The Bikes of China

[[email protected]]

Just thought I'd tell people that, since I've gone and gotten myself a
digital camera I can now post pictures of some of the interesting
things I see on the road on a regular basis and have put them up in a
journal at crazyguyonabike.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/flyingpigeon

Eventually I hope to include some of the more intriguing so-called bike
lane like structures (especially the bits where the busses are routed
in), as well as a lot more pictures. For contrast it includes
everything from the anti-clipless tricycle pedal to the $3000 carbon
bike one of my friends rides. And Arrigo's Bianchi, which doesn't
really count as Chinese since, of the four countries it was purchased
in, none of them are China and the rider isn't Chinese, but the bike is
_in_ China so that will have to do.

-M

 

[Adam Rush]

I want to see as many Chinese city bikes as possible. Especially
Flying Pigeon.

 

[amakyonin]

It's interesting that you took a picture of an "Olympic" brand bicycle.
I wonder if the IOC has the guts to sue them in preparation for the
next symmer olympics. Being in a country that doesn't recognize
intellectual property rights they might make out better than the poor
fellow in Atlanta who had to change the name of his pizza parlor from
"Olympic pizza" despite being a naturalized Greek.

 

[[email protected]]

Marian Rosenberg writes:

> Just thought I'd tell people that, since I've gone and gotten myself
> a digital camera I can now post pictures of some of the interesting
> things I see on the road on a regular basis and have put them up in
> a journal at crazyguyonabike.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/flyingpigeon

Interesting, a 36-spoke rim with pairs of two spokes left out six
times. Who is producing this bicycle and what sort of customers by
it. I can't make out what that logo says and what that web site is.

Jobst Brandt

 

[Lorenzo L. Love]

On Fri, 03 Mar 2006 11:39:18 -0800, <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Marian Rosenberg writes:
>
>> Just thought I'd tell people that, since I've gone and gotten myself
>> a digital camera I can now post pictures of some of the interesting
>> things I see on the road on a regular basis and have put them up in
>> a journal at crazyguyonabike.
>
> http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/flyingpigeon
>
> Interesting, a 36-spoke rim with pairs of two spokes left out six
> times. Who is producing this bicycle and what sort of customers by
> it. I can't make out what that logo says and what that web site is.
>
> Jobst Brandt

http://oscarbike.com

Google challenged are we?

Lorenzo L. Love
http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"The more I think about our US domestic transportation problems... the
more I see an increased role for the bicycle in American life. I am
convinced after riding bikes here in China, that it is a sensible,
economical and clean form of transportation that makes enormous good
sense."
George H. W. Bush, as US ambassador to China

 

[SMS]

[email protected] wrote:
> Marian Rosenberg writes:
>
>> Just thought I'd tell people that, since I've gone and gotten myself
>> a digital camera I can now post pictures of some of the interesting
>> things I see on the road on a regular basis and have put them up in
>> a journal at crazyguyonabike.
>
> http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/flyingpigeon
>
> Interesting, a 36-spoke rim with pairs of two spokes left out six
> times. Who is producing this bicycle and what sort of customers by
> it. I can't make out what that logo says and what that web site is.

Clearly they have not read your book.

 

[SMS]

Lorenzo L. Love wrote:

> "The more I think about our US domestic transportation problems... the
> more I see an increased role for the bicycle in American life. I am
> convinced after riding bikes here in China, that it is a sensible,
> economical and clean form of transportation that makes enormous good
> sense."
> George H. W. Bush, as US ambassador to China

I knew that he wasn't all bad.

 

[Werehatrack]

On 03 Mar 2006 19:39:18 GMT, [email protected] wrote:

>Marian Rosenberg writes:
>
>> Just thought I'd tell people that, since I've gone and gotten myself
>> a digital camera I can now post pictures of some of the interesting
>> things I see on the road on a regular basis and have put them up in
>> a journal at crazyguyonabike.
>
> http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/flyingpigeon
>
>Interesting, a 36-spoke rim with pairs of two spokes left out six
>times. Who is producing this bicycle and what sort of customers by
>it. I can't make out what that logo says and what that web site is.

A welded quill stem with a faceplated clamp for the bars, old-style
non-aero brakes with safety levers, quarter-fenders front and rear;
what's not to like? If you're from 1971, that is...
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[amakyonin]

Werehatrack wrote:

> A welded quill stem with a faceplated clamp for the bars, old-style
> non-aero brakes with safety levers, quarter-fenders front and rear;
> what's not to like? If you're from 1971, that is...

It would appear thet the Chineese are bigger retro-grouches that even
the Japanese with their outmoded keirin bikes.

 

[john]

"Olympic Seen parked in the bike lane near my apartment."

(Bike pedal w/o pedal, only the spindle sticking out)

In the 50's it was common to see bikes that the primary pedal mechanism
had fallen off. Usually the spindle / pedal was also bent, giving an
odd feeling to the pedal stroke. Occasionally I would ride one of my
bikes that way. Although not for long, I was somewhat fussy, even as a
kid.

