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The 35th International Cycling History Conference (ICHC) in Klaten will bring together scholars, researchers, and cycling enthusiasts from around the world for five days of academic exchange, cultural immersion, and community celebration. The program will combine formal lectures and presentations with unique Indonesian hospitality and heritage experiences.
Saturday, 16 May 2026 – Arrival & Opening : Delegates will begin arriving in Klaten, with registration and conference kit distribution taking place at the official conference hotel, Tjokro Hotel Klaten, between 09:00 and 16:00. In the evening, all participants will gather at the Pendopo Kabupaten Klaten, the town’s traditional pavilion, for a Welcoming Dinner and Opening Gathering (18:30 – 20:30). This will be the first occasion to meet fellow participants, enjoy local cuisine, and experience a warm Javanese welcome.
Sunday, 17 May 2026 – Community & Excursion Day : The day begins with a special cultural highlight: a Morning Ride with Vintage Bicycles during Klaten’s Car Free Day (06:00 – 08:30). This free public event will allow delegates to ride alongside the local cycling community through the heart of Klaten. Following the ride, participants are invited to join a Community Breakfast with the Regent of Klaten at the Pendopo (08:30 – 09:30), a unique opportunity to share the spirit of cycling with the town’s leadership and citizens. Later in the morning, delegates will depart by bus for an Excursion to Mount Merapi (10:00 – 15:00), combining sightseeing, cultural visits, and historical exploration around one of Indonesia’s most iconic volcanoes. The day concludes with a group dinner at Tjokro Hotel (19:00 – 20:30).
Monday, 18 May 2026 – Lectures & Presentations :The academic program officially begins with a full day of lectures and paper presentations at the Pendopo Kabupaten Klaten (09:00 – 17:00). Participants will explore diverse topics related to cycling history, technology, and culture, followed by a Conference Dinner in the evening (19:00 – 20:30).
Tuesday, 19 May 2026 – Lectures & Presentations : The conference continues with another day of scholarly lectures and presentations (09:00 – 17:00), giving participants the opportunity to present their research and engage in discussion. As on the previous day, the program will conclude with a Conference Dinner (19:00 – 20:30).
Wednesday, 20 May 2026 – Keynote & Closing : The final day of the conference opens with a Keynote Speaker Session (09:00 – 11:00), followed by workshops and discussions (11:00 – 13:00), allowing participants to reflect on key themes of the conference and explore future collaborations. The event will conclude with a Lunch and Closing Ceremony(13:00 – 14:30), celebrating the success of ICHC 2026 and formally passing the torch to the next host city.
Approved Abstracts for 2026 IMTS
| Glen Norcliffe, York University, Toronto |
| Bamboo or bamboozle? An assessment of bamboo cycles. |
| Bamboo bicycles have been made in small numbers since the 1890s, with the makers and distributors invariably heralding the strength and flexibility of the material for cycle construction. Despite the apparent suitability of bamboo for cycle frames, they have never become mainstream. In this presentation I will attempt to assess: 1. The nature of bamboo, its botany and physics, to determine its physical properties. 2. To summarize the manufacture of bamboo cycles over the years. 3. To identify the strengths and weaknesses of bamboo as a material for use in cycle construction. 4. To determine where bamboo cycles stand today. Information on bamboo cycles is fragmented and dispersed, so gaps in knowledge will undoubtedly exist, but the aim is to start a conversation among cycle enthusiasts about this niche product. |
| Jürgen Wagner |
| The Mercedes Fahrradwerke GmbH, Berlin Marienfelde from 1923 till 1926 |
| After the First World War, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft sought new areas of activity. Following a brief planning phase, the Mercedes bicycle factory was established in an existing building in Berlin-Marienfelde. From 1923/24 to 1926, approximately 28,000 bicycles were manufactured there. A financial crisis in 1926 necessitated the founding of Daimler-Benz AG. Due to the restructuring of the company and a lack of profitability, bicycle production was discontinued at the end of 1926. |
| Daniel Kristanto |
| From Viewers to Guardians: How a YouTube Channel Turned Vintage Bike Collecting into a Cultural Movement |
| The YouTube channel “Sepeda Rakyat Kecil” proves that old bicycles are not just worn-out objects from the past. Through simple yet meaningful videos, the channel has transformed a hobby of restoring vintage bicycles into a shared learning space and a place to exchange stories about history and memory.
