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<\/p>\nDarwin cyclists are waiting weeks for servicing while electric bike sales in the Northern Territory capital have surged by up to 300 per cent amid soaring global fuel prices sparked by the war in Iran.<\/p>\n
Cycle shops in Darwin are being overwhelmed as more people turn to one of the simplest and oldest alternatives to the car \u2014 prompting industry experts to question why governments are not doing the same.<\/p>\n
“Compared to this time last year, I’m at least four or five times busier,” Bicycle Fix owner Philip Rose said.<\/p>\n
Since the war started in late February, cutting off oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, Mr Rose said he had watched a steady stream of customers dust off long-neglected bicycles and wheel them in for repairs.<\/p>\n
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Matt King says sales of e-bikes at the Darwin store he manages have soared by \u00a0between 200 and 300 per cent since March. (ABC News: Roxanne Fitzgerald)<\/p>\n
“The cost of living in general was going up, but was not impacting the price at the bowser,” he said.<\/p>\n
“But as soon as that started to spike so rapidly, there has been a really big rise in people coming in and wanting to get back on their bike.”<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Blue Cycles manager Matt King said demand for e-bikes had soared between 200 and 300 per cent since early March.<\/p>\n
“This is the most we’ve sold in the electric bike side of stuff since we opened 15 years ago,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Every second person is conscious of the fuel crisis and general living costs.<\/p>\n
“People are seeing they can get really affordable e-bikes and swap out that second car.”<\/p>\n
Bikes improve health, fuel security<\/p>\n
Gold Coast cyclist Harrison Hoskin said he had found himself increasingly opting for his bike over recent weeks.<\/p>\n
“Around home, I live pretty close to the beach and everywhere I need to be, so I’ve been trying to ride a bike as much as I can,” he said.<\/p>\n
Bicycle Industries Australia general manager Peter Bourke said it was a trend happening right across Australia.<\/p>\n
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Harrison Hoskin says he has been riding his bike more often lately to save on fuel costs. (ABC News: Roxanne Fitzgerald)<\/p>\n
Mr Bourke said more than half of all trips in Australian capital cities were less than 5 kilometres, yet only a fraction were made by bike.<\/p>\n
He said changing that could have positive impacts on fuel security, congestion and people’s health.<\/p>\n
But despite the increased demand, Mr Bourke said the federal government was still prioritising “individual people moving in individual cars”, including by cutting the fuel excise for three months<\/a> in April.<\/p>\n Peter Bourke says the Australian government “hasn’t prioritised moving by active transport” in its response to the global oil shock. (Supplied)<\/p>\n “Right now our focus in Australia is very much about every trip should be by car,” he said.<\/p>\n “What we really need the government to do is prioritise bikes as one of the key options that people can use to get around cities and towns.”<\/p>\n Mr Bourke said modelling by advocacy group We Ride Australia found e-bike purchase incentives generated a return of almost seven dollars for every dollar invested.<\/p>\n “So we know that there’s such a huge economic boost to the economy when people buy and use bikes,” he said.<\/p>\n Other countries lead the way<\/p>\n Around the globe, countries such as the United Kingdom and China have implemented a range of initiatives aimed at encouraging the use of e-bikes.<\/p>\n![\"Peter](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6d7b0d80e0a799faf88270f1213a6658.jpeg\")
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