Disabused of this Quaint Idea

Bike shopping in China has changed.  I suppose bike shopping has changed everywhere else, as well.  Bike shopping here used to mean going downtown in Shanghai or Beijing, the two places I remember doing so in 1993 and then again in 1998.  In those days you headed to a used bike market.  I suppose there was a place where you could buy new bikes, but nobody did that.  These used markets had lots and lots of big, sturdy no-speed Flying Pigeon bikes.   And it was important to go through the ceremony, not only of bargaining it from a $9.00 purchase down to the $7.00 range, but also to get a little booklet that was your official license.  “If a cop stops you, you better have one of these or they’ll wonder where you got this bike.”

I rode that Flying Pigeon all over both cities during the respective periods.  I wasn’t exactly “flying” but I don’t remember bemoaning the quality of the ride.  In Shanghai at that time the forty-five minute bike ride to the Bund was a lot quicker than the cab, when all the city was being rebuilt and elevated highways didn’t exist.  Biking about in Dongcheng was as fun as it got, in fin de siècle Beijing.  It felt then, that there was so much to uncover. 

Yesterday I took my daughter over to the neighborhood Giant brand bike store.  (Just looked, and Giant is a Taiwanese brand.  Flying Pigeon still exists as well, and is headquartered in Tianjin.)  I had it in my mind to keep this birthday bicycle purchase to something like the-under- US$250-range.  Flipping over the tags on the bike after bike in the show room floor I was quickly disabused of this quaint idea.  There were bikes for $500.00, bikes for $800.00 and the flash bikes for $3000.00. 

I thought I was getting off like a bandit when we were able to find a few in the back down around the $350.00 to $400.00 rage.  She peddled about such as she could there in the store.  She considered one aquamarine bike that was sure to make her sister jealous were she to get it.  She was averse to a racing style bike at first, but ultimately found one she seemed to like, that was black and orange and within my recently recalculated budget range. 

Friday, 02/03/17