HE doesn't have to put up with the daily traffic jam on his way to work in the city. Or squeeze into a packed bus.

Human resource consultant Ng Soo Ming relies on his mountain bike to get him to his office in the central business district.

The 27-year-old is one of a growing number of executives who cycle to work in Singapore.

He makes the 45-minute, 10km journey from Kembangan, where he lives with his parents, to Amoy Street two to three times a week.

On the other days, he takes the MRT, a journey that he said takes about the same time.

The fresh graduate started cycling last June, two months after he started working.

"I got sick of squeezing into the train everyday," he said.

He paid about $900 for his single-gear mountain bike which has second-hand parts.

Mr Ng leaves his bicycle in The Bike Boutique, a bicycle shop on Amoy Street that is a five-minute walk from his Cecil Street office.

He pays $80 a month to park his bicycle in the shop.

He also showers and changes into office wear in the shop before going to work. That takes him an extra 15minutes.

But Mr Ng doesn't mind the exertion or time.

He said: "I enjoy cycling. If it is raining before I go off to work, then I will take the train.

"If I've already started cycling and it rains, then I have no choice but to continue cycling on."

Another proponent of foot power is Mr Daniel Lau, 25, who lives near Sixth Avenue and cycles to his Tanjong Pagar office about twice a week.

He started doing that about a month ago.

Mr Lau, who works in a statutory board and takes the train if he doesn't cycle, parks his $3,500 racer in the same bike shop as Mr Ng does.

GETS ME UP

He said: "It makes me want to get out of bed and get to work.

"I get to keep in shape as well. It's hard not to grow fat working in an office."

Mr Ben Distel, The Bike Boutique's business development director, said there are no other bicycle shops that offer the same parking services and shower facilities as The Bike Boutique.

Mr Distel, 40, said the two men are part of a growing group of professionals who see cycling as an alternative to get to work.

The Dutchman said most of its 30 regular clients are men and four out of 10 are Singaporeans. One of them lives as far as Chua Chu Kang.

Those who don't want to pay the monthly $80 fee to use the shop's facilities can pay $10 per use.

Mr Distel said: "Previously, the shop was located in Tras Street, (but) the location wasn't as good as where we are now.

"Since moving, about a month ago, there have been more people asking about our facilities and coming here to use them."

The shop's current location is in the heart of the business district.

Mr Distel's business partner Alex Bok, 39, is also from the Netherlands.

Both are amateur triathletes who met by chance before they started working on the concept for their shop.

Mr Distel said: "We met on a bus to Port Dickson for a triathlon event.

"Since then, we kept running into each other by chance, for example, at the bookstore.

"At some point, you have to believe in fate."

LOVE CYCLING

Their shared love of cycling led them to The Bike Boutique.

Mr Bok, a permanent resident who was a director at a bank here, became the shop's managing director in September 2005.

Even though it sounds local, Bok is a Dutch surname.

Mr Distel, who used to be a food and beverage director, joined him in May2006.

Originally, a Singaporean owned The Bike Boutique for more than 10 years.

But he left to start another bicycle shop as Mr Bok and Mr Distel wanted to focus more on performance bicycles.

The Dutchmen are on a mission to popularise cycling as a serious form of transportation in urban Asia.

The Bike Boutique will be opening shops in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong over the next six months.

They started a non-profit organisation and hosted it online on www.iwant2bike2work.org.

Among other features, the website offers tips on the fastest and safest way to cycle to popular spots in the city.

Mr Distel said: "Cycling to work is environmentally-friendly and healthy.

"Instead of getting bogged down by traffic jams, people who cycle to work are already pumped up before they get to work."

He hopes dedicated bicycle lanes on the roads and proper parking shelters will become a permanent sight here in the near future.

Mr Distel and Mr Bok are negotiating with the authorities and management of some office buildings in the city area to set up shelters for bicycle parking.

But the results so far are not encouraging, Mr Distel said.

He said: "We have to liaise with government agencies and building management to get approval for the bicycle shelters.

"So far, they have not been responsive to the idea.

"We are also talking to gyms so that cyclists can go for a shower and change into office wear after parking their bicycles in shelters nearby."

'GO DUTCH'

Mr Distel cites his home country as an example where the cycling culture is well entrenched.

Statistics listed online by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs showed that bicycle ownership in the Netherlands, a country with a population of 16 million people, is slightly over 80percent.

In contrast, only four in 10 people have cars, according to 2005 figures.

Mr Distel said: "Almost all the roads in the Netherlands have cycling paths.

"Every child cycles to school and most parents have bicycles.

"We are promoting the concept here because we love the idea.

"If we get more people cycling, then there will be fewer cars. And perhaps there will be fewer car lanes and more bicycle lanes on the roads, making it safer to cycle."