More than just an entertainment channel, “Sepeda Raya Kecil” can be seen as a living museum in the digital world. Here, old bicycles are not only repaired but also presented with their background stories, historical value, and cultural meaning. Viewers do not simply watch the restoration process; they also learn to appreciate the journey of a bicycle across time. The main strength of the channel lies in how the creator turns hands-on experience from workshops and flea markets into easy-to-understand visual content. Knowledge that was once limited to experts can now be accessed by anyone. The creator acts both as a translator and a guide, helping audiences understand the authenticity of vintage bicycles and their place in Indonesian history. Research on this channel highlights three important roles. First, it serves as a reference point for validating the authenticity and historical value of old bicycles. Second, it connects collectors, beginners, traders, and craftsmen within a hobby-based creative economy. Third, it becomes a meeting space between the nostalgia of older generations and the ways younger generations express their identity through vintage bicycles. Interestingly, although the fans come from many different regions, they feel part of one community. They are united by the same interest: caring for, using, and preserving old bicycles as part of Indonesia’s cultural heritage. This phenomenon shows that digital media is not only a source of entertainment, but also a powerful tool for cultural preservation. What was once mainly done by museums or formal institutions can now also be carried out by ordinary people through technology and social media. In this way, “Sepeda Rakyat Kecil” demonstrates that traditional culture does not have to be left behind in the modern era. With a digital touch, old bicycles can live again as symbols of history, creativity, and togetherness across generations. |
| Jos Rietveld: |
| The Export of Dutch Bicycles to the Dutch East Indies/Indonesia 1895-1970 (De export van Nederlandse fietsen naar Nederland-Indie/Indonesie 1895-1970). |
| This paper examines the history and impact of Dutch bicycle exports to the Dutch East Indies (later Indonesia) between 1895 and 1970, estimating that more than 700,000 Dutch-made bicycles were shipped to the region during this period. It traces how bicycles were initially imported as luxury items for Dutch colonial elites and wealthy local residents but gradually became a widely used means of transportation as prices declined and cycling culture expanded. The study highlights the role of major Dutch manufacturers—particularly Fongers, Gazelle, Simplex, and Burgers—in establishing agencies and export networks across the archipelago, while also situating bicycle trade within the broader context of Dutch colonial economic relations and post-independence political tensions that influenced trade patterns. Drawing on archival advertisements, production records, and historical sources, the paper shows how bicycles contributed to everyday mobility in the colony and later republic, and how thousands of surviving Dutch bicycles have helped sustain a vibrant vintage cycling culture in modern Indonesia, reflecting a lasting historical connection between the Netherlands and Indonesia. |
| Daru Indriyo - Indonesia |
| From Hollywood to Kampung Tracks: The Emergence and Evolution of Old School BMX Culture in Indonesia (1974–1990) |
| This paper examines the historical emergence and development of Old School BMX
culture in Indonesia between 1974 and 1990, situating it within global technological,
cultural, and media-driven transformations. Drawing on archival documentation
curated by the Indonesian Old School BMX Society (iOSBMX), the study defines Old
School BMX as bicycles produced from 1974 to 1990 and traces four key evolutionary
phases in BMX design: the youth-oriented Schwinn Stingray (1963), motocross-inspired
Motobike bicycles (1973), the introduction of the 20-inch diamond-frame BMX by
Mongoose (1974), and the radical shift toward freestyle BMX initiated by Bob Haro in
1982.
The paper highlights the pivotal role of popular media—particularly Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)—in accelerating the global diffusion of BMX, including its rapid adoption in Indonesia. From the early 1980s, BMX became embedded in Indonesian youth culture, marked by widespread local and national competitions in race and freestyle disciplines. This study emphasizes the importance of community-led archives in preserving under-documented cycling histories in the Global South. |
| Janis Seregins, presented by Robert Johannes Hummel |
| The History of the A. Leitner Bicycle Factory in Riga, Latvia |
| This paper examines the historical development and significance of Aleksandrs Leitner’s bicycle manufacturing enterprise in Riga within the broader industrial and cultural context of Latvia from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. It highlights how Latvia’s high levels of education, industrial growth, and infrastructure under the Russian Empire enabled Riga to become a major center of engineering and manufacturing, setting the stage for Leitner to establish the first bicycle factory in the Russian Empire in 1886. Tracing Leitner’s technical training, international experience, and entrepreneurial vision, the study details the rapid expansion of his workshop into a large-scale factory producing a wide range of bicycles, innovations such as proprietary freewheel and lubrication systems, and eventual diversification into automobiles. The company’s success, marked by growing production volumes, international recognition, and extensive distribution networks, reflects both global technological trends and regional industrial capacity. The paper concludes by analyzing the factory’s decline during World War I, its forced relocation, and ultimate closure, positioning Leitner’s enterprise as a key milestone in the industrial and technological history of Latvia and the Russian Empire. |
| Mahalli, Universitas Brawijaya |
| Recycling material and design: the past in present day adaptive cycles in Indonesia |
| In Indonesia, the development of adaptive cycles for persons with disabilities has historically been a grassroots endeavor, born from a lack of affordable commercial options and a need for physical independence. While modern assistive technology is increasingly available, a significant segment of the disabled community continues to rely on a "trial and error" design philosophy that bridges past craftsmanship with present-day needs. Drawing from oral histories and technical interviews with users and local builders, this paper examines the adaptive tricycles and hand-pedaled cycles in Indonesia.
