The Sudden Stop

My darling friend A passed along her bicycle to me when she left the country last summer. (Of course, the passing along also included riding the bike a good 15 km through the city on woefully under-inflated tires. She is a rock star of the highest order.) Now in possession of an official, Chinese-produced, four-times hand-me-down, fixie* cruiser, I can ride my bike to school, the store, or the subway. Sometimes I might add in a trip to the Cool Bar or the Twinkle Bar. (Yeah M, I'm so cool because I commute on my fixie.)

Riding a bike in China takes some special skills, however. The Chinese do not ride their bikes the way we do.

Bicycles are not required to follow rules of the road. (Then again, cars don't always have to, either.) Bicycles are not governed by streetlights or stop signs. Bicycles don't have to ride in the same direction as traffic. Bicycles can ride on the sidewalk or in the bike lane, or in the street if there is no bike lane (but on many roads, not riding in the bike lane is akin to a death wish).  Bicycles are allowed to run down pedestrians, but must make way for cars. Bicyclists do not wear helmets. Bicyclists also pedal at speeds barely fast enough to maintain forward motion.

The Chinese also have a different way of getting on a off their bikes. It took me awhile to figure out what the difference was, but even last year I noticed that something was odd. A Chinese rider does not begin by straddling their bike, sitting on the seat with one foot on the ground, and then pedaling (as I, and anyone I've seen riding in the U.S. does). Nope. They stand next to the bike with one foot on the pedal, then pushing off with the other foot (which is wedged uncomfortably between the foot on the pedal and the bike frame), they straddle and sit in one motion. They stop the bike in much the same way. While I would hit the brakes, lean on one foot, and then swing my leg over the seat, the Chinese keep moving, stand on one pedal and swing their leg over, all the while coasting. Once they've slowed down enough, they jump off and take a few running steps to keep up with the moving bike.

Two days ago, I found myself performing my first Chinese-style dismount.

This country is filled with a million bumps and thresholds and concrete barriers and flood control devices that are impassable on an old, run-down, cruiser with rather thin tires and no suspension. These obstructions require one to hit the brakes, put down a foot, swing a leg over the bike and then drag the bike over said obstacle. Well, pedaling back to my gated community, I was sick of the sudden stop; each barrier is an interruption to the flow of the ride. So I didn't stop. I stood up on the pedals, swung a leg over, and then jumped down, running after my bike.

Just like a real Chinese person.

*A fixie is a fixed-gear bike. Most memorable as the banana seat wonders where you pedaled backwards to brake from childhood, they are all the rage among hard-core cyclists who want to prove how awesomely strong and cool they are by pedaling up and down hills with only one gear.