Interestingly, I haven't noticed this condition for many years. I'm not
suggesting that it doesn't exist here in the U.S., but not enough for
me to notice. It offends my sense of order, so I suspect that if it
were prevalent today, I would have noticed it. (or Perhaps I've lost my
sense of order ; ) I suspect manufacturers make pedals much better
today than back then. I wonder when bare spindles stopped appearing?
It's like having something stolen, you don't miss it by it's absence.

John

PS The more I think about this, I think it was mainly rubber block
pedals that ended up in this condition. I believe that the rubber would
fall apart or get impacted apart, & this would lead to the pedal coming
off the pedal. Virtually no rubber block pedals today, therefore not
many pedals falling apart. I may have answered my own question.

 

[john]

Hay Martin

I'm really enjoying your site.
Great pictures. I've been amazed how well wheels work, all my life.
Even sometimes when they barely turn. I'm not just referring to bicycle
wheels.

Keep up the great work, John

 

[Earl Bollinger]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Just thought I'd tell people that, since I've gone and gotten myself a
> digital camera I can now post pictures of some of the interesting
> things I see on the road on a regular basis and have put them up in a
> journal at crazyguyonabike.
>
> http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/flyingpigeon
>
> Eventually I hope to include some of the more intriguing so-called bike
> lane like structures (especially the bits where the busses are routed
> in), as well as a lot more pictures. For contrast it includes
> everything from the anti-clipless tricycle pedal to the $3000 carbon
> bike one of my friends rides. And Arrigo's Bianchi, which doesn't
> really count as Chinese since, of the four countries it was purchased
> in, none of them are China and the rider isn't Chinese, but the bike is
> _in_ China so that will have to do.
>
> -M
>
Thanks for sharing, always nice to read about your adventures.
I use an Eastman Roadster for short rides at work here, maybe after 30 years
it'll be like one of those too.

 

[Werehatrack]

On 3 Mar 2006 14:33:08 -0800, "john" <[email protected]> wrote:

>"Olympic Seen parked in the bike lane near my apartment."
>
>(Bike pedal w/o pedal, only the spindle sticking out)
>
>In the 50's it was common to see bikes that the primary pedal mechanism
>had fallen off. Usually the spindle / pedal was also bent, giving an
>odd feeling to the pedal stroke. Occasionally I would ride one of my
>bikes that way. Although not for long, I was somewhat fussy, even as a
>kid.
>
>Interestingly, I haven't noticed this condition for many years. I'm not
>suggesting that it doesn't exist here in the U.S., but not enough for
>me to notice. It offends my sense of order, so I suspect that if it
>were prevalent today, I would have noticed it. (or Perhaps I've lost my
>sense of order ; ) I suspect manufacturers make pedals much better
>today than back then. I wonder when bare spindles stopped appearing?
>It's like having something stolen, you don't miss it by it's absence.

More likely, there are to other factors at work. First, you aren't
getting to see the bikes in the truly poor neighborhoods (where such
things are still seen, though not terribly often). Second, the price
of a pair of cheap imported platform pedals is so low that outside of
the poorest neighborhoods, a failed pedal is going to get replaced
pronto. Third, a much smaller percentage of kids ride bikes for
significant distances on a daily basis today, ergo they don't wear out
the pedals as often.

I used to see a bare spindle sticking out of a crank on a bike at the
police auctions fairly regularly, but now that the city here is
recycling as many of the bikes as possible, I hardly see any bikes at
all.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Werehatrack]

On 3 Mar 2006 14:21:54 -0800, "amakyonin" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
>Werehatrack wrote:
>
>> A welded quill stem with a faceplated clamp for the bars, old-style
>> non-aero brakes with safety levers, quarter-fenders front and rear;
>> what's not to like? If you're from 1971, that is...
>
>It would appear thet the Chineese are bigger retro-grouches that even
>the Japanese with their outmoded keirin bikes.

There may be different things at work here. I suspect the Chinese
market is largely driven by cost, with the advantage going to the old
tech as a result more often than not. I'm not sure I'd characterize
frugality (if that's what's going on) as a retro-grouch indicator.
I'll also note that this appears to have been the low-buck entry in
the maker's roadie lineup out of a total of three road models. The
other two had aero levers, and at least one was alloy-frame as well.
From the nature of the other entries in the lineup (in the mountain
class, particularly) it looks more like the manufacturer selects
drivetrain components from below the bottom of the barrel by
comparison to the kit provided in most of Europe and North America.
Even Wal-Mart bikes look good by comparison.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Luke]

In article <[email protected]>,
<"[email protected]"> wrote:

> Just thought I'd tell people that, since I've gone and gotten myself a
> digital camera I can now post pictures of some of the interesting
> things I see on the road on a regular basis and have put them up in a
> journal at crazyguyonabike.
>
> http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/flyingpigeon
>
> Eventually I hope to include some of the more intriguing so-called bike
> lane like structures (especially the bits where the busses are routed
> in), as well as a lot more pictures. For contrast it includes
> everything from the anti-clipless tricycle pedal to the $3000 carbon
> bike one of my friends rides. And Arrigo's Bianchi, which doesn't
> really count as Chinese since, of the four countries it was purchased
> in, none of them are China and the rider isn't Chinese, but the bike is
> _in_ China so that will have to do.
>

I always enjoy your posts, this one is no exception. A captivating
visual I recall from a movie (the title of which escapes me), embraced
a street scene of Beijing(?) circa 60s or 70s, and centered on
thousands of workaday cyclists, uniformly attired in green army-style
uniforms, during their morning commute. The gliding multitudes were
ghostly in their silence.

