ADVERTISEMENT
970x220

Social enterprise wants commuters to burn carbs, not carbon

Published Jun 4, 2025 05:37 pm
Cycling is one of the most sustainable forms of transportation. It takes up minimal space on the road, requires no fossil fuels, and can be a good way to keep healthy.
For husband and wife Tony and Inday Dans, both doctors and retired professors from the UP College of Medicine, cycling is also an advocacy. The couple owns Krebs Cycles, a bicycle shop located in a refurbished container van that sits opposite the College of Fine Arts in UP Diliman.
The shop is named after the Krebs cycle is “a biochemical pathway that converts glucose or carbs into energy,” Dr. Tony explained. “I like it because… that's what biking is about. It's using carbs… instead of carbon [to move about], so one of our stickers says burn carbs, not carbon.”
It was established in 2023, after Dr. Dans’ retirement. A patient suggested that he start a business. Dr. Dans was skeptical at first, as he didn’t consider himself a businessman, but the patient, who taught in AIM, was insistent. Since Dr. Dans had been biking since he was 10, and the Danses have been riding a tandem bike since 2003, the patient suggested turning their hobby into a business.
Aside from introducing the Danses to the concept of a social enterprise, whose main purpose is to help other people, the patient helped them set everything up, including finding their current location and employees, the latter veterans in the bike business.
The enterprise has several aspects. First, “...the purchases… subsidize the help we give to people who… have bikes that need repair or replacement,” Dr. Dans said. “... one of the important elements of that was a community box where people can donate old bicycle parts, and we can use that to replace or repair the bikes of students and workers who need help.”
Krebs also gives away refurbished bikes to those in need. The Danses considered giving away new bikes at first, but that meant that old but usable bikes were being thrown away. They realized that it was more sustainable to repair old bikes. Bike recipients can be nominated through Krebs Cycles’ Facebook Page.
Of course, part of the sales goes to maintaining the shop and the salaries of its employees. “They have very specialized professions... It's almost like a pharmacist in terms of the… broad range of things you can buy. We're trying to pay them above minimum wage,” Dr. Dans said, adding that the Philippines actually has a shortage of bike mechanics because most of them are recruited to work in the Middle East. “I think our mechanic and our sales lady have enough reason to stay here and think that it's a sustainable job.”
As of now, cycling is primarily thought of as a sport in the Philippines. In fact, the business is mainly sustained by sports cyclists who not only see the value that Krebs Cycles provides in terms of bike maintenance, but who also believe in its many missions.
The Danses are big advocates of active transport. This is where Move As One Coalition, a group composed of sustainable transportation advocates that the Danses belong to, comes in. “We also advocate for policies in public transport, because without a proper public transport system, active transport, which is biking and walking, cannot succeed. If… everyone's taking cars, then there will be no space for people who walk, bike, or scoot to work.”
The shop sells accessories that support people who use bikes as their primary transport, including cute unisex bike clothes suitable for the Philippines’ tropical weather. Of course, they also sell bikes. Dr. Dans talked about a concept called “First and Last Mile.” “Folding bikes are the only bikes you can carry on the MRT… You can use your bike to the train station… and when you get down, you can use your bike to your final destination,” Dr. Dans explained. “That's [used] all over the world, except here.”
It also organizes one-day bike workshops several times a year, as well as workshops on bike maintenance and bike rides that help new bikers gain the confidence to ride along Metro Manila’s busy streets. “They bike with us [for] a few weekends until they are more comfortable biking by themselves.” The Danses hope to come up with videos to further this cause.
It isn’t just husband and wife who are active transportation advocates. Their kids have chipped in on the building and running of Krebs Cycles as well, from designing their logo to offering business advice and running their social media accounts.
“Our mantra… is that cycling is a utility, not just a sport… and we've found the setting where the sport sustains cycling as a utility,” Dr. Dans said. “[If] it's sustainable, it can be replicated. Get a container van, put it in a municipality, and it will sustain the workers, the shop, and the bikers in that community.”
Krebs Cycles hopes to contribute to “a metropolis with sustainable transport and low carbon production,” and it’s doing so one bike at a time.
(Photos by Sandra Dans)

Related Tags

YVETTE TAN KREB CYCLES SPOTLIGHT FEATURES
ADVERTISEMENT
300x250
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0 72px 0 12px; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } li:empty { display: none; } .hidden { display: none; }
function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // The two offset values // changed to 10 from 1 , 2 const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } function isNearBottom() { return window.innerHeight + window.scrollY >= document.documentElement.scrollHeight - 100; } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; // Skip if already loading if (isNearBottom()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; // Set flag to prevent multiple calls const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { loadCount++; // Increment only after successful execution }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; // Reset flag after execution }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); }); // Mutation Observer for Newly Loaded Articles const observer = new MutationObserver(() => { const articles = document.querySelectorAll(".articles-observe"); if (articles.length > 0) { observeArticles(articles); } }); observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true }); // Intersection Observer for Updating URL function observeArticles(articles) { const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); articles.forEach(article => intersectionObserver.observe(article)); }

Sign up by email to receive news.