China 12: Flying Pigeons
23 January 2009
If I had room for a 3rd bike at home (let alone room in my luggage), I would bring one of these Flying Pigeons to Montreal with me, converting it to a stylish fixie for sunday rides in the plateau.
These bad boys have been in production since Mao took over in the early 50s, and are still manufactured today, with the same all-steel frames, the covered chain, sprung leather saddle and old school rod brakes. Though a exponentially growing number of chinese are trading two wheels for four, you can still see many of these riding the streets, mostly by old men, somewhat of a souvenir of a forgotten era now clashing with the decor of today’s contemporary China.
In China, I saw them priced new at around 480 RMB (CDN 95$) and you can probably get a well-used one for less than 100 RMB (CDN 20$). Flying Pigeon NYC and Flying Pigeon LA are selling some in America.
that is certainly the best bike i’ve ever owned. quite heavy, but once you get a bit of momentum, your gliding. the best thing about riding them in china is that if anything breaks, or you get a flat tire, there is always a bike repair ‘stand’ just around the corner.