Cycling towards the future
Victor Gitau is an ardent cyclist and has been cycling for years.
When Victor Gitau was working in the corporate world, he begun mulling over the idea of introducing a safe space for cyclists to store their bikes. He cycled to work and would struggle to find a convenient and safe space to park his bike. There was a gap to be filled, and Baisikeli Center, therefore, was a business idea that had been long coming.
He started the venture a year ago, and today, it has established itself not only as a storage facility where cyclists can also freshen up before reporting to work, but also as a supplier of electric and non-electric bicycles.
“I was working in the CBD, and the offices where I worked did not have shower facilities, I was also always worried about the safety of my bike,” he says, explaining that his predicament inspired him to open a space with showers where cyclists could also freshen up before heading to work.
“I believe cycling will become more popular in the coming years and that more people will opt to use bicycles to commute if the right non-motorised infrastructure is put in place. All we need are designated cycling lanes,” adds Victor.
There is a growing trend in Nairobi that has seen more people switch to cycling since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, despite a critical lack of bike paths. Prior to setting up his business, Victor had attended a training in the Netherlands that convinced him his business idea was valuable.
“I attended a conference in the Netherlands for three months, and I saw how cycling was widespread in the city. People were encouraged to use bicycles, and it is my hope that Nairobians will adopt this and not only avoid traffic, but also keep fit,” adds Victor, observing that cycling is a low impact aerobic exercise that offers a wealth of benefits. And since it varies in intensity, it is suitable for all levels and ages. Worth noting is that the health-enhancing effects of cycling may help improve cholesterol levels, which can boost cardiovascular health and lower chances of stroke and heart attack.
Located in the heart of Nairobi, along Kipande Road, the facility, which cost Victor slightly more than Sh2 million, is equipped with hot showers and safe lockers to store belongings. There is also an in-house bike mechanic who services and repairs bicycles. Besides this, they sell bikes and bike accessories. For Sh150, cyclists have access to parking, lockers and showers. There are also showers open to the public, and for Sh100, one can enjoy a hot shower.
“The facility can hold 100 bicycles at any given time. If you have no need for a shower, you pay Sh100 for bike parking and one personal locker. Those who want to take a hot shower pay an additional Sh50. We also offer overnight parking for Sh100 - some clients prefer paying Sh2,500 per month for this service,” he says.
Like any other business, his comes with its own challenges. The biggest setback the growth of his venture faces is the fact that Kenyan cyclists share the same roads as motorists.
“Non-existent infrastructure targeting cyclists is a big challenge. Many people want to commute using bikes but there are no safe designated cycling lanes on most roads,” he says.
Another challenge is dishonest people.
“I used to hire out bikes until I begun to lose them, because the security provided then was an ID. Now, I only hire out to groups, and even then, an employee accompanies them.”
To keep his clients’ bikes safe, when a client is checking in their bike, they register all their details at the reception and their bike is given a unique tag that matches the number on the receipt. This makes it almost impossible for someone to take a bike that belongs to someone else. The bikes are also parked in a partitioned area that is only accessible to the staff, moreover, the facility is under 24-hour CCTV surveillance.
As the business marches into its clearly defined future of becoming the specialised cyclist’s solutions provider in the country, Victor observes that the sector still has existing demand and space for many more SMEs providing similar services.
“As it is, we are growing into the demand, we are the only providers that have sought to find solutions to the cyclist in the country, and the fact is that Kenyans are warming to this idea of beating traffic while keeping fit as well.” he says.
Best sellers
While he sells all bikes, electric bikes, he says, are his best sellers.
“My clientele are people from all walks of life, from those working in the corporate world to students.
“The average price for a normal bike is Sh15,000 - Sh20,000. The price varies depending on the specifications and components of the bike, however, electric bikes go for about Sh110,000,” explains the businessman.
So, what strategy does he use to sell his ideas to clients, we asked.
“Most people want to commute to work, it’s a healthy lifestyle. The most challenging part is trying to convince the general public to use these roads to commute daily, to try and prove that it’s actually possible, I commute on a daily basis.”
He adds,
“I tell clients that instead of using a matatu to go to work, they could just use a bike and then take a shower and go to work. This also means that they don’t have to enroll in a gym. You can use that one hour you sit in a car to do the exercise you would have otherwise gone to do at the gym. It’s really hard to sell this idea, which is something I had not foreseen earlier, but the idea is catching on because every week I get new clients.”
Many cities around the world have long recognised the importance of cycling, but the city of Nairobi has been slow to adopt this. None of the roads are designed to accommodate cyclists, as a result, they have to share the main roads with vehicles, exposing them to accidents. The recent increase in motor vehicles and poor road ethic makes it even more dangerous for Kenyan cyclists.
An early but poor attempt at having cycling lanes came with the expansion of Waiyaiki Way in the early 90s, where part of the pavement was marked out for cyclists. Recently, curb separated bicycle lanes have been added on the Thika Superhighway and the missing link roads. The new bikeways, however, have poor intersection design for cyclists.
Urbanists have stated that there is a need to emphasise the construction of bikeways rather than planning purely around vehicular mobility.
For the cost of 1km of urban highway, one could build 150km of bicycle paths, 10,000 km of bicycle lanes, or 100 well designed 30kph zones.