Do you encounter such scenes in your travels?

Luke

 

[Paul Hobson]

> On 3 Mar 2006 14:33:08 -0800, "john" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>"Olympic Seen parked in the bike lane near my apartment."
>>
>>(Bike pedal w/o pedal, only the spindle sticking out)
>>
>>In the 50's it was common to see bikes that the primary pedal mechanism
>>had fallen off. Usually the spindle / pedal was also bent, giving an
>>odd feeling to the pedal stroke. Occasionally I would ride one of my
>>bikes that way. Although not for long, I was somewhat fussy, even as a
>>kid.

Werehatrack wrote:
> I used to see a bare spindle sticking out of a crank on a bike at the
> police auctions fairly regularly, but now that the city here is
> recycling as many of the bikes as possible, I hardly see any bikes at
> all.

Just curious: by "recycle" do you mean that they send them to a
recycling facility or give them away to people who need them?
\\paul

 

[[email protected]]

Werehatrack wrote:
> On 3 Mar 2006 14:21:54 -0800, "amakyonin" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >Werehatrack wrote:
> >
> >> A welded quill stem with a faceplated clamp for the bars, old-style
> >> non-aero brakes with safety levers, quarter-fenders front and rear;
> >> what's not to like? If you're from 1971, that is...
> >
> >It would appear thet the Chineese are bigger retro-grouches that even
> >the Japanese with their outmoded keirin bikes.
>
> There may be different things at work here. I suspect the Chinese
> market is largely driven by cost, with the advantage going to the old
> tech as a result more often than not. I'm not sure I'd characterize
> frugality (if that's what's going on) as a retro-grouch indicator.
> I'll also note that this appears to have been the low-buck entry in
> the maker's roadie lineup out of a total of three road models. The
> other two had aero levers, and at least one was alloy-frame as well.
> From the nature of the other entries in the lineup (in the mountain
> class, particularly) it looks more like the manufacturer selects
> drivetrain components from below the bottom of the barrel by
> comparison to the kit provided in most of Europe and North America.
> Even Wal-Mart bikes look good by comparison.

I couldn't find that exact bike on the manufacturer's website. For one
thing, all of the bikes shown had normal spoke counts. And it
definitely wasn't a case of the bike shop being all weird or something
like that, the hub and rim only had 24 holes apiece. I'm pretty sure
the owner said it was aluminum though it was a lot _LOT_ heavier than
my previous steel bike (which had double brakes and shifters down on
the frame).

I'd probably say frugality, more than anything else. Though this
particular bike was one of the more expensive in the shop in question
it wasn't in a wealthy area.

Even later on when the bike shop owner and a friend joined us (they
were friends with the sweep rider so I'm not entirely sure when they
joined us) their bikes (which came from Haikou) were among the cheaper
on the trip.

But I was following them on the big descent and they were real _good_.

-M

 

[Mark Hickey]

"marian.ros[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Just thought I'd tell people that, since I've gone and gotten myself a
>digital camera I can now post pictures of some of the interesting
>things I see on the road on a regular basis and have put them up in a
>journal at crazyguyonabike.
>
>http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/flyingpigeon

Great site, Marian... THAT brings back memories for me!

I didn't notice any "license plates" on any of the bikes though... has
that requirement been dropped? When I lived in Beijing in the early
90's, you were required to have the (ugly, orange...) plates on your
bike. Maybe it was a "Beijing thing", and didn't ever apply to other
cities?

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

 

[Matt O'Toole]

On Fri, 03 Mar 2006 14:21:54 -0800, amakyonin wrote:

>
> Werehatrack wrote:
>
>> A welded quill stem with a faceplated clamp for the bars, old-style
>> non-aero brakes with safety levers, quarter-fenders front and rear;
>> what's not to like? If you're from 1971, that is...
>
> It would appear thet the Chineese are bigger retro-grouches that even
> the Japanese with their outmoded keirin bikes.

What's outmoded about a keirin bike? They're supposed to be identical, at
least functionally.

Matt O.

 

[A Muzi]

> On Fri, 03 Mar 2006 14:21:54 -0800, amakyonin wrote:
>>>A welded quill stem with a faceplated clamp for the bars, old-style
>>>non-aero brakes with safety levers, quarter-fenders front and rear;
>>>what's not to like? If you're from 1971, that is...

>>Werehatrack wrote:
>>It would appear thet the Chineese are bigger retro-grouches that even
>>the Japanese with their outmoded keirin bikes.

Matt O'Toole wrote:
> What's outmoded about a keirin bike? They're supposed to be identical, at
> least functionally.

Et tu, Werehatrack?

I didn't expect _you_ to speak to fashion over function.
What ever is 'outmoded' about a bike so perfectly suited to
its use??

O tempora, o mores.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971