TV Documentary – Expo’s Meaning, Shanghai’s Mission

August 19th, 2010

A British friend of mine James Bayliss-Smith started working at the revamped CCTV news (formerly CCTV 9) as a producer/director/cameraman/editor since April. His first project was to help produce a ‚landmark‘ documentary series about the Shanghai world Expo which was on television last week and is being repeated again, starting tonight.

The series is called ‚Expo’s meaning, Shanghai’s mission‘ and is a five part ‚authored‘ documentary series written and presented by Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn. Dr. Kuhn is an internationally respected China expert who has written books about the Chinese leadership. The series was the first international co-production that CCTV news has ever undertaken and we think it has proved to be a great success, perhaps a model for future productions. James did a bit of everything during the production and also worked on a couple of other projects. He is currently editing a film he shot and directed about the Chinese wine industry.

The times and dates are as follows. All times are for China (GMT + 8
hours). Below the dates and times I have provided a link to each
episode so you can watch them at your leisure.

Episode 1 – Better City, Better Life

Thursday 19th August 18:30 PM
http://english.cntv.cn/program/rediscoveringchina/20100810/104896.shtml

Episode 2 – The World Comes to Shanghai
Friday 20th August 2:30 AM 13:30 PM 18:30 PM
http://english.cntv.cn/program/rediscoveringchina/20100811/104674.shtml

Episode 3 – Shanghai’s Epic Story
Saturday 21st August 2:30 AM 13:30 PM 18:30 PM
http://english.cntv.cn/program/rediscoveringchina/20100812/104952.shtml

Episode 4 – China goes to the world
Thursday 26th August 2:30 AM 13:30 PM 18:30 PM
http://english.cntv.cn/program/rediscoveringchina/20100813/104643.shtml

Episode 5 – Shanghai, World City
Friday 27th August 2:30 AM 13:30 PM 18:30 PM
http://english.cntv.cn/program/rediscoveringchina/20100814/102667.shtml

CCTV have also produced a special website for the series. Have a look:
http://english.cntv.cn/english/special/explore_expo_with_kuhn/homepage/index.shtml

In June James had the great privilege of visiting the Tibetan county of Yushu, less than two months after they experienced a devastating earthquake. He was the Cameraman and they were making a film about the aftermath of the earthquake. The film ended up being about how the Tibetans are using their spirituality and Buddhist faith to overcome the grief of the disaster. It can be seen here:
http://english.cntv.cn/program/rediscoveringchina/20100814/101754.shtml

Article „Brake beat“ on Global Times

August 17th, 2010

After our second year of hosting the „Fixed Gear Revolution“ event there was a nice article in the Global Times newspaper. Here is the link to the original article.

Brake beat

Fixed gear fanatic Ines Brunn showing a few tricks. Photo: Guo Yingguang

Fixed gear fanatic Ines Brunn showing a few tricks. Photo: Guo Yingguang

The countdown began from 10, by the time they’d hit two, 100 people were already sprinting full speed across the car park heading for the sea of bikes. They tore out into the street splitting off left and right, stopping traffic and causing gasps from bystanders. Nothing over the last weekend stood in the way of the Fixed Gear Revolution 2, as riders from around Beijing and the rest of China took to the streets to create the ultimate bike lovers‘ paradise.

There was a lot of lounging around waiting for events to happen, but with youngsters popping tins of energy drinks every few minutes and the odd trick performance in between races, the atmosphere was more like a music festival than a bike race. Only the sweaty looks on the faces of hard ridden fanatics betrayed the fact that they’d been putting their skills to the test.

A test

Starting off at the Olympic forest park on Friday night, about 50 of Beijing’s finest arrived for a scratch [speed race] around the forest park. With gawkers in cars wobbling along the fifth ring road every time they passed, and the first corner disappearing into an abyss of darkness, it was clear from the warm-up lap that this was going to be a test for the normally chilled city riders. Not everyone there was a purist for „fixies“, with members of the local Beijing peloton taking along their other ride, along with bike enthusiasts of all types and nationalities.

