Our Reid Retailer of the month for June is Tambay Cycling Hub, one of our retailers in the Philippines! Tambay champion cycling as a great means of transport, because why would you choose to sit in boring traffic when you could get to where your going while having fun along the way! Read on to find out how they share this passion with their local community.

Introduce yourselves…

Hello, I’m Kevin Skinker, Founder of Tambay Cycling Hub. We’re a full service bike shop geared towards bikes as transport that opened in May of 2022.

Where can your store be found?

Tambay Cycling Hub is located in Barangay Pineda, Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines. We’re just two blocks from the beautiful Pasig River!

What does cycling mean to you?

Cycling means freedom.

Originally, cycling meant survival and financial freedom to me, since biking as transport was the only way I could afford US student loans in Philippine Pesos. Now it means freedom from car-induced gridlock and time wasted in traffic pollution while getting exercise with, or on the way to a welcoming community.

How do you integrate with your local community?

Everyone on our team is involved in their own ways. I work with the Move As One Coalition advocating for safer, more inclusive transit. Aneka, our Community Manager, helps run Bicycle Friendly Philippines, an organization that conducts bike lessons and pushes for better transport policy. Eugene, our Head Technician, has his own home shop, BikeWrench PH, and racing team, BikeWrench Racing. Rey, our Junior Mechanic, is a volunteer Firefighter with our barangay. Tal, my wife, runs a social enterprise called Risque Designs working with Marikina shoemakers while incorporating local Filipino weaves and designs.

As a shop we’re organizing a ride along the Pasig River then the headquarters of the San Miguel Corporation as part of our anniversary plans on May 27.

Do you have any interesting store stories that you can share with us?

Last month we conducted a week-long training seminar teaching aspiring bike mechanics from underprivileged communities across the Philippines how to work on bikes and run their own shops, in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages and Allianz PNB. The nine trainees are in the process of examination to be the first ever Bike Mechanics with TUV Rheinland Certified Qualification under their Global PersCert Program.

How long have you been a Reid retailer?

We’ve been a Reid retailer since before we opened our physical shop, so just over a year now.

What is your best selling Reid product?

Reid Ladies Classic. We’re a huge fan of step-thru frames for anyone. Our Mechanic, Rey, has a Transit that gets a lot of love any time we post it though, and he’s thrilled with its conversion to drop bars.

How has your experience with Reid been?

The local distributors are amazing. They were super understanding of new shops during the COVID bike shortage, and were willing to take a leap with lower Minimum Orders to help shops with less resources to start with. When our first ever Reid customer was rear ended by a car and needed a wheel replaced, they made it happen almost instantly. Even the influencers they’ve chosen to partner with have been amazing, especially Eloiza Regaliza, one of the more vocal local bike vloggers when it comes to advocating for safer streets for women and for cyclists. We’re dreaming of carrying the Reid KADe eCargo bike in the future!

Finally, what advice would you give to those who are considering getting into bike riding or perhaps have never tried it before?

Ask your local government to make streets safer for cycling and for humans in general. There’s safety in numbers while biking, and the biggest hindrance to getting started is feeling safe on roads that prioritize fast cars over human connection. Once you find a route you’re comfortable with, try it with a more experienced friend on a weekend, before moving on to making it a daily habit you can ride on your own!