baxtefer

what did I miss?
More hipster bashing and Pista vs. IRO threads I guess?



I just got back from a 4 week vacation on the Trans-Siberian Railroad with my family. A total of 2 weeks in Russia, 8 days in Mongolia and 5 days in China. Something like that. I know it doesn't add up, but I lost count of the days while on the train.
While it wasn't a bike trip at all, there was plenty of cycling to observe.

Beijing cyclists have some serious balls. While the city of Beijing still encourages cycling, riding around the downtown core, among its 18 million inhabitants and 1 million cars, is one of the most dangerous things I've observed. I haven't experienced NYC riding, but I imagine it to be rather tame compared to China. While the city has build special bike lanes along the main downtown roads - separated by a concrete median from the rest of the traffic - this doesn't stop busses, taxis and trucks from barrelling down these lanes (in both directions, despite the bike lanes being one-way) to get around the ubiquitous traffic jams. Even though bikes sometimes have their own traffic lights, crossing major intersections is still dangerous, since turning cars don't seem to respect the lights or even the crosswalks for pedestrians. So because of the inherent danger, cyclist seem to have no probelms asserting their rights to the road, by cutting off creeping cars, splitting lanes between merging busses and generally squeezing their way through any opening in traffic. Despite all this mayhem I didn't see a single collision.
Single-speeds prevail. 80% of the bikes are old "Flying Pigeon" steel single speeds (like Momovelo used to import) with steel rims, steel bars, steel chainguard, steel everything else and *rod brakes*. Sweet. Those things must weigh 50 pounds. You see the odd 50's Raliegh and "modern" Giant aluminum road bikes (albeit equipped with suicide levers and shifters).
On those bikes that are equipped with derailleurs, they often don't work. Their owners instead opting to use them as what we'd call ghetto single speeds, bypassing the derailleur and picking a rear cog that offers a decent chainline. Beijing cyclists are perfectly content of puttering around town at a comfortable 60 rpm cadence. It still gets them there faster than the cars and busses. I watched the same 70 year old man pass us at least 20 times as we crept forward through stop and go traffic.
The single speed cargo tricycles are awesome. I want to build one.

The cycling situation in Russia is completely different. Well, not entirely. Single speeds do still prevail - many of them being single speed folders. Full-kit lycra "roadies" exist too, though all of them I saw were actually riding mountain bikes with aero bars. St Petersburg and Moscow cyclists also tempt fate riding among the cars, but most of them seemed to be teenagers riding around on BMXs and dirt jumpers, rather than commuters.

In Mongolia the bicycle gives way to camels and horses. Well, at leat outside of Ulaan Baatar. I got bigger saddle sores from riding a camel for one hour than I ever have gotten from riding a bike. Centuries included.
Mongolia is absolutely beautiful - Wide open spaces, big sky and the some of most friendly and hospitable people you'll ever meet. I am definetly going back again, hopefully to do a camel-supported cycling tour. Anyone up for a fixed gear crossing of the Gobi desert?

Pictures to follow, later. After I get over this jetlag.

chimblysweep

and Beijing is one of the best cities to bike in in china-- the rural cities tend to have less working signage and more chaos. cycling in Chengdu was possibly one of the most terrifying things i've done.

and did you see the chinese cargo bikes? they carry crap like couches on 'em. it's insane. and the coal they heat their homes with is delivered on a bike.

I didn't see a single road bike when I was in russia- all three speed cruisers or mountain bikes. I actually saw a shop that sold specialized bikes. The Russians just don't like bikes quite as much as other nations i've been in, but they do use 'em. In Suzdal, the only mail delivery vehicle is a single speed cruiser.

Judah

Pics dude, pics!

jayrooney

sounds like an amazing trip! Allthough I haven't been to northern china, southern china is the same way... I know exactly what you're talking about with the bike lanes/traffic lanes... in rush hour seeing delivery trucks cut around traffic, drive on the sidewalk into the bike lane, then back out into the intersection at a red light... traffic laws just don't exist there. I'm surprised you didn't see any accidents though. the most and some of the worst i've see have been in china.

turd

there's this really nice exhibit on FGG:
https://fixedgeargallery.com/beijingbikes/

FixednotBroken

very cool - color me jealous. mongolia & central asia are places i would really like to visit.

the most insane traffic i've ever experienced on a bike (or otherwise) was in vietnam. it's pretty challenging just crossing the street as a pedestrian... most intersections don't have any traffic signals; it's just a free-for-all. watch for about 10 minutes, and you're guaranteed to witness a wreck.

baxtefer

Strangely, the only place I witnessed any kind of collision was in Irkutsk. By far the smallest city we visited. I saw the remains of 4 car accidents in 2 days.

I was amazed yesterday when I got home. Cars actually stopped at a crosswalk. I was ready for the step into traffic and dodge and pray approach.

Pics will come.

Yeah those! I spent lots of time on the train thinking about how to build one to cart around my fat dog and his huge bags of kibble.

jayrooney

and then here's the exact opposite...
I was in ginza and it was pouring. this girl was riding around in a dress and high heels with an umbrella, making it look easy... almost like in china, but if it were in china the girl would be barefoot and eating icecream rather than holding an umbrella (i've actually seen that exact sight. wish i had a picture).

gregg

I'll have to dig up some photos of my trip to China. Baxter's sentiments are dead on - biking in a city with such a high car population and such an underdeveloped road system is one of the few sensible ways to get around.

The Beijing bike photos on FGG are very well done. Seeing a person riding with 10 pieces of 20ft rebar flopping on their back is something else.

SirrusPackage

Same here. And as for cargo on bikes, wait until you've seen a 70 year old man transporting a 6-drawer, 5.5' tall dresser or comparable on the front of a solid steel, fixed gear cyclo, and then try complaining about the hill in Prospect Park.

wangster

The bikers in china are definately hardcore, especially the cargo ones that carry seemingly imposible loads everyday on a singlespeed with a lever brake. Even with the dedicated bike lanes in beijing and shanghai, its still pretty shady riding there. Next time I go to china I'm gonna pick up a 15dollar bike from carrefour and really give china biking a go, with extreme caution ofcourse.

ImOnCrank

Those cargo bikes are the reason i want to learn to weld. Who was it making the captn slackchain comments a few days ago though?

jayrooney

here's a couple more pics of bikes i saw in china.
I asked people there if anybody rides bikes for fun. and they said no, just for work or transportation.

bombusben

Hey Baxtefer-
Sounds like an awesome trip. Did you guys use an organized tour?
I'd love to see some pics when you get the chance. Your mention of cycling across the gobi desert reminded me of this book. A pretty good read, despite the gears and breaks it sounds like it would have been a blast to ride. And check out the pic of the tools they brought. Kinda makes you reevaluate what is really necessary to carry around.
https://www.koopmann.lightup.net/crane/

Alexi

hey i'm in cambodia right now and we got the bikes that are used from china, it's insane how crappy these bikes are. And nobody observes any rules of the road, but there seems to be a certain flow to it.

shot

This photo is not from Asia, but it shows amazing cargobike action...