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New Year’s Day Ride & Golf Course Skids

Freitag, Januar 1st, 2010

What could be a better way to start the New Year than joining a bike ride? I think there is nothing better 🙂 But it seems some people did not agree on this sunny and not too cold day. It seems most people decided to drive their cars on this public holiday in China and sit in traffic jams. There was so much congestion as there were no driving restrictions today – that means cars with any license plate were allowed to drive. But at least in some areas in Beijing there is a fence between the car lane and the bicycle lane so that no car can just use the cycling lane.

Beijing Traffic Jams and Empty Bicycling Lanes

Bicycle Lane Symbol in Beijing

We were just a small group of 6 cyclists ranging from hard core triathletes, fixed gear cyclists to leisurely riders. We headed out for the peloton Wenyu river loop. We went along the Beijing canals. As the temperature was just around zero the canals were not frozen. Some of the bridges are actually very nice.

Beijing Canal Bridge in the East

We did a short break to look for some not too dirty plastic bag to cover the feet inside the shoes so that they do not freeze so much. It is a very easy and effective solution that I still have not tried. Next time when it is colder I will try that before I leave the house.

Bike Ride Break

We continued along the Wenyu river towards the South.

Bike Ride Along the Wenyu He

We found a not so well maintained golf course a long the way. We fixed gear riders decided to check if it is nice to skid on the green. And it is! You should try it. Just go to your nearest golf course. The grass on the green is really smooth and enhancing the ability to skid.

Fixie Riding on Golf Course Green

Fixed Gear Bike Skidding on Golf Course Green

Then we rode in the winter sun along the canal back to the city center. It was so nice and peaceful.

Relaxing New Years Bike Ride in Beijing

In the city we went to the Jamaica Blue peloton cafe South of the Chaoyang Park to meet up with other cyclists, have lunch and defrost our fingers and toes. It is great to see that at least some of the cyclists do not care about it being winter in Beijing and still coming out on bike rides like some of the fixed gear riders.

Beijing Fixed Gear Bicycle Riders

Posted in Cycling, Fixed Gear | 1 Comment »

Bike Ride to Fresh Start Event

Donnerstag, Dezember 17th, 2009

Greening the Beige had a small event called „Fresh Start“ to view the video and pictures of this years events as well as capture ideas for next year.

Greening the Beige Fresh Start Fundraiser Event

We decided to do a first critical mass bike ride to the event. But unfortunately it was the coldest day of the year. It was freezing and we only had 5 bicycle riders – 2 girls and 3 guys. So in the cold of the night we only cycled very directly to the venue. And we were happy when we had arrived and gotten our free cold drinks. The next CM bike ride should be on the last Friday in January 2010 and I am sure we will have more cyclists.

First Beijing Critical Mass Bike Ride Cyclists

Posted in Cycling, Green | 1 Comment »

Beijing Courier Bicycle

Montag, Dezember 14th, 2009

A lot of people ask me if there are bicycle couriers in Beijing. Well of course! …but not the kind you are thinking of. A lot of goods in the center of the city are delivered on two or tree wheels. It is often some elderly Chinese guy that cycles in the summer with his tank top rolled up to the arm pits, spitting on the ground while smoking a cigarette and cycling at an amazingly slow pace.

But there are also the companies specialized in delivery like EMS (Express Mail Delivery) that use bikes. Today I say a nice EMS Flying Pigeon in the Beijing modern flashy CBD district.

EMS Flying Pigeon in Beijing

Express Mail Delivery Flying Pigeon in China

The guys riding these bikes ride faster than the typical tricycle delivery guys, but I would not call them bicycle messengers or couriers. And they often do not ride because they like riding but because their boss only gives them a bike and that is their job. So a very different perspective compared to bicycle couriers in other metropolitan cities around the world. But I wonder if Beijing will have bicycle couriers in the future – especially when the streets are more and more jammed and it will be obvious that cycling is the fastest way to get around or important documents delivered. I hope so.

Posted in Beijing, Cycling | 1 Comment »

Blog about me in SF in April

Freitag, Dezember 11th, 2009

I just found this blog entry about my day in San Francisco in April 2009. And I also do remember the balancing a track stand on the edge of the pier outside of the railing high above the water level on a fixed gear bicycle. It did cost me some concentration to stand still and not think about what would happen if I were to fall down accidentally. Here is the picture that Edsel Dilag took.

Ines Track Standing on the Edge of a Pier in Oakland

I still could not watch the movie clip by Justin Gallagher.

Posted in Cycling, Fixed Gear, Media, USA | Comments Closed

Still No Smell

Freitag, Dezember 11th, 2009

Just in case anybody is wondering about my sense of small that I lost in a bicycle accident in August of this year. It still has not returned. I am seeing a traditional Chinese doctor treating me with acupuncture. I still have hope that it will return within the next few months. And I can only suggest other urban cyclists to wear helmets even when just going for grocery shopping.

Posted in Cycling, Fixed Gear | 1 Comment »

Ines Show at German Center Beijing

Donnerstag, Dezember 3rd, 2009

Today the German Center for Industry and Trade in Beijing had their 10 Year Anniversary celebration in the Landmark Hotel. They had well prepared the vent with a huge wall of pictures of the past 10 years.

German Center Beijing 10 Year Anniversary Celebration

They had requested me to perform on their tiny stag. It was very long but unfortunately very narrow and un-expectedly covered with a quite soft carpet making it almost impossible to do any bicycle tricks. I did what I could do on my trick bike. The following pictures were taken by the photographers of the German Center.

