bicycle-ing

[mr.stinky]

i plan to do a bit of cycling when i arrive, in town and maybe some longer tours of

the surrounding area. what is available at local bicycle shops in terms of bikes and

gear? how about quality?

would it be advisable to just bring my bike with me? or would that be too much of a

hassle on the flight (or boat from long beach)?

[wix]

I am not sure which city you will be in in China. In most major cities a range of bicycles are available. Cheap, but functional bicycles, are sold everywhere and cost around 200-400 yuan. Roadside repairs are also readily and cheaply available so you don't need to worry about maintenance.

Some better quality bikes are available in the bigger cities. Generally you can find medium quality Giant or Merida bikes in the 1,000-3,000 yuan price range.

[wushijiao]

You can also look at this thread about bike theft, which also has some info about buying bikes:

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/3111-bike-theft

[smalldog]

Folding bikes are convenient for taking on public transport. There are Dahon outlets in many Chinese cities (in Beijing's Wudaokou there's one in the Huaren Supermarket car park). I bought a 6-gear one for 1280 yuan. There's some pretty fantastic scenery around Beijing -- with good, quiet roads too -- once you get into the hills.

Take a look at www.cyclehome.net . These are a couple of my friends who are planning to cycle from Beijing to London. There's some information about buying bikes in Beijing on the site.

[mr.stinky]

oh....yeah....planning on kunming. i'm fairly tall and need a large bike - at least a

24" (~64cm) frame. i've got a hybrid i bought in germany years ago, now with 50k

miles on it and still strong. nothing flashy. basic black, solid steel frame, good

components. i guess if i can't find something suitable, i could have the old one shipped

over once i get settled.

[devi9]

I don't know about Kunming in particular, but bike theft is a big problem in China. Obviously, the nicer your bike looks the more likely it is to be stolen. I've had friends buy used bikes at markets and then get them fixed up at bike repair places on the street. The final result as far as these makeshift bikes were concerned really depended on the individual's bike and Chinese knowledge. However, with a broad understanding of both, you can get a nice inexpensive bike this way.

[TB0111]

I'm planning to learn Chinese in Kunming this September. And ideally, I love cycling. Maybe we will discover Yunnan together. See you in Kunming

[lvhongxia]

hey my friends, couples of days agao, my friend in Guangzhou also ask me the same question, after i checked all the information i finally find that in kunming the most famous montain bike club is called Fat Tire Fun, you may contact them, it is a small shop,but can provide good quality bikes from 400-80000RMB, many foreigners know that club.

tel: 86-871-5301755

mobile:86-13708410315

contact person: Xiong Jun Wu

add: Stretch of Qianju street,Kunming,Yunnan,China

email: bear_bikes@hotmail.com

btw, i am a chinese girl that lazy to do any sport,is there any good way to form a sport habbit

Lanny

[梅克立]

Bring your own bike if you are planning to base out of one city. Most international flights will check your bike for free, if not it will run you about 80 US dollars. The only forseable problem is gettign it from the airport to your hotel/apartment. The cab drivers should accomodate you though. I guarantee you won't find anything of quality for 80 US dollars in China. Bring LOCKS though... I also advise you to bring the bike into where-ever you end up living.

[Lu]

Bringing your bike to China is like carrying water to the sea. There are plenty of bikes for sale in China, for less money than it would cost to bring one.

Three years ago in Beijing I bought a bike for +/- 150 kuai, it wasn't the best bike ever but it got me everywhere I wanted. Until it was stolen. If you buy a bike, also buy at least two good locks. And beware, Chinese bike keys open not only the lock of your bike, but also the locks of many others.

[mr.stinky]

since i already have a bike that fits and is set up the way i like, i may as well bring it

over with me. i'm seriously considering taking a freighter from long beach or seattle,

which would get me to one of the major ports. no problem carrying a bike, don't even

have to box it. then i need to get a train to kunming....unless i ride my bike.

spoke with the uni last night......i'm now registered and they are prepping my documents.

i should be there in november. yay!!

[MarkKang]

Taking a boat over is something I always wanted to do. A Freighter? Let us know how it goes.

[charlie77]

Hey, I've heard alot about how easy it is to steal a bike locked with a regular lock and key. How effective would a high quality combination lock or 2 be?

[Lu]

Should be much more effective. Especially if you fasten it to something, like a fence.

[charlie77]

good to hear, I am not a locksmith so I didnt know if a combination lock had some major weakness. gonna take the wife and her family some locks and heavy duty chain.

[mr.stinky]

u-locks are good, i.e. kryptonite. make sure you have the new style u-lock with the

standard key. the old style used cyclinder keys, like you see on vending machines.

turns out, almost all can be opened with a 10-cent bic pen.

[mr.stinky]

DHL charges $525 to ship a bicycle from virginia to kunming.

[Lu]

You can probably buy a fine bike in China for a tenth of that money.

[johnmck]

I am not a locksmith so I didnt know if a combination lock had some major weakness

A cheap combination lock is very easy to open. You simply pull on the cord and then turn the first cylinder until the cord gives a little bit, then you do the same with the next cylinder...

A good combination lock should not have any play in it as you turn the cylinders and you should not be able to feel any difference when a cylinder is in the correct place (either in the force to turn the wheel or the force on the cord). Testing should be done with and without pressure (pushing and pulling) on the cord.

Finally, if you assume that you have a good quaility lock that can only be broken by trying every combinatinon - if you have a three cylinder lock you have up to 1000 combinations, if you assume that a wheel can be turned in a second then you can test 10 combinations in 1 second or all 1000 combinations in 100 seconds. Hence the maximum time to find the combination of a good quality 3-cylinder lock is less than 2 minutes (if unlucky) and on average less than 1 minute. A good quality 4-cylinder lock will take on average 10 minutes to find the combination.