Getting in the habit of wearing a helmet is difficult.  Helmets have a bad reputation for being uncomfortable and unfashionable.  But the benefits of protecting your brain are huge.

It only takes one bump of the head to cause lifelong brain damage or serious injury.  In fact in places like the United States, traumatic brain injuries are the cause of upwards of 85% of all bicycle accident deaths.  Despite this, roughly less than 20% of all bicyclists wear helmets!

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We’re super proud of all the women who volunteered their blood, sweat, tears and time to participate in October’s Queen of the Bike competition.

The results were stunning.  There was no way anyone could anticipate the feats that these women undertook in riding for the glory of being crowned the Queen.  Two women even broke the 1200 kilometer mark!

This is not to say that there wasn’t other amazing achievements.  We heard grueling tales of rides in the cold and the rain, riding through sickness and bad air, and riding through injury or accident.

There were also plenty more positive tales in which these women found camaraderie through competition.  New friends were made and adventures were forged out of the common goal to get out and ride. Read more

Natooke has been dealing directly with Respro since before people even realised that the “fog” we breathe from time to time is a little bit more harmful than it appears.

As it’s earliest representative in China, our relationship has helped us develop special products to help deal with the particularly nasty air quality we encounter from time to time.  This includes the decision to have all masks we import include the higher rated Techno filter.

It’s effective at cutting out particles down to 0.3 micrometers in size.  These are the dangerous particulates that are capable of entering your cardiovascular system and wreaking havoc.

It’s also designed to be re-usable unlike your standard throw-away mask.  The shell is comfortable and easy to wash/maintain.  Plus, they’re designed for active aerobic use meaning you can get breathing heavy without feeling like your sucking on a straw. Read more

This bike is the last of an old guard.  Originally pieced together in the summer of 2013 it quickly entered the ranks of our rental fleet.

It’s been ridden by countless people, all over Chengdu and tended to with great care.  Alas, with our new rental fleet this machine would be happier with a single rider to call its own.

Aluminum frame, steel forks and lightweight aluminum wheels make for a smooth but nimble ride.  Add to that the awesome integrated rack in the handlebars and this is the perfect city bike.

The bike is a 52cm (M) which is most suited for riders between 165-175cm.  However we’ve fit riders from 160cm all the way up to 190cm easily!

Used, but not abused this bike has been well maintained throughout the course of its life.  Make it your own for only ¥1200! Read more

Christmas is coming and that can only mean one thing.  We’ll be riding our bikes.

This Friday, December 23th we’re super pleased to be holding a special ride.

For our fourth annual Christmas Cruise, expect all the awesome things that accompany our Friday Night Ride, but with a twist.

On hand we’ll have santa suits for all the riders.  Deck yourself in red as we take to the streets to spread holiday cheer.  Our playlist will also be peppered with a number of sweet holiday cuts.

To be a part of the ride we have one simple request.  Participate in the Christmas Cruise gift exchange.

The gift can be anything wrapped, within a 50 RMB value.  Be creative!  Here’s a few ideas:

Silly

Funky

Edible

Handmade

A piece of art

After the ride we’ll return to shop to divvy up all the presents. Read more

There are few things in this world that any bicyclist appreciate. Good pizza, a nice bike, a tasty beer. But it’s a good cup of coffee that will get your day started right. It’ll carry you through a rough day.

So do we take coffee seriously? You bet. We drink a lot of the stuff. And the difference between a good day and a bad one often times hinges on the quality of coffee. So we don’t fool around.

This is why some time back we started buying fresh-roasted coffee straight from China’s coffee growing capital, Yunnan. Floating around the shop we have a lot of Golden Canyon Coffee , roasted in a breakfast blend, ready to hit the pot. Read more

These bikes look cool. Well, maybe “cool” is a stretch depending on your style.  But they certainly stand out.  Reasonably the most striking thing about the program it’s unique visual appeal.  We’ve seen countless pictures on our social media over the past weeks of a full long line of these bikes, sitting, awaiting riders.

The handlebars feature a super funky, curved U-shape unlike anything we’ve seen before.  The frame is unique, and asymmetric with a single, fat tube substituted for your standard “triangle”.  Furthermore the front and back where the wheels mount are mono-stay, meaning there is only one tube of the frame on one side to connect with the wheels.  It looks futuristic and as though it defies balance. Read more

You may have noticed in the past couple weeks the sudden appearance of hundreds of like bikes.  Dark blue and yellow, light blue, and silver and orange bicycles have popped up everywhere.  Dozens clutter corners and street sides no matter where you are in the city.  So who’s bikes are these anyway?

These bicycles belong to three separate companies that have launched on-the-fly bike share programs.  The three bike share programs that have launched within Chengdu are 1 Step Bike, Youon and Mobike.  The first two, 1 Step and Youon are utter garbage, which we’ll explain further in a separate review.  However, after reviewing each program and it’s bikes our professional endorsement is behind Mobike.

Below we’ll discuss the merits, the utility, and the setbacks of the Mobike program as well as provide concise directions for downloading, installing, registering and making use of it all.  Furthermore we’ll take a look at some of the other rules and regulations that users should be aware of, some of the grey areas users should be aware of, and easily our favorite part, a detailed look at the design and practicality of the bikes.

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Winter’s here.  This means cold weather and short days.  And for the first time ever, it also means shortened hours at Natooke.  Starting the first week of December our hours will be as such.

Monday/Tuesday – CLOSED

Wednesday through Sunday – 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For individual events please refer to the times included with the event listing.  Some events, such as the Friday Night Ride and other morning/evening rides will still operate outside of our standard shop hours.

Any questions about our operating hours or other sales and services we may be able to provide or schedule for you, please contact the shop.