The grueling 45 minutes began to show on the faces of some of the unprepared, and the casualties sprawled on the roadside afterwards. Those who had been running a pool on who would win were not disappointed to see some of Beijing’s hardcore street cyclists take the lead with super fit hero Czech Misha Pekarek coming first after three laps of the 8-kilometer route.

„It was a fun race,“ said Pekarek. „It was pretty stiff competition. But some people got together at last in Beijing and we need to have many more things like that.“

They enjoyed the punishment so much that when the Guangzhou and Shenzhen riders turned up a bit late after the journey another race was in order just after midnight.

Alleycat

Despite the early morning finish, about 100 riders, plus spectators turned up for the Beijing Alleycat 2010, an unauthorized race around eight checkpoints set up around the city. About 900 energy drinks later the cyclists made a dash for their bikes and took off to tackle the polluted chaotic capital. Close to the top of the list of worries for the organizers was the number of young brakeless riders. But there were only two relatively minor injuries caused by a bike collision, prompted by a particularly aggressive Mercedes driver, and a couple of stoppages by the unusually awake Sanlitun police watching out for Guoan fans.

At each checkpoint competitors were asked to take part in an activity in order to get a stamp which would prove their presence on site. As if the 40 or so km route wasn’t challenging enough, sweaty hipsters were then challenged to balance a peacock feather on their noses, flip a skateboard or on one occasion play a miniature round of beer pong. Each of the riders agreed that the Beijing’s traffic was „pretty hairy,“ and thanks to the city’s pleasant breeze, most looked like sand (or possibly construction dust) monsters by the end of the day.

An alleycat race is dependent on each racer’s knowledge of the city, its back alleys and possible routes in order to hit the checkpoints and get back to the finish first. Although riders were just taking part for fun native Beijingers might have been a bit miffed that first place went to American Anthony Paglino. Paglino has previously cycled between Yunnan and Sichuan crosscountry, probably a lot safer than navigating Beijing’s brain damaged drivers.

Taking first place for the few competing women was Ellen Genetello from Belgium, who had also won the speed race for the girls the night before. „I never use the fixed gear, even now, except for long journeys,“ she said. „There was competition for every level, everybody had someone to compete with, I’m happy that there were also a few girls.“

Knackered

The evening was rounded off with a crowd of locals temporarily mildly offended that their normal dancing and play space was taken over outside the Workers‘ Gymnasium, before they realized they had a free show from the trick riders from Guangzhou and Shenzhen who dominated the competition. The after-party at the MGM garden bar worked out the last of the competitiveness on the bike simulators, and drinking.

The post weekend trauma had proven too much for some, and it was a reluctant few who persevered through to bike polo the day after for a few friendly games. After three days combing the city, it wasn’t surprising that most people were knackered, and everyone was reflecting on Beijing’s second major bicycle event.

„I can’t say too much because I don’t do tricks, they’re pretty fashionable but I’m a real biker. I come just for fun,“ said Ricky Wong, a Hong Konger who’s been cycling Beijing for the last couple of years. He was at the competition last year and had seen a couple of changes. „It should be better! Hopefully they can find more sponsors and more promoters. The trick competition is better during the daytime, and the skid competition was really fun last year,“ he added, finding it a shame that they hadn’t included it again.

The competition has set a precedent, with more and more event popping up around China since last year, and they seem set for a repeat performance in future. Though the traffic on Beijing’s roads maybe getting worse, it’s not going to stop the revolution.

Natooke Fixed Gear Bike Article on sina.com

August 17th, 2010

Reporter and a photographer from CityWeekend had come and interviewed me and taken beautiful pictures around the forbidden city. There was an article in the printed City Weekend magazine. I also found this article on sina.com:

City Weekend goes full throttle all this week
2010-08-17 08:49:46 GMT2010-08-17 16:49:46 (Beijing Time) City Weekend

Ines Brunn wheeling around the Forbidden City

After the adrenaline-fuelled excitement of Fixed Gear Revolution 2 last weekend, City Weekend feels the need…the need for speed.

