effertime

Hi Guys. Long time listener, first time caller.

Long story short, I'm in Chengdu China and need help finding a bike. This city ****ing rocks for riding and not having a bike makes me want to cry.

I figured that being in China where so many bikes are produced would make it easy to find one...maybe even a good knock-off..but no such luck. All the bikes here are total garbage. You can find track frames at local fixie shops...but there all Hi-Ten steel...and really awful.

If i could find something quality and strong like a Kilo WT, I'd be ecstatic..and the price is around what I'm looking to spend as well (2400 RMB / $400)

But at this point, id settle for anything with track drop outs, and not made out of hi-ten steel.

I checked Bikes Direct and they don't ship to China. There's the Chinese version of Amazon.com called Taobao.com...but the site's in chinese.

I think that bikes direct gets there bikes shipped from a place called kinesis in Taiwan. Would it be impossible to have them just drop ship me a bike directly from the manufacturer?

What do you guys think? Any tips or advice on where i can get my hands on a bike?

Thanks.

*ducks incoming flames*

Phil_gretz

Just thinking aloud here... Maybe you need to find an intermediate Agent in the U.S. who can receive the BD shipment, then forward it to you in China. Someone familiar with shipping products both ways, who understands the customs rules, required markings, and speaks Mandarin so that eventual difficulties can be handled.

Why are you in China now? Do you have a sponsoring Agency? Do they have someone domestic who handles entry visas, logistics, etc.? Maybe that's a place to start.

europa

No need to duck incoming flames, anyone who flames you for this is an idiot.

Phil covered most of what I'd have said. It might be worth having a chat with your local embassy. I'd also try emailing Bikes Direct or even Scrod.

In the meantime, buy what you can, you can still have a lot of fun.

xuegefei

Go to the shop Natooke. It is a fixie shop! They have shops in Beijing and Chengdu! They sell aluminum frames and Columbus steel frames. I'm in New York now and I was working for Natooke Beijing. The two manager in Natooke Chengdu, Jacob and Larry, are both American! Go and talk to them to see whether they can help you!