Thousands of abandoned share bikes in China from The Atlantic.

[DRZRM]

Interesring article, but amazing pictures.

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/03/bike-share-oversupply-in-china-huge-piles-of-abandoned-and-broken-bicycles/556268/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20180322&silverid=MzEwMTkwMTM1OTU2S0

[Michael Maddox]

All folly is disheartening, but this is just...arrrgh.

[MattTuck]

That is crazy. over capacity seems to be a recurring theme in China. With so many people, huge build of debt and industrial production, and a rapidly changing society, one has to wonder if this is symptomatic of bigger trends outside of bicycles, or if this is just a curiosity in a niche industry.

[Cicli]

I saw those photos. Just the photos though. I thought those were of the shipping dock at BikesDirect though.
Guess I was wrong.

[Llewellyn]

"Repairs" with an angle grinder :banana:

So much waste is sad and shameful

[adub]

No surprise considering the ghost cities in China.

[Llewellyn]

That is crazy. over capacity seems to be a recurring theme in China. With so many people, huge build of debt and industrial production, and a rapidly changing society, one has to wonder if this is symptomatic of bigger trends outside of bicycles, or if this is just a curiosity in a niche industry.


My guess is that they keep producing stuff in vast quantities to maintain employment levels. An unemployed population is an unhappy (and potentially rebellious) population.

[ultraman6970]

Between all that lot how many high end ones you can find? none?

The same problem at holland brought maybe 50% of old high end stuff at the bottom of a river/channel.

[dogrange]

Mind blowing pix, thanks for sharing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jtbadge]

Between all that lot how many high end ones you can find? none?

The same problem at holland brought maybe 50% of old high end stuff at the bottom of a river/channel.

High end or not doesn't really seem to be the point. These bikes were produced to be available to the public.

Some transportation advocates in the US should organize and get these all imported for bike shares in towns across the country.

[KJMUNC]

wow.....just puts the sheer scale of China into perspective unlike anywhere else in the West. incredible pictures.

[Louis]

How long until all those cyclists are driving 15 mpg SUV's?

[AZR3]

I thought the 5 or 6 bikes I’d see at some bus stops around here was bad, that’s unreal!:eek:

[fignon's barber]

I read that all those bikes are there because the Chinese are switching to disc brakes.

[Mr. Pink]

Crazy.

I remember when I was a kid, I used to see pictures of thousands of cyclists of all types filling the streets of Chinese cities. I mean, a lot. Then, with their embrace of capitalism about twenty years ago, I read that they actually started banning, or, at least, making it difficult to bike in cities to make way for cars and trucks, as the nation became more wealthy. Now this. Funny thing, considering how many bikes were in those pictures, I didn't see many people actually riding one.
That country has serious issues with debt. Those bike sharing companies, some now vanished into history, must have had an awfully easy time obtaining capital to manufacture all of that junk. One wonders when all of that will come crashing down. It's been predicted by some for a while now, but, not yet, it seems.

[oldpotatoe]

High end or not doesn't really seem to be the point. These bikes were produced to be available to the public.

Some transportation advocates in the US should organize and get these all imported for bike shares in towns across the country.

But add 15-25%...:eek:

[livingminimal]

my god, incredible.

[dddd]

How long until all those cyclists are driving 15 mpg SUV's?
As soon as the marketing establishment wants them to?

I couldn't see any of the pictures because of a browser (settings???) issue.
The article itself appears fine, but with huge blank (white) panels where any pictures or links would seem to have been placed.
Does anyone here know what sort of settings issue that I might need to change in my IE 10 browser to restore the appearance of photos, videos and their links?
HELP!

[RonW87]

I think this is what happens when corrupt municipal official gets kickback from buddy who owns bicycle factory who gets easy credit from buddy in state-owned bank that is insolvent but subsidized by central government. Its a win-win-win!

[veggieburger]

I'm very sad that the pictures aren't loading up on my PC!

[dddd]

I'm very sad that the pictures aren't loading up on my PC!

I'm thinking maybe security settings, or ad-blocker.
What browser do you use?

[veggieburger]

Works on firefox.

[General69]

All those bikes still take up less space than 100 cars!

[ptourkin]

High end or not doesn't really seem to be the point. These bikes were produced to be available to the public.

Some transportation advocates in the US should organize and get these all imported for bike shares in towns across the country.

We just got a wave of dockless bikes in San Diego. The NIMBYs are going nuts. I love them. Some are the yellow OFOs from China. The seat post barely pulls up high enough for me at 5'8" - these are clearly built for that market. Lime is marginally taller but I am still at the top.

