Life by cycling in City

[Wenzeslaus]

Hi Everyone!! I'm pretty new on this forum. I'm Indonesian and I've lived in Shanghai for almost 3 years now. And thing that fascinated for me is that, there are lots of people cycling to travel around the city. And this is both locals and foreigners. Things that I keep wonder is that, what is the rider's reason on riding a bike? (Is it for fun or is it for health) Where do they usually go with bike? and What are the feelings on cycling? Feel free to comment, Thanks!

[Lu]

I can't speak for Shanghai specifically, but for Beijing, people generally ride a bike not so much for fun or for health but simply in order to get from A to B. It used to be (10 years ago) that almost everyone biked almost everywhere, but these days many more people have cars, making biking both more dangerous and more unhealthy. But biking is actually still one of the fastest ways to get around the city.

[gougou]

and more unhealthy

While undoubtedly is has become unhealthier than it was 10 years ago, it may still be the healthiest mode of transport. I heard an environmental consultant mention in a speech a few years back that the biggest factor for your intake of pollutants, regardless of mode of transport, is the time you spent in traffic - and that is shortest when riding a bike. (Though I suppose he did not take into account the officials' limousines with inbuilt air-filtering...)

For myself, it was mostly to get somewhere fast, like Lu said. Though if it wasn't on one of the main thoroughfares, cycling in Beijing could be a lot of fun as well - and I suppose the same holds true in Shanghai as well.

[Wenzeslaus]

Thank you guys for your answer!

[Silent]

Things that I keep wonder is that, what is the rider's reason on riding a bike?

Can't speak for others or Shanghai but a few reasons to use a bicycle:

- It's often more efficient (faster) specially in city traffic and short distance.

- It's healthy (exercise) though this may be reduced due to polution/dust

- it's cost effective, one of the cheapest modes of transportation

- it has a low environmental impact

- it's one of the safest modes of transport

- it allows a good impression from the scenery you pass through (you hear, see, smell everything)

- it can bring you to many locations that many other modes of transport can't (think point 2 point transport and taking shortcuts)

- there are no schedules to consider like with public transport

- usually no trouble finding a parking place

- and many more

[icebear]

Beijing (and Shanghai?) are pretty flat cities too, which mean cycling is not only fast/efficient with its ability to cut through a lot of traffic, it's also very easy (compared to say, San Fran).

[Wenzeslaus]

Thanks!

[self-taught-mba]

Because I could get from Renmin to Sanlitun in like 25 mins--in rush hour, on a Friday

[shakilmahtab]

Could anyone plz tell me how is the cycle price there at Shanghai?

[Lu]

Again, I can't speak for Shanghai, but in Beijing I bought a new sturdy big Giant for 900 kuai. I think prices go from a crappy second-hand one for a few hundred to something state-of-the-art, new, with all the bells and whistles, for as many thousands as you want. Make friends with some students who are about to leave and you might get a bike for free.

Fixing broken parts is inexpensive, shouldn't be more than 10 kuai for simple things. Make sure you get a reliable repairman, a friend of mine has told stories about going to the repairman to get a punctured tire fixed only to have the repairman put glass in it and claim he needed a whole new tire.

Just make sure you buy at least 1-2 good locks, always lock the bike to something solid, and don't leave it outside too long. Bikes are stolen a lot.

[shakilmahtab]

Thanks Lu, hope your info. will works for Shanghai as well.

[triunfo]

I'll looking into the possibility of biking around Fudan University campus as well. Is there a stealing problem regarding bikes locked around public places? Boston, for one, has a huge problem with people stealing bike parts such as wheels, gears, and such.

[Lu]

Having never been even near the Fudan campus and never having heard anything about their biking situation, I'm still pretty confident to say that yes, bike stealing is a problem there as well, especially near public places and where many bikes are parked in one spot. Don't buy too expensive a bike, do buy at least 1-2 serious locks, preferably neither of them made in China, and don't get too attached to your bike. Someone from Amsterdam (which must be the biketheft capital of the world surely) explained to me that it's not about making it impossible to steal your bike, you just want to make it less attractive to steal your bike than the one next to it. So, cheap crappy bike, good locks.

I don't recall ever hearing about the stealing of bike parts (in Beijing or elsewhere), I think usually they just take the entire bike.

[triunfo]

Right. Thanks for the reply Lu. Do you also know if there are any regulations/rules I need to know to ride a bike around town? Are there specified bike lanes or do you just ride it on the pedestrian roads? I know for one in Hong Kong that you need to have a light attached to the bike once it gets dark or you will be fined.