The "past in the present" is most visible in the repurposing of secondary materials. Builders often strip down multiple standard bicycles—such as combining parts from three BMX bikes—to create a single functional tricycle. There is a persistent historical preference for iron and chromoly frames over modern aluminum because iron is more easily repaired and welded in local village workshops using traditional techniques. The development of adaptive cycles in Indonesia is not merely a technical history but a social one, where a family member or local mechanic acts as the primary designer, utilizing "imagination and creativity" to provide "legs" for those with mobility disability. This paper argues that the Indonesian experience offers a unique model of circular design and sustainable mobility, where the history of recycling is a living practice that continues to enable social participation and economic empowerment for persons with disabilities today. |
| Paul Rubenson |
| Between Muscle and Motor: Philosophical Ambivalence Toward E-Bicycles in the Historical Consciousness of Cycling |
| The emergence of electric bicycles (e-bikes) has provoked renewed philosophical debate within cycling communities regarding the essential nature of bicycling. This paper examines how traditional bicyclists—athletic, recreational, commuter, and utilitarian—interpret and evaluate e-bicycles within a broader historical framework of evolving definitions of cycling. Drawing on sources from the early nineteenth century to the present, it traces recurring tensions between human power and mechanical augmentation, situating contemporary ambivalence toward e-bikes alongside earlier reactions to technological shifts such as the transition from draisines to pedal bicycles and from bicycles to motorcycles. I will pay particular attention to the distinction between pedal-assist and throttle-controlled e-bikes, and to the paradox experienced by individuals who embrace both bicycling and motorcycling yet find e-bikes philosophically ambiguous. The paper will conclude by incorporating perspectives from e-bike users themselves, highlighting how their interpretations may diverge fundamentally from those rooted in traditional cycling culture. |
| Bambang Haris Setyawan |
| The Special Treasure of Benjeng: Ritual, Reverse Socialization, and the Persistence of Cycling in the Periphery of an Indonesian Regency |
| Amidst global narratives that equate modernity with mass motorization, the peripheries of Indonesian regencies are often framed as spaces of inevitable automobility. This study, however, reveals a sociological anomaly at UPT SMP Negeri 14 Gresik (Benjeng), where cycling culture persists not as a relic of the past, but as a form of non-confrontational resistance to fossil-fuel dependency.
This paper examines how this mobility culture is sustained through the synergy of the 2017 school zoning policy, the hydrological constraints of the flood-prone Kali Lamong basin, and the institutionalization of culture through the Wekasan ritual. Utilizing analytical auto-ethnography (2010–2024) supported by GPS tracking and ecosystem triangulation, the research proposes the concept of "Reverse Socialization." This phenomenon illustrates how the spatial resilience of students navigating hazardous arterial roads has transformed the mobility behaviors of educators, who increasingly readopt cycling and renegotiate authority hierarchies through shared embodied experiences in public space. Findings indicate that this "Special Treasure" is underpinned by a local circular economy ecosystem—indigenous mechanics and flea markets—that enables technological sovereignty independent of global automotive supply chains. The study argues that viable models for future mobility need not rely solely on technological innovation but can emerge from locally sustained practices resilient to climatic and economic disruptions. The Benjeng case offers an empirical model of how educational institutions and communities in the regency periphery can function as bastions of humanized mobility heritage. |
| Ahmad Safrudin, Executive Director of KPBB |
| The Role of Bicycles Through the Ages in Indonesia |
| After being introduced in 1895 during the Dutch East Indies era, bicycles were initially a means of transportation dominated by officials and aristocrats. In Indonesia, bicycles were also modified with unique designs so they could be used as rickshaw, generally used to transport people, although they also included the possibility of transporting goods. Bicycle use experienced ups and downs, especially after the 1980s, when motorized road transportation became widespread thanks to the country's policy of cooperation opening itself to automotive markets from other countries. Bicycles gradually disappeared from everyday use, replaced by motorcycles, three-wheeled motorcycles, cars, pickup trucks, and other vehicles. The role of rickshaws and taxis was also replaced by three-wheeled motorcycles, as was the case in Jakarta.