Accordingly, throughout this week we’ll be introducing you to those in Beijing who were born to roll. From full-throttle speed demons to pimped-out cruisers, we’ll be featuring daily posts on the various ways that expats hit the road.

Today, we’re catching up with a growing group of two-wheeled daredevils who don’t know the meaning of the word ‚brake’…

Fixed Gear Revolution

„On a fixed-gear, the pedals are constantly moving. It’s like the bike is talking to you,“ says Ines Brunn, fixed-gear cyclist, acrobat and co-owner of Beijing’s only fixed-gear bike store, Natooke.

Bicycles have long been the vehicle most associated with Beijing, but fixed-gear is a new arrival. With a single gear attached directly to the rear wheel, the pedals on a „fixie“ spin constantly as the bike moves forward. Advanced riders can even pedal their fixie backwards or maintain a still, standing „track stand“ pose when waiting at a red light. Beijing riders are learning that these lightweight bikes—long used for acrobats and in training for serious cyclists—are perfect for getting around the city.

Beijing’s fixed-gear community numbered about 60 when Brunn and her partners launched Natooke and the first Fixed Gear Revolution Festival in summer of 2009. Since then, fixed-gear bikes in Beijing have skyrocketed, with more than 300 riders, fixie polo matches and weekly community rides.

Join in the madness with a fixed-gear bike at Natooke.

DETAILS:

Vehicle: Custom fixed-gear bike from Natooke

Cost: ¥2,800 and up

Perfect For: Hutong hipsters and serious cyclists

Get Rolling: Pick up a fixie at Natooke, 19-1 Wudaoying Hutong, 五道营胡同甲19-1号, Tel: 8402-6925

August 9th, 2010
2010 BEIJING FIXED GEAR REVOLUTION II

  • August 13th
    22:00 – 23:00 North 5th ring road, at North-East corner of the Olympic Forest SCRATCH RACE Speed Race around Olympic Forest (3 laps)
  • August 14th
    15:00 – 18:00 Worker’s Stadium East Gate ALLEYCAT Race
    20:00 – 22:00 Worker’s Stadium South-West Gate, open space TRICK Contest, BUNNY HOP Contest, TRACK STAND Contest
    22:00 – 24:00 MGM bar (Worker’s Stadium South-West Gate) JISU PK (Goldsprints) & PARTY
  • August 15th
    14:00 – 17:00 Worker’s Gymnasium East Gate BIKE POLO (polo on bikes)

Detailed Schedule:

Date: Friday August 13th
Time: 22:00-23:00
Event: SCRATCH RACE Speed Race around Olympic Forest (3 laps)
Requirement: Fixed gear bikes only, need to have small lights, helmets are recommended
Meeting Point: Inside North 5th Ring road, at North-East corner of the Olympic Forest
Race course: 3 full laps around the Olympic Forest, finish is at the North-East corner (same as starting point)
Race distance: 19 km
Prizes for place 1-6 (men) and place 1-3 (women), prizes from Adidas, Flying Banana, Natooke Cost: This event is free

Date: Saturday August 14th
Meet-up 14:30 for sign-in and notice
Time: 14:50 (at 15:00 the manifests (maps with the race stations and empty space for stamping) will be handed out to the cyclists)
Meeting Point: Worker’s Stadium East Gate
Opening ceremony, addressing the race rules

