Those classic bicycles-

[hbuchtel]

Anyone else a fan of those old-fashioned Chinese bicycles? Flying Pigeon, Yongjiu, Mother Earth etc?

Big frames, 28" wheels, metal linkages for the brakes, those particular curved handlebars . . .

I had to leave my old one in Guangzhou, but I am really happy to have picked up another one yesterday, an ex-water delivery bike (the guy upgraded to an electric scooter). I need to do a bit of fixing but these old bikes were made well and don't require much maintenance. Of course there is a trade off in weight:wink:

Does anybody know what design they are based on? Or when/where most of them were made? Strangely enough I haven't found much info about them on the web:help

Henry

[onebir]

I think the roadside repair guys can probably restore it to it's former glory in quite an authentic way, if you want the retro 'riding a flying pigeon round chansha' experience

(Dunno why i'm taking the piss - i quite like the idea!)

[zhwj]

They're still sold new, though they tend to be much more expensive than the cheap 100-kuai deals that fall apart in three weeks.

This post tells a history of Forever of Shanghai (with pictures). I'd imagine there are similar introductions to the other three brands (Phoenix, Flying Pigeon, and Red Flag) on that site somewhere as well.

It's interesting that the Forever brand was originally to be named 熊球 in recognition of Sino-Soviet relations, but that 永久 was eventually decided upon since it sounded similar.

[geraldc]

I used to ride a 五羊.

The front head set was shot, I think it had missing bearings and the handlebars and front forks weren't securely attached (you would turn the handlebars, and the front wheel wouldn't move) so low speed steering was difficult. The brake callipers once slipped and went into the spokes when travelling at speed. It was a second hand bike and the registration plate had been pried off so I wasn't sure about the legality of the bike.

It was still the best bike I ever owned

[Xiao Kui]

In Chengdu, I had a new black Pheonix (guess it cost abt 300 kuai - can't remember) which was stolen after just over a month. I liked it because it felt so sturdy, but it was rather heavy for a girl to push. I also notice I got twice the stares when I had that bike. Like "what's the laowai girl doing with the Chinese bike?"

[mr.stinky]

still sold new at 300-350 kuai, complete with rear rack and two side fold-out racks.

[hbuchtel]

zhwj, thanks for the great link! So much more information then I was hoping for! Now I know why the guys used to called me "Iron Donkey" . . .

onebir you're right to take the piss, riding one of these bikes was part of my "China dream"- the majority of which was dashed to pieces upon arrival. At least they still have the bikes! And I've learned a lot from those roadside repair guys, like, everything can be repaired with a hammer, and, you can use anything as a hammer.

There is a noticeable difference in quality between used and new bikes, the little bolt or pin that holds the pedal bars to the main axle, for example. I had one new bike where that thing had to be hammered in further after every hill . . . then it was stolen, what a fool!

Henry