![\"Outside](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/a93552795cf7de343898ac96c776d5bf.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nMore Australians are turning to tricycles and digging out old bikes for repairs as soaring fuel prices make cycling a cheaper alternative to driving.<\/p>\n
Now in its sixth week, the Iran war has disrupted global oil supplies and driven up Australian fuel prices, with unleaded now above $2 a litre and diesel above $3 a litre.<\/p>\n
As the surge in fuel prices prompts more people to consider alternative transport options, some cycling businesses are seeing a significant jump in sales and repair bookings. \u00a0<\/p>\n
“We started getting a lot of enquiries and a lot of additional orders for our electric tricycles,” Trike Bike Australia founder Michael Coates said.<\/p>\n
“There’s been double the enquiries and probably a 30 per cent to 40 per cent increase in sales.”<\/p>\n
Trike Bike Australia has noticed a marked increase in sales over the past three weeks. (Supplied: Trike Bikes Australia)<\/p>\n
Mr Coates said most of his customers were frugal retirees, replacing their cars for regular trips such as grocery shopping.<\/p>\n
“Our customer demographic is older. A lot of them are on the wrong side of 60 and they’re the ones that are really frugal with their spending,” he said.<\/p>\n
“If they can see an opportunity to get rid of the car and get rid of the high petrol costs, then they’ll take it.”<\/p>\n
Rush for e-bikes, repairs<\/p>\n
Peter Bourke, general manager of Bicycle Industry Australia which represents more than 100 businesses nationwide, said some members were reporting a marked uptick in both e-bike sales and repairs.<\/p>\n
“What we’ve seen is two specific sort of increases: one is for the purchase of e-bikes and the second is for workshop and service and repair of old non e-bikes,” Mr Bourke said.<\/p>\n
“They may have had the bike in the shed since COVID and now they’ve gone, ‘Hey, that was a good idea during COVID, let’s get it out and get it going again’.<\/p>\n
“So we’ve seen a market demand in the workshop for servicing and upgrade.”<\/p>\n
![\"Peter](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775693232_166_6d7b0d80e0a799faf88270f1213a6658.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Peter Bourke says bike store owners across the country have noticed an increase in demand for repairs. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
Mr Bourke said the shift in consumer behaviour was a “consistent message” his team had been hearing from members across the country over the past several weeks.<\/p>\n
He said more people cycling had a “wide range of benefits”.<\/p>\n
“There are benefits for health, as we know, reduced [road] congestion, environmental \u2014 and that is noise as well as general emissions,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“There’s also a reduction in car accidents because you’ve got less people in cars.”<\/p>\n
Getting back on the bike\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the inner-north of Melbourne, Samson Cycles in Brunswick has not had a surge in new bike sales, but workshop bookings have increased in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/7a50fe345bf012e64b715c42000ede45.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Bike mechanic Nick Benca in the workshop of Velyo Cycles. (Supplied: Velo Cycles)<\/p>\n
Owner Ryan Billszta said cost-of-living pressures were driving people to fix or maintain existing bikes rather than buy new ones.<\/p>\n
“People are saying, ‘We don’t really want to fork out for a new bike, but we’ll put in a bit of money to get our existing bike up and running and that should see us through’,” Mr Billszta said.<\/p>\n
“I think with the fuel prices, it hasn’t hit people as hard as it may do in the coming weeks. Maybe that will make a difference because now it’s still, generally speaking, affordable to a point.<\/p>\n
“With the change in fuel prices, it’s the perfect opportunity to get on a bike and save yourself a bit of money.”<\/p>\n
A short ride away, Velo Cycles in Carlton North has seen workshop demand reminiscent of COVID.<\/p>\n