where to buy free weights?

[jinjin]

Hi:

Can someone tell me where I can go to buy relatively cheap free weights? they don't have to be nice or expensive, just heavy

People keep telling me that I can get cheap dumb bells but they haven't been able to give me a place or a name.

Also, any suggestions on how I can get these back home? I need a set of 10s, 12s, 15s, 20s, 25s, and 30s so I really can't carry these back myself. Do you think I could pay a cab driver to load them up and then take them up to my apt? (or at least outside my door? not that I would let him in being a girl...)

thanks!

[randall_flagg]

I'm do not live in Beijing, but where I live, they sell them just like they sell DVD's: little stalls on the street. They also have a few sports supplies stores around the big stadion in town. Good luck!

[heifeng]

Can someone tell me where I can go to buy relatively cheap free weights? they don't have to be nice or expensive, just heavy

The cheapest free weight I know of are the concrete and brick kind. That's right, go to where ever there has been a recently tore down building and stock up. If you feel iffy about bench pressing with cement, milk crates, a pole, I would suggest carrefour or a sport store perhaps around a university. I thought I saw one at BNU's east gate, but I may have been hallucinating. I'll have to confirm this.* ( I know jin wu xing has some booths selling sports stuff but it might just be badminton and ping pong...ugh....)

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*Apologies for this being no help whatsoever. I will attempt to confirm the location of a store soon:mrgreen: I do think that you can chat up your local security guard OR bring one of those rolling luggage thingies to manuever the weights, concrete or not, to your home. Many large stores (annoyingly) make you check your stuff anyway, so you could just check that wheely thing at the entrance.

[roddy]

Heifeng's going to come back with an actual store location later anyway (aren't you!?), but you as she says try department stores, Carrefour and Walmart - they often have small, dusty, not too well stocked sports / fitness sections. No guarantees, but worth a shot. I've seen small fixed weight (ie not swoppable) weights at Carrefour and Walmart in the past.

Another option might be online - there are a few Beijing-based sellers if you search 哑铃 on taobao, and you might be able to sort out delivery that way.This one seem to have what you're looking for and will do free delivery in Beijing. PLUS, it's run by this guy.

[Guest realmayo]

Find a sports university and check out the nearby shops, worked for me before (though not in Beijing).

[gougou]

Getting a taxi driver to help you should be no problems. This is how I moved house the last two times! Just make sure to let them know beforehand that they will be carrying heavy stuff, and give them a decent price.

[heifeng]

I did find free weights across from BNU's East gate, and then walk south a lil bit. There is (was) a huuuuuuge 甩卖 .everything (or 95% of it) is only 2 yuan, but then, in the corner they actually had free weights (with the removable weights, not the tiny 1lb or 5lber's, I don't recall the price though)....the other place I mentioned above just seemed to have general sports equipment, not free weights.

in anycase, if the place is still selling stuff, alot of it is only 2 yuan, including notebooks and a ton of misc. other stuff. happy hunting*

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* My apologies if it already ended, but as of Saturday it was still open, but only for a limited number of days

[Xiao Kui]

haha. in western China you can get the smaller free weights at your local stationery store, which also doubles as a sporting/goods shop.

[jinjin]

heifeng: thanks so much for the info! I will definitely go check it out (if I can find it--I'm so bad with directions!)

[onebir]

There's an (easy to find) huge sporting goods store on the west side of wang fu jing, maybe halfway up the pedestrianised bit - weights etc are in the basement.