Time: 15:00-18:00
Event: ALLEYCAT Race
Requirement: Fixed gear bikes only, helmets are recommended, cyclists should need to sign up before the event. You can email ines@natooke.com or call Maggie 010-64075030 (Mess Shop) or sign in on August 14th before 14:30
Meeting Point: Worker’s Stadium East Gate
Race Start: At 15:00 the manifests (maps with the race stations and empty space for stamping) will be handed out to the cyclists that then need to run to their bikes
Race location: 8 undisclosed stamp points in Dongcheng, Xuanwu and Chaoyang District, the manifest (map with addresses in Chinese and English) will be handed out at race begin (15:00)
Activities: Cyclists can chose their own route, need to go to all 8 stamp points and achieve small games at each location to get the stamp on their manifest. At some locations there might be a queue, so cyclists need to chose their route wisely
End: Back at Worker’s Stadium East Gate with all stamps on manifest
Prizes for place 1-8, huge prizes from Adidas (huge voucher), Motorola, Flying Banana. Plus a surprise for last place
Cost: This event is free

Date: Saturday August 14th
Time 20:00 – 22:00
Event: TRICK Contest, BUNNY HOP Contest, TRACK STAND Contest
Requirements: Fixed gear bike
Location: Worker’s Stadium South-West gate, open space
Event details: Three different competitions. First trick contest: The person doing the most amazing tricks on the bike wins, then a bunny-hop (jumping over a pole) contest and last a track standing contest: who can stay the longest on his/her bike without touching the ground, after 3 minutes first 1 then after 6 minutes 2 hands must be removed, after 9 minutes 1 leg must be removed
Prizes for place 1-3 for each contest
Cost: This event is free

Date: Saturday August 14th
Time: 22:00 – 24:00
Event: JISU PK (Goldsprints) & PARTY
Requirements: None. Anybody can join and have a good time
Event Details: 2 people sitting on stationary bikes pedaling as fast as possible for only 30 sec – it is fun activity. People can come up and race again to improve their time
Location: MGM Garden bar (near Worker’s Stadium South-West gate)
Prizes for places 1-4 (men) and places 1-4 (women), prizes from Adidas, SAG, Natooke
Cost: This event is free

Date: Sunday August 15th
Time 14:00 – 17:00
Event: BIKE POLO (playing polo on bikes)
Requirements: Any kind of bike can be used. People should group in teams of 3
Location: East Gate of Worker’s Gymnasium (not Stadium)
Prizes for teams on place 1-3, prizes from Adidas, Flying Banana
Cost: This event is free

2010 BEIJING FIXED GEAR REVOLUTION II

 
Fixed Gear活动日程安排 8月13日至8月15日 FIXED GEAR REVOLUTION II

  • 8月13日
    22:00 – 23:00 北五环路内的奥林公园东北角 速度比赛 Scratch Race奥林公园(3圈)
  • 8月14日
    15:00 – 18:00 工人 体育场东门 ALLEYCAT 比赛
    20:00 – 22:00 工人 体育场西南门空地 TRICK CONTEST – BUNNY HOPTRACK STAND (技术比赛)
    22:00 – 24:00 MGM花园(工体西南门)极速PK (Goldsprints) & Party
  • 8月15日
    14:00 – 17:00 工人体育馆东门 BIKE POLO (自行车马球)

活动日期:8月13日
活动时间: 22:00-23:00
活动内容:速度比赛 Scratch Race奥林公园(3圈)
活动要求:每个车必须准备车灯
活动地点:北五环路内的奥林公园东北角
比赛路程:19 Km
奖品:男子1-6名, 女子1-3名 (Adidas, Flying Banana, Natooke)

活动日期:8月14日
通知14:30到起点 活动时间:14:50(给外地选手地图)—–15:00
开幕内容:开幕仪式
活动要求:开幕演说
活动时间:15:00—–18:00
结束:重点准备警戒线拉带,作为Finish Line
活动内容:ALLEYCAT
活动要求:2小时内完成规定地点盖章,抵达终点。
地点:东城区,朝阳区内共8站
奖品:1-8名 再加最后车手 (Adidas代金券10000元, Motorola, Flying Banana)

