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Getting a fix of the 'fixeds' in happening Beijing

By David Drakeford (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-24 09:31

As the cultural capital of China, Beijing is simply bubbling with things to do and see. Art, music, sport - if it's a Chinese tradition, it will be practiced here. And if it's a Western trend, there will be a nascent scene.

Unfortunately, it's all too easy to miss out on the excitement by putting your feet up after a hard day's work and sticking on another DVD.

And so it was I determined to try out something new by spending a couple of days with Beijing's fixed-wheel bike riders.

Fixed-wheel bikes are a type of ultra-cool personal transport made fashionable by cycle couriers in London, Tokyo and American cities. And now, Beijing has its own shop to supply the growing number of aficionados.

Owner Ines Brunn, a German trick-bike rider with sun-kissed blond hair and the kind of muscles I'd only seen on rock climbers, welcomed me inside for a cup of tea and a chat.

Apparently, China now has about 50 "fixies" - fans who prize the bikes for their minimalist beauty and individual style.

My host passed me a coffee table book full of glossy photos of fixeds that certainly had a retro charm I can imagine appealing to trendy urbanites who enjoy standing out from the crowd.

But it was with a nervous wobble that I rode off into the sunshine on my test ride, heading west into the maze of hutong on my borrowed steed, daring not to loosen my grip from the handlebars to give Ines a wave. I thought I heard chuckling.

Beijing's roads are crowded, noisy and jarring to the nerves, but its winding alleyways can be surprisingly quiet and peaceful.

Unlike my UK hometown where pedestrians and drivers share an undisguised hatred of cyclists, Beijingers accept them as part of life and the hutong dwellers pulled their children out my path with a warning - "Che!" - instead of giving me the evil eye.

The following day, I joined a group of about 40 riders by the ancient Drum and Bell towers. Xiao Shu (Little Tree), the owner of a nearby barbecued chicken wing shop, had traveled all the way to Guangzhou to purchase his bicycle - plus a smaller pink model for his girlfriend to ride alongside him.

Then we were off!

A gaggle of 40 riders completely blocking the road in both directions and arguing over which way to go - still without raising the hackles of the stymied motorists.

Riding in a pack is an enjoyable, almost primal, experience that unfortunately was cut short for me when I was left way behind.

Unlike my own cheap and clunky bicycle, fixeds tend to be very light in weight allowing faster speeds. It's possible the fitness of the riders also has something to do with it.

Under the glow of LEDs from the implausibly huge television screen at shopping mall The Place, the riders played a game of bike polo.

Somewhat over-enthusiastic and shirtless throughout, Xiao Shu at one point careened right into a parked BMW with a sickening crunch. "Is the car alright?" was the first question asked.

The security guard watching the match quietly continued his observations, without raising an eyebrow.

I didn't try out bike polo myself; it looked far too dangerous.

But extreme sports seem ready to take off in Beijing, with the opening of China's first extreme sports park next month. The park will surely be a magnet for the fixed gear crew, BMX riders and skateboarders. Young people will have a suitable place to go, away from precariously parked BMWs.

And at least they'll be out of those dreadful, gloomy Internet cafs.