| Hi Wang, it's me again, lol or rather ni hao. It's been nearly a month now since I got my bike (my first one broke 3 days after I brought it, the brand was "forever", the one I have now is much better and much nicer).. and I have learnt some things here and there which I'm quite happy to say... Let me add some things for people who rish to ride a bycicle in Shanghai: Where Can You Buy a Bike? Most supermarkets carry a small to good size stock of cheap - average priced bikes. Just go to any large supermarket and look for bikes.. but remember that these aren't top quality bycicles you might buy some where like in europe, they are cheap.. so this means no extreme bike manuevers.. and crazy riding techniques.. otherwise you'll find that you'll need a new bike within the next few days.. How Much For A Decent Bike For a nice decent (as in, one that will last at least a month) bike you should be able to get one for about 400RMB - 600RMB ----- Riding On The Streets (This is from my own experience from riding over the past month in Shanghai..) You can pretty much ride on any side of the road and do any thing as long as you are careful ofcourse.. Make sure to always keep an eye on, pretty much any thing that could be a possible danger.. like people, other cyclists and vehicles. Also remember that there are many other bikers on alot of the roads and many people pass you from time to time.. They (the passers) will beep there horn to let you know that they are comming up so it's best not to stay in there way (stay on the right side, so they can pass on the left).. well, you'll be hearing the horn going off all the time, it's normal compared to western countries. Traffic Lights Well if your from a western country like usa or europe you'll know that red means stop (for all vehicles, including bikes) and green means go.. So it's best to follow this rule here in Shanghai.. all though you WILL see ALOT of people go when it's clear (or when it's not clear..) even if the light is red. It's better to be safe than sorry, this is a well known fact. So be worried if you're the only one stopping at red lights every now and then.. =) The Roads The roads can be pretty chaotic at times but it's best to just stay in the biking lanes (if any), maintain a nice traveling speed, stay out of the way of other bikers, and follow the traffic lights.. You have to be quite on mark with your bike handling skills because alot of people cut in front of you with out warning, or pull out from no where.. so just use your brain and keep an eye on any thing thats moves ^^. Bike Parking You can pretty much put your bike any where outside, just make sure to lock it up using a U lock (that locks the wheel) and a wrap lock to use for a pole or some thing. A lot of places you can park your bike and you pay "the bike watcher" some thing like $1RMB - $3RMB and this person will watch your bike (along with all the other bikes) for you. You can easily know where to put your bike when you see alot of bikes parked.. lol.. I find it best to lock a wheel and also to lock the bike to a pole, so if some one tries to carry the bike away.. well they can't because the bike is locked to some fixed object.. Most residential areas have a parking area just for bikes (underground, out the back etc.). When you buy a bike a suggest you also get a wheel lock and a pole/wrap lock you should also get a bell/horn if you don't already have one attached.. don't be afraid to use it, you'll notice that every person (well any person that has a bell/horn) honks and toots every minute.. to let people in the way know that some one wants/intends to pass them. If you plan on riding at night time I strongly suggest you get some bike lights for obvious reasons. As for the helmet.. it's up to you, as I said it's better to be safe than sorry, so invest in a good sturdy helmet. It's not illegal to no use a helmet in Shanghai (as far as I know), you will see alot of people with out a helmet. This is normal. Rain and Wet Conditions You should also get a rain coat, these are very good raincoats, you can see on wet days that just about every person uses them (ofcourse). They cover pretty much all of your body and what not. If you're biking and all of a sudden it starts raining and you didn't brink your coat, you can usually find some one selling them on the side of the road.. which is good =D When it is wet you need to be VERY careful on the road.. do not travel fast because it is very easy to slip and fall and I tell you this is not a good experience and can even cause serious injury (or death).. apart from that.. you should also think about getting a bike with mud guards because you don't want to have mud up your back after riding on the roads on a wet day.. Bicycle Repair Shops These little sized shops can be found all over the place, you can identify them with there bike parts hanging around the shop, etc. I think it's quite common to find at least a few of these shops along 1 long road. They are happy to assist you if you have any problems with your bike =) You'll find biking in Shanghai quite fun and convieniant.. especially in september when the weather is really great. I tell you, it is very convieniant for me, I bike to uni, I bike around, the nice breeze is awesome, I like it alot. Yeah, happy biking... |
Guide for Bike Riders in Shanghai