I have communted on and off for many years. I was last on this forum when I was living in Tasmania, doing a 24km round trip commute.

Well after Tasmania I moved to South Korea for two years, and lived in two houses. Both were so close to work that I walked, and didnt even own a bike. As the public transport is so good in Seoul, I didnt own a car either.

Now I have moved to Chengdu, in western China. Presently I am doing a 10k round trip commute, but that will change. I will spend a month living where I work, then start doing a 24 km round trip commute.

Chengdu is a lovely city for commuting. It is flat. It has HUGE bike lanes, often 10 m wide. However there can be a lot of traffic, the roads are fairly bumpy, and the cars, especially the taxis can be brutal. I am often waiting to cross an intersection with up to 30 other bikes, both pedal and electric (petrol bikes are meant to be banned in the city).

It is exciting to race the electric bikes, weaving between pedestrians, three wheeled pedal bikes carrying large loads, and all the other traffic Chengdu bike lanes throw up.

I bought myself a Giant Lava mountain bike with front suspension. I got a red one as they go faster. This lovely bike cost me 1100 RMB (USD$160, AUD$202). This is VERY cheap. It is because they are made here, and have no tax.

I will post some pics in the next few days so you can see what I am talking about.

z