Originally Posted by harryhood
when i was visiting amsterdam, that's how all the people rode in the rain! it's awesome.
I was in Beijing a month ago, and I think I saw about a thousand bikes a day, on the short (2 block) walk from my hotel to the conference venue. It made me wish I had time to borrow a bike and explore the city, some. (A friend convinced a pedicab driver to swap places with him for a few trips.) Despite the large number of motor vehicles, the smog, and the general chaos, it seemed like a great place to ride.
They carried anything and everything on their bikes.
I saw quite a lot of people carrying their kids on the back:
Most of the bikes were bomb-proof "Flying Pigeon" single speeds. They looked heavy. I didn't see anyone going very fast, ever. I think I saw one helmet the whole time, out of ten thousand bikes.