[54ny77]

WOW that's a lotta bikes!!!!

[velomateo]

I read that all those bikes are there because the Chinese are switching to disc brakes.

Hahaha

[fiamme red]

Interesting article: http://time.com/5218323/china-bicycles-sharing-economy/.

One in three of China’s 1.3 billion people once owned a bicycle, meaning production, repair and maintenance were mammoth industries. The sharing phenomenon undercuts that demand. “It’s changed the whole industry, it’s subversive, catastrophic, we’ve lost almost all clients,” says Yan Yiming, chairman of China’s storied Forever Bikes manufacturers. “Nobody needs their own bike now.”I don't think it's a coincidence that bike shops in NYC have gone out of business at unprecedented rates since Citi Bike was introduced.

[benb]

Is this a bigger deal than the similar parking lots here in the US that are filled with hundreds of thousands of VW TDIs? Seems like we're making a bigger deal about China's problem when China's problem is probably not as severe as our own.

Still this is amazing on a business/planning/central gov. angle. Just totally crazy with the amount of people it took working to make that many bikes and flood them all over the cities!

[mmfs]

Interesting article: http://time.com/5218323/china-bicycles-sharing-economy/.



I don't think it's a coincidence that bike shops in NYC have gone out of business at unprecedented rates since Citi Bike was introduced.



Is this Citi Bike conjecture correct? Or is it that there were so many new Bike shops in NYC that business was unsustainable, regardless of Citi Bike?

[fiamme red]

Is this Citi Bike conjecture correct? Or is it that there were so many new Bike shops in NYC that business was unsustainable, regardless of Citi Bike?I'm sure it's correct. Bike shops that had been in business for years and catered mainly to commuters and casual riders were undercut when Citi Bike moved in to their neighborhoods.

For example, Red Lantern Bicycles in Fort Greene: http://www.bicycleretailer.com/retail-news/2017/11/07/brooklyns-red-lantern-bicycles-closing#.WsKOhIjwa70

Additionally, the expansion of the Citi Bike bike share system, now numbering more than 10,000 bikes, has had a negative effect on bike sales, Gluck noted.

"It wasn't this gateway drug I thought it was going to be, where it was heavy and clunky and they'd want to get a new bike. That never happened. There was never a connection. I think the customer is compromising between it not getting stolen, not having to maintain it, and not having to lug it up four flights of stairs," Gluck said.

[benb]

The Citi program is probably serving those customers better than the LBSes + commuter bike industry were.

So many junky/overpriced commuter bikes and then the shops soak commuters for fixing flats and stuff like that. And all that money wasted on security devices, etc..

From what I've heard the low end/commuter style bikes are/were way more profitable for local bike shops than sporting/enthusiast/race bikes.

As long as the bike sharing services do a reasonable job keeping chains & tires working people will be happy and not have to deal with taking bikes to the shop for repairs or worrying about their bike being stolen.

[oldpotatoe]

The Citi program is probably serving those customers better than the LBSes + commuter bike industry were.

So many junky/overpriced commuter bikes and then the shops soak commuters for fixing flats and stuff like that. And all that money wasted on security devices, etc..

From what I've heard the low end/commuter style bikes are/were way more profitable for local bike shops than sporting/enthusiast/race bikes.

As long as the bike sharing services do a reasonable job keeping chains & tires working people will be happy and not have to deal with taking bikes to the shop for repairs or worrying about their bike being stolen.

Not read the whole thread but it's MUCH more expensive to build/sell/maintain(first service type thing-freebie) 10 $300 bikes than 1 $3000 bike. Or even 5 $600 bikes...The margin per bike is the same(about 35-38 points) but the $ to get them up and out..much higher.

[deechee]

The seat post barely pulls up high enough for me at 5'8" - these are clearly built for that market.

The average Chinese male (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_average_human_height_worldwide) is 5'8".

I think it more simply they weren't designed very well. The original Montreal bixi bikes (what Citi bikes are based on) were also too short for my 5'8" asian build.

I'm skeptical the shared bike platform really dipped into retail sales. Most people I know who ride our local shared bikes don't own a bike. People who have a commuter refuse to ride them. I'm definitely one of the few outliers who actually has a beater but also rides a bixi; mostly due to the fact a)I've worked near/in the downtown core so errands are super easy and b), the season pass costs less than a one month public transportation pass.

[mmfs]

I'm sure it's correct. Bike shops that had been in business for years and catered mainly to commuters and casual riders were undercut when Citi Bike moved in to their neighborhoods.

