Some biking pics from Beijing

[Tin Turtle]

I live in Bejing during the winter and spring but I had not tried riding here prior to this last visit. Actually I had not biked in 20 years before taking it up again last year while in the U.S. When I got here in February I wanted to find an expedition bike, but the closest I could get was a Giant Roam XR2. At first I was sort of bummed out because it was certainly not the Serotta, but it did not take long to figure out this bike is fast and quick in traffic. I shipped in a Surly fork to replace the Suntour suspension fork and it really improved the handling.

I rode by myself until early spring and then hooked up with a group of guys who are not only into biking, but into steel frames. I completed my first century ride a month or so back, and recently we did a trip into the mountains to see the Great Wall and Ming Tombs. Some really beautiful rides, it is always amazing as a foreigner to look at the scenery.

http://www.tinturtle.com/image.axd?picture=2013%2f5%2fpinggugroup.jpg

http://www.tinturtle.com/image.axd?picture=2013%2f5%2fpingguorchard.jpg

Not only are they into steel frames, but they relish 100 mile rides on folding bikes. I find that to be completely insane. You can see some of them in the following pictures.

http://www.tinturtle.com/image.axd?picture=2013%2f5%2fGreatWallGroup2.jpg

http://www.tinturtle.com/image.axd?picture=2013%2f5%2fGreatWall1.jpg

http://www.tinturtle.com/image.axd?picture=2013%2f5%2fGreatWallGroup.jpg

It has been somewhat depressing to find that I have broken my distance and speed records that I had set on my Serotta when riding this Giant. I hit 49 mph coming down those mountains, which for you guys is probably nothing, but for an old, bald fat guy it was pretty wild.

This guy was not interested in going very fast :)

http://www.tinturtle.com/image.axd?picture=2013%2f4%2frandomkitedude.jpg

http://www.tinturtle.com/image.axd?picture=2013%2f4%2fRoamDayTripLoading.jp g

[Louis]

Cool - the Giant looks like it would fit right in with those other bikes.

How do the drivers treat cyclists?

[Tin Turtle]

Drivers are better in Beijing than any other city I have been to here, but it is still pretty dangerous. If they hit you, you pay for their car, so that tells you the mindset. But in general I do not have that many problems, and to be honest I have had more problems in the U.S.

Bike lanes are huge here, but you share them with electric scooters, buses, drivers who think its quicker to use them than stay on the road, taxis dropping off passengers, brain-dead pedestrians and everything else.

[Tin Turtle]

Here is a picture of a bike lane on 2nd Ring Road. Much different than in Shanghai were you basically fend for yourself. Even pretty far out in the suburbs of Beijing there are bike lanes, but they treat roads around the capital differently than the rest of China.

http://www.tinturtle.com/images/gallery2/bikelane_1.jpg