The Flying Pigeon Project

New Kent: Old Bike.

Here is an interesting antique Japanese import. It's a New Kent bicycle which, as we are told very often by the badging, was the "World's Best Bicycle". While best is certainly debatable, I'd have to agree that it is certainly
 

Japanese Bike Shops: The Strange One

This shop was located down the street from Silbest.

Besides being located in Kyoto, it seemed that this shop had exactly NO Japanese characteristics. And no name.  At least not one I could discover. Instead of being neat it was a mess, instead of being organized, stuff was just heaped up. From the sign out front it appears to have once been a BMW motorcycle dealer, but according to the BMW company calendar inside, the last time a motorcycle rolled out the door was 1985!!

Hutong Tour

Beijing is famous for it's Hutongs. These are the tight alleyways of the old city. The last 50 years has not been kind to these historic streets and the buildings around them. During the population boom of the 50's, 5 families were often allocated to a courtyard home that had previously belonged to only 1. Of course, now they are being torn down to make way for high rise apartments and offices. But still, they make for interesting little jaunt.  Yes, now it is cold and bitter, but in the warm days of August I decided to go for a little ride. With streets so tight, a car is a bit of a nuisance... A bike, by far is the best way to tour the hutongs.

Accessory of the Week-Raleigh Sidestand

Frequent readers will note that the "arc" style of sidestand is quite popular among the Chinese brands. The Arc runs between the seatstay and the chainstay where the rest of the stan attaches..

Below, you'll see the most sophisticated type. The spring for the stand is contained entirely within the prop leg. The entire stand is crafted out of stainless steel and the Raleigh logo pivots with the stand. I have also seen this type with pivoting logos for Humber and Gazelle.

 

Not Your Average Forever

Frequent readers of this blog know that it mainly focuses on Brake-rod roadsters, but sometimes also features other interesting bikes. Here is one such bike. It is a Forever, or Yongjiu in phonetic Chinese. The particular model is called "The Victor".

Looks new, right? Of course because I am asking you know it is probably not.