4) Talk a little bit about what tools you used to find it.  How did you eventually find it?  What facilitated this and was there anyone who helped?

Despite having little hope of finding my bike, I still asked a Chinese friend to phone the police station once a week to check. I also started combing online forums and second-hand APPs, like Xian Yu.

I also paid a visit to an area in Jiuyanqiao, a market notorious for selling stolen bikes, with a friend to see if I could find my bike. This was quite an experience! I had imagined a huge, open market with thousands of bikes that I could roam through looking for my large green bike. Instead, it’s a group of rundown old apartment complexes.  Little old ladies lead you down small alleyways to dimly-lit rooms where they stow away dozens of stolen bikes. If there’s nothing to your liking, they call a neighbor who guides you to their home, their stash. And so the search keeps repeating.

Sadly, nothing turned up. I started making plans to buy/build a new bike and began researching my options. Before my bike was stolen I had planned to get a new ride: Something different, maybe a fixie, maybe a road bike, maybe a touring bike. So now I had to hurry up the process. Read more

Since last year’s launch of several bike shares and their increasing popularity in Chengdu, a low-carbon lifestyle has gotten more and more attention. As bikes come back into our daily lives, so do many of the problems of sharing the road. Cars and bikes mixing on the road has its own set of stresses. Sometimes there are neither clearly marked bike passageways, or protective dividers between cars and bikes. You have to constantly watch your back at any moment to avoid getting rear-ended.

But there’s good news! On March 28th Chengdu Planning and Management Bureau revealed that the city will develop a comprehensive citywide “slow traffic system”, which includes building a 798 km long bicycle pathway in addition to a 2325 km bicycle corridor that will isolating non-motorized traffic from traffic. Read more

Don’t worry.  This isn’t an A.P.B.  In fact it’s just a great story with an awesome ending.  Here are a few things to always consider.

First, take the right precautions to prevent your bike getting stolen.  Second, don’t support thieves by buying your bike at any of the notorious “second-hand” bike markets.  Finally, keep all the records of ownership of your bike.  If it’s stolen, report it immediately.

That said, we had our friend Peter write about his recent experience getting his bike stolen and all the steps he took to get it back.  Read on and learn exactly what it takes to get your bike back in the event it goes missing as well as a few tips to avoid this happening at all.

Read more

If you’re looking for a quality new bike on a budget, now is the time!  In the shop we have several beautiful completes that need to go.  Check below for the bike that might just be yours.

Sizing is as such:

44cm, suitable for riders 145 to 160cm in height.

50cm, suitable for riders 155 to 170cm in height.

52cm, suitable for riders 165 to 180cm in height.

54cm, suitable for riders 170 to 185cm in height. Read more

Now that winter is definitely behind us 2017’s countryside ride’s are back.  This month we’ll be exploring the eastern portion of Shuangliu.  The route begins near the beginning of the Cheng-Zi-Lu Expressway and meanders south through farms and rolling countryside through some of the closest rural areas and farmland surrounding Chengdu’s urban centre.

We pass through a traditional Chinese rural village, an endless network of small country roads and farms before continuing towards Taiping where we’ll catch the end of a traditional country market and stop for lunch.

After lunch we’ll continue riding a loop northwards past Tiantai Mountain Loquat Ecological Park and along the edge of the Longquan Mountain range towards Longquanyi.  The van will be waiting for us there to take us back to the city. 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

This Friday, March 31st:  Join us at Natooke for the Friday Night Ride!  As the weather gradually gets nicer we’re seeing larger and larger turn outs.  At the last ride we had nearly 100 people descend upon Xiaotian South Street to cruise with us.

As usual expect great music, great people and an incredible ride unlike anything else you can find in Chengdu.  The ride leaves at 8:00 p.m.  Show up early to make sure you don’t miss it!

Got questions about rentals, route, or anything FNR-related, read on below for more details. Read more

As we start seeing longer days and more sunshine, we intend to up the number of events we’ve got each month.  Not only do we want to do more events, but we are looking to improve the variety and see to hosting them at times that works best for everyone.

This is where you come in.  Our rides, workshops and races are only so fun as the people who attend.  We figured it’s best to just ask you what kind of activities you’re interested in.   Read more

Stop in this Saturday and Sunday, March 25-26.  We’ll have a couple awesome things going on.

For one, we’re looking to make room in the shop and this means we’ve got a bunch of complete bikes and parts that must go.  Interested in getting a new ride on a budget?  Stop in and see what we’ve got that will work.  Some completes are marked 40% off their original price! Read more

Over the last weekend of March we’ll be hosting a Spring Clean within the shop. Not only are we moving things around and making more room, but we’re also looking to move a lot of older stock.

This means you can anticipate getting incredible deals on complete bikes. We’ll have brand new complete bicycles available for anywhere between ¥1000 and ¥2000.

Keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of weeks for more specifics as we get some of these new bikes built up. If you’re really curious, feel free to stop in beforehand and get a lay of the land.

But don’t say you weren’t warned: these bikes will go quick and this is likely the last opportunity to pick up a new ride for as much as 75% off it’s original cost! Read more