Beijing Bikes

Photos of Beijing's Bicycles

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In 2006 I visited Beijing PRC, and I was astounded at their bicycles - at the number of them, and the use of them, and at the system that supports them. This page shows some photos of Beijing bikes.

The bicycles were remarkable in their utility; these were bikes used for reliable transport and business, easily serviceable and relied upon for getting to work.

What I saw that impressed me were the bike lanes, chainguards, folding bicycles, kickstands, racks, clothing, hand brakes, innovations, and bike repair shops - but I should also mention what I didn't see.

I didn't see anybody wearing a helmet, and I didn't see anybody with lights on their bike, and a lot of riders were sharing the road in the darkness.

No bicycle computers, no water bottles or holders. I saw fewer than ten road bikes; no recumbents. No messenger bags. No bike racks on cars.

I only saw a handful of skirt guards on rear wheels, which surprised me given the number of women riding in dresses. I was also surprised to see a Trek dealership in Beijing.

The Flying Pigeon and The Shanghai Forever
	Before departing for China, my understanding was that the Flying Pigeon was the "best" bicycle in China. I saw the gentlemen (left) with his bike and asked if it was a Flying Pigeon, and we had a good chat via our interpreter. His bike is a Shanghai Forever, and it's Number One. His other bike at home is a Flying Pigeon, which is also a great bike. The woman in the photo (right) is riding a Flying Pigeon.

Bicycle Clothing

I saw one person wearing cycling kit - jersey and padded shorts - and he was a Westerner. Nobody else wore cycling specific clothing, although during a rain shower I saw a few bike-specific rain capes. Nobody wore helmets. A rare few wore gloves, but not cycling gloves.

I was told that there is a bias against the effects of the sun, so a portion of female cyclists wear sleeves or gauzy sun-capes, and a visor or hat. If you'll review the photo at the top of the page, you'll see she's removed her visor for the photo.

Folding Bicycles

I saw a lot of folding bicycles there. This must be a recent innovation because there aren't any old folding bikes around.

Chainguards

The most striking thing about Beijing bikes (for me) was the chainguards. Although my daughter (11) pointed out, the chains are all rusty inside of the chainguard.

This photo on the left was an interesting basic innovation I found in Beijing: not the seat, but the horizontal bar that comes out of the frame. It's for walking the bike - standing on the left (non-chain) side of the bike, the left hand goes on the handlebars, and the right hand grasps this horizontal bar coming out of the seat post, and they walk their bikes (or pedicabs) much easier.

Bike Repair Shops Every few blocks on the main streets, bike mechanics set up small shops - often operating out of the back of a cargo bike. They'll fix flats, true wheels, straighten forks - whatever you need. It's their parallel to our ubiquitous gas stations.

Plastic Wheels		Bike Traffic Lights		Bike Parks

Family Transport A mother and daughter stop to see a wedding parade.		Brakes & Barends These photos of working bikes show the brake mechanism- a lever along the down tube pulls the cable - and their two-level handlebars.

Hand Brakes, Pushrod (rather than cable) Activated
		Handbrakes used some different techniques. These photos show the use of rods (rather than cables) to activate the front and rear brakes. Interestingly, the brake pads stay a fixed distance apart, rather than squeezing together as in Western bikes. The fixed shoes move up/down (front brake) and front/back (rear brake) to engage the rim, rather than moving closer/further apart in a squeezing manuever.

The most curious bike-centric thing I saw in Bejing was at 9pm in the evening, well after dark; I saw five "tall bikes" ridden by Western kids in the bicycle lane. The locals found them remarkable and humorous, so I think it's not a daily event. Unfortunately I saw this East-meets-West event with both hands occupied, carrying McDonald's back to the hotel for my children, so I have no photos to offer.