News Press

Drawing on the latest trend in fi xie bikes, Melbourne bike company Mojo Bike has
taken customisation to the next level, with their build-your-own online bike site.
Taking only a matter of days from order to dispatch,
business owner Michael Poynton says that it was only
natural that he and his cycling-enthusiast colleagues
expanded into retro push-bikes, after spending much time
overseas sourcing similar items for their wholesale scooter
business. And in Melbourne, a town that is temptingly fl at,
with bike lanes everywhere and a generally unusually probicycling
attitude (for Australia), Mojo Bikes are a seriously
good idea – not just because they’re pretty, either.
“The whole fi xie thing is a bit of a craze at the moment,”
Michael says. “A lot of people who buy our bikes are doing
it as a fashion accessory. There is a huge market out there
for bikes at the moment. We have sourced all the spare
parts from numerous suppliers and we keep all of them
here in our warehouse, and basically build the bikes to
order as they come through.”
And with over 240,000 diff erent colour options and a
range of sizes and combinations to choose from, it is not
surprising that they are still yet to make two the same.
“It is a very new concept here in Australia – there are some
companies doing it overseas, but I think we are the fi rst
ones here,” he says. With European bike companies and
bike culture so much further ahead, we’ve got a bit of fast
pedalling to do to catch up.
“I have got a couple of them myself,” Michael says,
“including a limited edition chrome frame one that we
will be releasing here very soon too.” And if the more
masculine riding frame is not quite your thing, Michael says
they will also be adding a more female-friendly bike to their
fl eet next month.
“It is a new model that is designed more for the chicks -
with a really big cane basket on the front, wide tyres, and
a step-through frame too – but still with the same classic
look,” he says. “The good thing about our bikes is that they
can be used either for your daily commute – from a to b
and work – or as a Sunday bike to cruise down to your local
café to buy a latte or whatever,” Michael says.
So what is the attraction with it all, really? Why have people
suddenly mad for these bikes? Apart from a general surge
of interest in non-petrol transportation, it’s a lot about being
individual and unique. “I guess people just love the idea of
being able to custom-build their own bike, to make it the
exact colour and style that they want,” Michael explains.
“We are getting more and more people coming in for parts
to restore their old 1970s or 1980s bikes too, but the real
growth is in people just wanting something unique.”