In a city like Beijing, with about three million cyclists on its special bike lanes, purchasing a bicycle is never a problem.
Keeping it, however, can be - bicycle theft affects almost every cyclist in Beijing.
So before you decide to buy a bike, you should take the risk of losing it into consideration.
There are more than 1,000 brands of bikes available in Beijing. As fierce as the competition is, four brands are still the most popular. Flying Pigeon (Feige), Phoenix (Fenghuang) and Forever (Yongjiu) are the most popular traditional brands among older people. For the younger generation, the Taiwan-based brand Giant is a winner.
Of the three traditional brands, Flying Pigeon seems to be better known internationally but differs very little in quality from the others.
These bikes are known for being solid and sturdily built. The frame and the rims basically last forever. The problems lie in the detailing work.
The chroming work is usually done only half-heartedly and sometimes the assembly of the bike is rather slipshod. You can't do anything about these flaws once you decide to buy a bike of this kind. Overall, though, for the price (usually less than 400 yuan/US$48), sturdiness and nostalgia, it is worth it.
Giant is claiming more of the market because its bikes are well-made and fashionable.
It makes regular, racing and mountain bikes. In 2001, after just seven years, Giant bikes ranked No 1 in domestic sales despite their higher prices.
They have more gadgets and gizmos than other brands. And they often change their bicycles to keep up with the latest trends.
Where can you purchase a bicycle?
There are three very good stores which have pretty good mechanics plus lots of gadgets (cargo carriers for the back, steel enforcements for the front) and extras (baskets for the front, very good Chinese child seats). Be prepared, though, to play charades as they don't speak English.
Flying Pigeon store
Address: About 200 meters west of Dongyue Temple.
Giant Bicycle store in Dongcheng district at Jiaodaokou Dongdajie
Telephone: 6403-4537
