I tried to find locally manufactured bicycles. There are vintage locally built ones, but current brands? There are exactly TWO bicycle frames that are manufactured in South Africa Africa which are not custom-made: Morewood’s Zula and Kalula models. They look like awesome bikes, but they are ‘trail monsters’, ie for mountain biking and also for the deep (deep!) pocket.

If ‘it’s all about the bike’1 for you and you have your head set on forking out the cash, Francois du Toit is a master frame builder who will custom make you a bicycle frame, be it a racer, a touring bike or a tandem. Donald Williamson of Produx builds bespoke mountain bike frames from carbon and aluminium.

But what about commuter cycling? South African cities are not designed to get around easily on bicycles and the way people drive their cars or taxis feels as if you are putting your life on the line. However, bicycles are the most fossil fuel independent and healthiest way to get around – both for us and the planet. They go where you want to go when you want to go there. You can find parking easily. They are relatively affordable and simple to maintain and repair.

The Bicycle Empowerment Network imports bicycles and redistributes them to those who need them. Slowly but surely cities and corporates are getting the message – the number of bicycle lanes are increasing. The ‘Levi’s Commuter Map for Cape Town’ I picked up the other day announces cycling to be cool and lists city bike rides as well as the refuelling stops to take in coffee, culture and, of course, some discerning consumerism. Commuting by bike is a convenient built-in exercise. It will improve your sleep – as well as your appetite. My brother-in-law cycles to work and says as long as he does that, he can eat whatever he likes. On the other hand, after a week of inclement weather and no biking he can point out each muffin on his waistline.

South Africa has a tradition of metalworking. A simple commuter bike doesn’t need to be built from aluminium or carbon fibre. There is also a trend to build ‘sustainable’ bicycles from bamboo. So maybe there is a niche for manufacturing a local commuter bicycle. Nothing fancy, a simple, affordable bike will do. Any takers?

1 Robert Penn’s highly enjoyable read about getting his dream bike custom-built.