Yes, I have ridden a Flying Pigeon! I was in Beijing about 10 years ago, there was a bike rental stand just down the street from my hotel. For a very small fee I rented a FP for several days and rode all around Beijing. It was a great adventure, pedaling shoulder to shoulder among hundreds of thousands of other riders along the streets of that vast city. It was a critical mass of massive proportions that goes on all day, every day. The FP had brakes activated by metal rods connected from the levers instead of brake cables. Beijing was pretty flat so didn't need heavy duty braking action, also never got rolling much above 12 mph or so. It was a heavy bike, but it had an incredible leather sprung saddle that was quite comfy.