The Malaysian Foldie issue 08, April 2014 | Page 12

Peeps

Meet your neighbourhood's friendly foldie

it's doors on July 2012 and subsequently moved to its present flagship store at No 26, Jalan SS1/22 in Kg Tunku, Petaling Jaya.

"We were actually 'rushed' into the business and after six months, began changing the course of our business model.

"It was a real learning curve for me because I didn't know anybody from the bicycling industry.

"We took a lot of effort to learn and improvise our service and bring in good products and eventually became a distributor for brands like Montague bikes and Nutcase helmets," she explained.

After nearly two years in the fold, Van's Urban Bicycle Co. is the centre for enthusiasts to source for high-end bikes from

Moulton (British-made high performance bicycles), Brompton, Tyrell (Japan-made), Tokyobike and well-known brands such as

Dahon and Tern Bicycles.

"We believe in the products and have the expertise to back it up.

"That said, we are pretty much where we wanted to be right now," she explained.

The store's customer base, she added, are cyclists from the age of 22 and above and there are high-profile clients who

demand for "masterpieces", hence the demand for brands like Moulton bicycles.

"We are exclusive dealers for Moulton and Tyrell and when customers demands the best, we recommend them such bikes to

suite their riding style."

The store, she added, had everything covered from beginner's bikes to high-performances two-wheelers.

"We listen to our customers, make recommendations on bikes that suites their needs and budget.

"That's why we bank in a lot on brands like Tern Bicycles that caters to beginners as well as experienced riders."

To keep the small wheels rolling, Cheah's team of sales and service personel organizes rides twice a week.

Cyclists will convene at the store and ride off to courses around Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur.

On expansion plans, Cheah said Van's Urban Bicycle Co. intends to bring in more performances bikes and accessories for

the discerning enthusiast.

To put the store's name on the region's map, Cheah said her team is also working with Tern Bicycles to organise the first

Malaysian Tern Social Ride in Kuala Lumpur.

"This is an exciting project and I have met Tern's team captain Joshua Hon on the project," she said.

More on the store can be accessed on-line at: http://vansurbanbicycle.com/ or find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VansUrbanBicycleCo

LEFT: A Bike Friday folding bike on display at the store in Kg Tunku.

RIGHT: Nutcase helmets are becoming very popular among leisure cyclists around the country.