A recent trip to Tibet gave me the opporunity to take in some high altitude roadsters. Most bikes in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital see some use as work bikes, like this 26" Flying Pigeon. Also note the chrome chainring guard.
This bike also had a strange package rack maybe taken off a Flying Pigeon electric bike. I have not seen one like this before. The Tibetan penchant seemed to be to carry packages in a roll on the back and many package racks had specially welded tabs to hold the rolls.
Then there was this Forever which was working hard carrying propane.
Here is another 28" roadster, posing next to someone's shop. Care for some melon?
We can tell from the fork decal it is a Phoenix. The sign says it is for sale at 150 RMB ($20). But before you put down some money on this fine ride with good patina, you had better check it over....
...oh wow! The seat looks painful! I saw alot of these tire rubber seats. Apparently comfort was not the owner's first concern. Maybe we should pass this one by.
OK. This 28" step-through Forever looks more forgiving. Like I said, they really stack things up on the rear rack!
And then there was this 28" double-bar Forever at a noodle factory. Ready to make a delivery, or just stopping in for lunch?
It never ceases to amaze me the roadsters everywhere else on the planet but here in the States. Even more so, that they are the workhorses that they are and are all seemingly SINGLE SPEED machines. Now perhaps the ratios are far and away different than what I'm used to bit still, I can only imagine the tree-trunk legs of those that ride these for work.
As to the tyre rubber seating... though certainly not overly comfy looking, it is downright ingenious... and certainly a bit more comfy than no seat at all.
Again, thanks much for posting these things up. I hope you see lots of traffic here as most folks... really are clueless as to what the real bicycle population in the rest of the world actually consists of!
Cheers!
Larry "Boneman" Bone
Dingmans Ferry, PA, USA
Posted by: Larry Bone | September 07, 2009 at 07:56 PM
One more thing.... THOSE NOODLES!!!!!!!! Boy to get myself a bagful of thoses!
:-P
Cheers!
Larry "Boneman" Bone
Dingmans Ferry, PA, USA
Posted by: Larry Bone | September 07, 2009 at 07:58 PM