For example, Red Lantern Bicycles in Fort Greene: http://www.bicycleretailer.com/retail-news/2017/11/07/brooklyns-red-lantern-bicycles-closing#.WsKOhIjwa70



Sure Red Lantern closed, by there may be for a combination of reasons, including Citibike (rent, the Starbucks down the street, etc).

But also Red Lantern was part of the massive wave of bike shops opening in the last ten years in NYC (Bespoke Bicycles, Bikes on Myrtle, Fulton Bike, and Bicycle Station [that moved in] in the neighborhood alone). None of these existed in the area ten years ago. So maybe the market was oversaturated.


Small world that you mention Red Lantern - I live a block away!

[mmfs]

And by the way, those photos are incredible!

[peanutgallery]

The lady in the apron, though

https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2018/03/bikes/b19_878108358/main_1200.jpg?1521747507

[josephr]

Not read the whole thread but it's MUCH more expensive to build/sell/maintain(first service type thing-freebie) 10 $300 bikes than 1 $3000 bike. Or even 5 $600 bikes...The margin per bike is the same(about 35-38 points) but the $ to get them up and out..much higher.

our local co-op 'won' the contract to maintain our city's bike-share program...keeps 2-3 full-time folks busy pumping tires, greasing chains, moving bikes around. Takes a little bit more to earn the title "bike mechanic."

[fiamme red]

More recent photos: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/08/china-abandoned-bike-share-graveyards/566576/.

[tylercheung]

I sort of wonder, is it another example of one arm of the economy not talking to the other? Because China is also home to a huge recycling industry, until recently. A lot of the waste contractors in the local communities here would make a fortune shipping our trash to China to be recycled back into raw materials for their factories. I know they've been trying to cut down on this, but I'd imagine all that rubber and steel could be feed a lot of the recycling plants there.

[YesNdeed]

.

[Avispa]

I read that all those bikes are there because the Chinese are switching to disc brakes.

That's a good one! LOL

Is it me, or is Ofo the worse offender? On most pictures, the majority of bikes we see are the yellow ones from Ofo.

[Davist]

[QUOTE=peanutgallery;2341979]The lady in the apron, though


Fairly common in cold weather in EU/Asia/RoW while riding scooters as well, it's a blanket to keep warm, more or less. Some attach right to the frame and include a version of pogies.

[cookietom]

Hey China, give those bikes to Africa,,they need them.....

[dancinkozmo]

why dont photos of cars piled up in junkyards make the news ?

[Volksbike]

Hey China, give those bikes to Africa,,they need them.....



Interesting story especially with the pictures. Do they still ride scooters over in China, like that lady in the blanket on the last photo? I had heard a while back many more scooters were in use than bikes and that many of the scooters went electric to help 'clean' up the air. Still wondering about comment about how long it will take 'progress' to evolve to 15mpg SUVs...[emoji15] It would be nice to reverse the trend and go back to bikes, but flooding the streets with them doesn't seem to be working...there are actually 3-4 people on scooters in the picture and one on a bike[emoji47]Also the yellow bike looks really undersized with 20"-24" wheels??




Sent from my iPhone using Thttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180805/c131cd6cb6924f5ab0f772be170b7f3b.pngapatalk

[monkeytusmc]

WOW:eek: thats incredible how much waste is there. im assuming its cheaper to build new then probably repair the old? All that waste is sad

[marciero]

why dont photos of cars piled up in junkyards make the news ?

1. Cars are not "news" since that has existed for decades.
2. There is a system for dealing with cars. They are not piling up on sidewalks; eg.
3. The hyper-explosion in number and subsequent dereliction of these bikes in a relatively short time period is noteworthy.
4. Cars in junkyards had a life cycle. The life cycle of these bikes was short-circuited; hence an alarming waste of resources

[dancinkozmo]

1. Cars are not "news" since that has existed for decades.
2. There is a system for dealing with cars. They are not piling up on sidewalks; eg.
3. The hyper-explosion in number and subsequent dereliction of these bikes in a relatively short time period is noteworthy.
4. Cars in junkyards had a life cycle. The life cycle of these bikes was short-circuited; hence an alarming waste of resources

5. mainstream media bias against bikes and cyclists

[marciero]

5. mainstream media bias against bikes and cyclists

Likely true but not a plausible explanation since cars in junkyards not news.

[fiamme red]

How China’s ‘Unicorns’ Shook a Bicycle Town (New York Times) (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/27/business/china-bike-sharing-unicorns.html)

[tsarpepe]

Capitalism is obscene.