Ines Trick Bike Performance

Ines Trick Bike Show

Ines surfing her fixed gear bike

Ines Riding on Backwheel

Our French friend and contact juggler Muakine also perfomed on an even smaller stage than mine.

Contact Juggler Muakine

There was also a Chinese face changing performer and a typical Chinese Kungfu group. Then Zack and friends played some nice Jazz music as the huge buffet was opened.

Zack and the Jazz Musicians

It was a very nice event. Here is a picture of the German Center management team in traditional German clothes and me wearing a Chinese qipao.

German Center management team in traditional German clothes

I cycled back home together with Zack. He now goes to his gigs carrying all his drums on his tricycle. And I was cycling home on my slow trick bike.

Zack and drums on tricycle

Posted in Cycling, Media, Natooke, Performers | Comments Closed

Radio Beijing NetFM Talkbox

Dienstag, Dezember 1st, 2009

Radio Beijing NetFM Talkbox was interested to have speakers from the TEDxBeijing event come and talk about their speeches they had done at the TED event. The mountaineer and photographer Stefen Chow and me were invited to talk about our passion for the first 1 hour session that had also been video broadcasted. Of course I talked about cycling and I actually also brought my trick bike. Stefen took some nice pictures during the live session.

Ines on trick bike at NetFM Radio Talkbox

This picture shows the Talkbox moderator June and Sriram who helped organize the TEDxBeijing event and set up this Radio 774 interview.

Talkbox moderator June and TEDxBeijing organizer Sriram

And here a self portrait of Stefen and me.

Stefen Chow and Ines

After the show:

Radio Beijing Talkbox Show

I was transporting my my trick bike on my shoulder while riding my track bike.

Ines with Trick Bike

Ines carrying trick bike on fixed gear bike

Posted in Beijing, Cycling, Fixed Gear, Media | 1 Comment »

Welding my Fork

Samstag, November 28th, 2009

One of my trick bike forks had been broken for a few years. I always had it to show people how it can just break. As I now have the trick bike frame that Zack made out of bamboo I thought it might make sense to have this extra fork working again. So I gave it to a welding guy and I told him the fork opening needs to be 100mm. When I came to pick it up it was actually 107mm and optically asymmetric. I asked him if he could do a better job and he said yes. Watching what he then did made my less confident and even after all his efforts it still is 106mm. I will need to try it out like this or find a more professional welder. Here is a picture of him working on my blue fork.

Chinese welder working on my trick bike fork

Posted in Beijing, Cycling | 1 Comment »

Tokyo BFF Block Party Pics of Ines on Houyhnhnm

Dienstag, November 24th, 2009

The bicycle film festival block party was covered with some snap shots by the magazine Houyhnhnm. They had some nice pictures of me performing my trick bike show there:

Posted in Cycling, Fixed Gear, Japan, Media, Performers | 1 Comment »

BFF Tokyo Dinner for Sponsors

Donnerstag, November 19th, 2009

Today was a great first day in Tokyo! Harumi had organized a fixed gear bike for me to use. So I was able to ride around. I cycled through the city to the location for the dinner without any problems. It was really nice to cycle in Tokyo. The drivers actually wait for you to ride before they turn, nobody cuts you off, (except for one van) they all blink before they change lanes or turn. There are no cars driving on the wrong side of the road nor any electric tricycles driving at high speed in the opposite direction on the bike lane. And the pedestrians stop on the side walk when the light turns red, nobody jumps onto the cycling lane or suddenly runs across the street without looking. Really amazing experience compared to China.

Brendt and Harumi at BFF Dinner

So I went to the dinner buffet for the sponsors, helpers and volunteers of the Tokyo bicycle film festival. Brendt Barbur, the founder of the festival did a speech thanking everybody, especially the BFF Tokyo organizing team. Here a typical pose:

Brendt Barbur giving a Speech

And him in the „Bikes Rock!“ pose:

Brendt Barbur Bikes Rock Pose

Also Tatsuya and Satoshi from the local organizing team said some words to all participants. They are both cycling messengers at Courier Tokyo, the ones that started the bicycle film festival in Tokyo 5 years ago.

Tatsuya and Satoshi BFF Tokyo 2009

It was great to meet some old friends that I had last seen over 2 years ago. Benny Zenga and Brian Vernor are the directors of the beautiful movie „Where are you go“ about the 4 month long Tour d’Afrique bicycle race from Kairo to Kapetown.

Benny Zenga and Brian Vernor in Tokyo

There was a surprise performer doing electrifying tricks that he was claiming were not magic nor tricks. Everybody was amazed.

Watching the Performance

When almost everybody was gone we took some pictures of the remaining guests. More of my pictures are in a webalbum.

The Leftover Crowd

And then I went with some of the bicycle messengers to the courier office to get some of my clothes out of my trick bike bag.

Courier Tokyo Office

Then the courier Papas showed me a better road to cycle to Roppongi from which I cycled home via the Tokyo Tower. The road was slightly longer but more flat than the road I took to get there and this road had a better bike lane.

Tokyo Tower

At Harumi’s home I enjoyed the internet access to facebook and youtube and vimeo. So much fun! I liked the reflection of the apartment in the huge window with the street lamps and street shimering through. Do you see superman standing almost in the center?

Superman Reflections

Posted in Cycling, Japan | 1 Comment »

China, Asia, Climbing and Fixed Gear Bikes