We’re well on our way to summer but we’re still doing a little spring cleaning here at the shop.  This means we’ve come across some goodies we’re looking to let go for a good price.  Check out what’s on offer below and see if any of these deals strike your fancy. Read more

Our friend Eva Liu surprised us the past Friday Night Ride with a special present.  She is a talented graphic designer and illustrator who clearly has a passion for what she does.

Having been a regular participant in countless FNRs over the years she really has a keen sense of what Natooke Chengdu is all about and that the proprietors, Larry and Jacob, love functional and not-so functional bamboo bikes they’ve made. Read more

At Natooke Chengdu, we love bells and whistles. Especially when folks decide to put some on a custom Source Cycles bamboo bicycle. Christian is just one of those very special kind of people.

In from Germany on business, he decided to pay us a visit a while back to place his order. As we got out our measuring tape ready to get his body measurements to customise his new bamboo frame Christian educated us on the inseparability of Germans from high quality. Not surprisingly he continued to outfit his new bike with all sorts of nice stuff.

Shimano Alfine internally-geared 8 speed hub for smooth, precise shifting through thousands of kilometers. Internal gear hubs are great because all the moving parts of the gear system are sealed inside the casing of the hub. This allows them to stay free of the dirt and grim and water that causes pre-mature wear and tear. Also, since the chain doesn’t have to change positions when changing gears the whole drivetrain lasts longer. If these benefits weren’t enough, regular maintenance decreases to an absolute minimum in that all you have to do is make sure the shifting cable stays clean and properly adjusted. Perfect for any bike that will be riden in varying conditions. Read more

The past three weeks have seen a few dozen women through a difficult competition.  Fueled only by motivation and the hope of glory (and some sweet prizes), these women made the effort to ride a minimum of 50 kilometers per week.

In fact some went far and beyond expectation and averaged over 350 kilometers per week, riding almost daily for the entire three week period.  We have only the deepest gratitude and admiration for all of the participants.  You’ve inspired those around you to ride more.

Here are the winners for each category:

Below is the complete list of women who have completed the Queen of the Bike competition.  They’ve ridden the minimum requirement of 50 kilometers per week over the past three weeks.

We’ll be contacting the winners within the next week about prizes.  Ride on!

With two weeks down and one to go the competition is heating up. Here’s this weeks results for top five women:

The competition will be end in a week.Who will be the bike queen?Let’s wait and see. Fighting girls! Read more

The first week of the women’s Queen of the Bike competition proved to be super exciting.  Women of all backgrounds got out and got riding.  And some really rode.  So far here are the top five riders for the first week:

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Think about a woman in your life who’s influenced you in a positive way. It’s not that tough. You may have thought about your mom or a friend or a mentor who’s guided you in becoming the person you are. For us here at Natooke we can’t help but be constantly reminded of the primary reason we’re in business, Ines Brunn. Known across the world  for her incredible gymnastic feats on the bike, we more closely know her as the inspiration for everything that has allowed Natooke to become what it has here in Chengdu: the events, the memories, the community and the future of cycling in this city.

But now there’s a couple new kids on the block. Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi have taken gold for olympic track cycling. The importance of this is significant in that not only is it a first for China, but they easily beat the boys to the accomplishment. Having set a world record in the preceding races, Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi narrowly beat out the Russian team in the final race, sealing the deal.

This comes as vindication after Gong, as well as her London 2012 teammate, Guo Shuang were eliminated from receiving gold over in their final race. In Gong’s words, “We are like old warriors who have kept fighting.” Gold at last.

We’re hopeful in seeing this as some greater sign that the future for women and cycling in China is looking real bright. It’s something, having also been directed inspired by amazing women that we’re planning to more actively support. So in the coming weeks keep your eyes peeled for an opportunity to partake in a little spirited activity. Women only. Because we feel that the sort of hard work demonstrated by people such as Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi deserves it’s own just reward. Read more

Over the course of the summer we’ve led several different countryside rides. Each time they’ve become successively more interesting as we take our friends along to explore more and more unique little pockets of the Sichuan basin.

This time while scouting for routes we found an area that is all but too nice to just spend one day riding around. So, we got to thinking: why not not make for a full weekend of riding?

Here’s the scoop. The ride will be organized in a similar way as our standard single day ride. We’ll plan to meet up at Natooke on Saturday, August 20 at 7:30 a.m. We’ll depart at 8:00 a.m. sharp.

We’ll then drive out to Luojiang, deposit overnight bags at the arranged guesthouse and set out for the first day’s ride, a loop of roughly 70km. During the first loop we’ll stop for a light lunch before finishing up the days ride.

The afternoon we’ll have time to explore the back alleys and parks of the town. This includes taking in the local architecture, tea houses and a rural Sichuan opera house. Dinner will be at the guesthouse before turning in for the evening.

The following morning we’ll offer breakfast before packing our things in and setting out on the second day’s roughly 70km ride. At the end of the ride we’ll have a lunch before packing it all in and heading back to Chengdu.

The total cost is ¥800 and includes transportation to and from, a night’s stay at a lovely guesthouse and the above mentioned meals. To reserve a private room there is an additional ¥60. Bicycles designed for comfortable long-distance rides are available for an additional ¥100.

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August 9^th doesn’t appear to be a remarkable date. However according to the lunar calendar, it’s the 7^th day of the 7^th month. This date holds a special place in that it’s the traditional Chinese Valentine’s. It’s the one day that Zhinü, a heavenly fairy and Niulang, her human husband, can reach one another by crossing a heavenly bridge. Read more