The 1990s saw the disappearance of bicycles and rickshaws, pushed out by motorized roads, further reinforced by policies that required the elimination of rickshaws due to their congestion-causing effects. The average bicycle population in various cities on Java Island has drastically decreased by more than 83%. Those that remain are no longer used for daily mobility, as the motorized vehicle boom has made it impossible for bicycles and rickshaws to be used on the roads. Although bicycle sales experienced a boom during the COVID-19 pandemic, this did not continue, with total bicycle sales declining again in 2023 by 95% compared to 2021. The rationale for energy conservation and GHG mitigation requires the government to designate bicycles as a means of transportation that meets the net-zero emission criteria. The Gulf War (Strait of Hormuz Crisis) actually forced society to act rationally, including shifting mobility needs to rely on transportation that does not rely on energy consumption like motorized vehicles. Shifting sustainable mobility choices to bicycles nationwide could save up to 6 million kiloliters of fuel per year, equivalent to a reduction of up to 92 million tons of CO2 emissions per year from the road transportation sector. |
| Muhammad Ikram Ulman Idris1, Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies, Kyushu University, Japan. |
| From Pandemic Cycling Boom to Sustainable Urban Mobility: Behavioral Persistence, Hybrid Mobility Patterns, and Digital Influence in Indonesian Cities. Case study of Makassar. |
| This study examines whether the cycling surge during the COVID-19 epidemic has resulted in a more sustainable urban transportation model in Makassar, Indonesia, focusing on behavioral persistence, hybrid mobility patterns, and digital impact. It examines three inquiries: the persistence of pandemic-era cycling in the post-pandemic period, the extent of cycling's integration with other modes of transport, and the role of digital platforms in sustaining cycling behavior. The research employed a quantitative comparative approach utilizing two survey datasets exclusively from Makassar respondents: one during the pandemic period (n = 86) and another from a post-pandemic online questionnaire (n = 82). The analysis employed descriptive statistics and cross-period comparisons of cycling frequency, trip purposes, impediments, multimodal practices, and digital involvement. During the pandemic, 81.4% of respondents predominantly identified as outdoor cyclists, and 87.2% cycled for a minimum of 3 hours per week, while 86.0% indicated a plan or potential to pedal for routine trips post-pandemic. In the post-pandemic study, 70.7% indicated cycling at the same or increased frequency, 79.3% integrated cycling with other transportation modes, 76.8% utilized tracking applications, and 97.6% expressed intent to continue using bicycles for transportation or would do so depending upon urban conditions. The findings suggest that cycling in Makassar has partially continued post-pandemic. However, its evolution into routine urban mobility is hindered by climatic conditions and insufficient infrastructure, highlighting the necessity for enhanced cycling networks, multimodal integration, and digitally facilitated mobility policies. |
| Sukma Larastiti, Transportologi |
| Getting Lost for Decades: Cycling Amidst Indonesia’s Quest to Shape a Modern Transport Identity |
| The modernization project of transport after independence, which was focused on motorized vehicles, has led to the marginalization of cycling for decades in Indonesia. While bicycles, motorcycles, and cars were introduced during a similar period during the Dutch colonial era, cycling was lost and went invisible in the Indonesian transport policies, and the use of bicycles plummeted. As a former Dutch colony, Indonesia has taken a different path towards modernization of transport from the Netherlands after the 1950s, when it became a cycling nation. In the current Indonesian modern transport identity, cycling is nonexistent, with very low social and economic standing. This paper attempts to address the question of whether the colonial memory and experiences influence how Indonesia shapes a modern transport identity while forgoing cycling. A qualitative method was used to analyse historical references on cycling from the colonial era and Indonesia’s transport regulations from 1950s until now. The expected outcome of this research is the broader understanding on how the historical experiences helps shape Indonesia’s modern transport. |