Spinning the wheels

In a city of million bicycles, in the Middle Kingdom, the biker is King.

One of the first things I observed on the street is that only a few (1 out of 1000) have a proper bike fit. Most Chinese have their saddle way too low. None of them are nice bikes either as they are prime candidates for theft. Actually people who buy brand new bikes make them dirty, bang them up, replace them with old wheels, brush paint, etc,.. they will do everything to make them look old straight away. There are even articles in magazines suggesting how to “dirty” them properly. Go figure! As a Western biker it just hurt to see a total disrespect for shiny bikes or oiled chains. I had a few leads on getting a bike (buying, borrow) but they all felt through. So I’m gonna try another supermarket this weekend: the Makro. For my European friends and family members, yes we do have a Makro here in Beijing as well as the Carrefour and Walmart. Tomorrow at 4 pm I will pay my first visit to a gym that offers spinning classes (in Chinese only). I might not be spinning any wheels soon but will spin my legs this week.