THE THREAT of global warming has led to a growing advocacy of bicycles as an environment-friendly means of transport.

It’s an uphill battle, however, especially in the Philippines where cyclists face a particularly hostile environment: traffic-choked streets, road rage-crazed drivers, relentless heat or torrential rain and air pollution.

Another obstacle comes from an unexpected source: the bicycle business itself.

In countries where cycling is an accepted form of mass transport, mainly in Asia and Europe, cheap, durable and practical bicycles are readily available. In countries where the car is king, such as the US and, sadly, the Philippines, cycling is seen more as a recreational sport rather than a practical means of getting around.

As such, the local bicycle retail industry has chosen to focus on the high-performance sports market, to the virtual exclusion of everything else. That’s fine if you’re in the market for an ultralight, 20-speed, carbon fiber racing bike or a full-suspension aluminum alloy mountain bike with front and rear shock absorbers and 27-speeds. If not, you’re just out of luck.

Numerous specialty shops carry the latest on-road and off-road racing gear and accessories to match. If you can’t ride like Lance Armstrong, you can at least look like Lance (at least in your imagination). Even the mainstream bike shops in Quiapo and Pasay carry mostly mid- to high-level performance gear, as well as the usual cheap stuff made from plumbing pipes.

Cyclists looking for practical and durable bikes have learned to look elsewhere.

Luckily, there are alternatives. You just have to look harder to find them.

One such place is an unassuming shop near the LRT-2 J. Ruiz station on Aurora Blvd. in Quezon City, which goes by the name BZKleta, which offers a virtual cornucopia of (mostly used) alternatives for the discerning cyclist.

The bulk of the stock are Japanese commuter bikes, one- or three-speed bikes with step-through frames, fenders, mudguards, reflectors, lights and baskets. Many of these are what the Japanese call mamachari (“mom’s bikes”) which, as the name implies, are used mostly by women to ferry kids to school and to do the daily shopping.

There are also vintage American cruisers, with their fat tires, high-rise handlebars and purely decorative "tanks," as well as folding bikes, classic steel road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrids, cargo bikes and even a few tricycles – for adults!

All in all, BZkleta opens up a world of cycling that mainstream shops ignore, a world where bicycles are tools, not toys. •