's really good because it (the tricycle) opens up a lot of opportunities for me. I can go to eat, I can do groceries, go and see places. It’s also a good form of exercise,” said Mr Anthony.

TheBikeShack relies on donors who pass them "neglected" bicycles to repair, or are willing to sponsor the cost of buying an unwanted bicycle and its repairs. If none are available, the Chongs would take it upon themselves to buy a secondhand bicycle. 

Despite the fulfilment the couple receives from their work, what they do does not come cheap. 

There were many instances when they had to fork out up to S$150 to buy a secondhand bicycle and another S$50 to S$100 to repair them, due to a lack of donors.

For now, the couple is focusing on selling more bicycles to ensure the financial sustainability of their social enterprise. 

To Mr Chong, his job is only done when their organisation is no longer needed. 

“We will be successful if we are no longer required, which means that people know how to maintain and keep their bikes properly… (or that) there are no low-income families in Singapore. Then we will happily go out of business,” he said with a chuckle. 

When asked what keeps TheBikeShack chugging on despite the challenges, Mrs Chong teared up and said that it is always encouraging to see people stepping forward to give their bicycles to those in need.

“It is the happiness the people have when they receive their bicycles that keeps us going," she said.