活动日期:8月14日
活动时间: 20:00 – 22:00
活动内容:TRICK CONTEST-BUNNY HOP-TRACK STAND (技术比赛)
最后是伊泉的表演
地点:工人体育场西南门空地
奖品:3比赛每 1-3名

活动日期:8月14日
活动时间: 22:00 – 24:00
活动内容:极速PK (Goldsprints) & PARTY
地点:MGM花园(工体西南门)
奖品:男子1-4名, 女子1-4名 (Adidas, SAG, Natooke…)

活动日期:8月15日
活动时间: 14:00 – 17:00
活动内容:BIKE POLO (自行车马球)
地点:工人体育馆东门
奖品:1-3名 (Adidas, Flying Banana)

Article: Peddling her Love of Bikes

Juli 29th, 2010

Today a nice article about my person was printed in the China Daily newspaper. The interview had been done a few days ago by William Axford. The online version of the China Daily article is here. The pictures I gave them were taken by the photographer Simon Lim. On the cover of the metro Beijing section of the newspaper it says: Peddling her Love of Bikes – German cyclist wants to share her two-wheeled passion.

Here is a copy of the online article:

Freewheeling acrobat peddles love of bikes

By William Axford (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-29 07:48

Freewheeling acrobat peddles love of bikes
Ines Brunn, a German-born trick bike performer, demonstrates one of her tricks. [Photo Provided To China Daily]

Merely peddling her bike from A to B isn’t enough for Ines Brunn.

In addition to navigating her way through traffic, the German-born cyclist likes to perform gymnastic moves while zipping around on her bike.

She says for her, her bike is like a mobile balance beam. „I quit gymnastics when I was 13 because I wasn’t happy with the coach,“ she said. „By chance, I came across trick biking and I’ve been doing it for 21 years.“

From performing a handstand on the seat to standing on the handlebars, the acrobat, who has impressed countless audience, has done things most people would think impossible on a moving bicycle.

With the fusion of her gymnastic talent, Brunn has even created new tricks and her rare skills have taken her all over the world.

„Once I cooked dumplings for a segment on CCTV while riding my bike. It took a lot of picking things up, putting them down, building up speed and then going back to cooking.“But such impressive feats come with a price.

Brunn says that an extensive amount of practice has to go into mastering the moves. A wrong mindset or the slightest mishap can be devastating.

„You have to be focused. During one performance in Beijing, I tried to tell people I needed space and taped off a circle. Someone didn’t listen and I crashed, chipping my tooth on my handlebars.“

She hasn’t let the experience ruin her passion.

„My tongue touches the chipped tooth every five minutes or so, reminding me to keep my cool.“

Brunn stretches herself and rides her bike constantly in order to practice her amazing feats. Even the weather can’t keep her from peddling around.

„I rode my bike from the Fifth Ring Road to the Second Ring Road in the rain for a meeting recently,“ she said nonchalantly.

„My colleague was baffled but I didn’t mind. I love riding my bike.“

 

Freewheeling acrobat peddles love of bikes
Brunn shows off her amazing skills. [Photo Provided To China Daily]

Brunn brought her enthusiasm for the fixed gear bike to Beijing by opening Natooke, China’s first fixed-gear bike and juggling shop. With the ability for customers to pick out every part of their bike and customize it to their liking.

Brunn predicts fixed-gear biking will become more popular in the coming years and she hopes that her shops and bike outings with other enthusiasts will rekindle an interest in bike riding.

„My friends and I just want to inspire others to ride bikes again,“ she said.

„It’s so environmentally friendly and a real smart thing to ride.“

Q & A

Q: What makes fixed-gear bikes so special?

A: The back gear of the bike is fused to the wheel, so the bike is capable of pedaling forward and backward. The petals turn with the wheels. There’s no gearshifts or cables.

Q: Have you ever had an accident that made you think about quitting?

A: No. I think some things are addictive. People told me that I would quit after I got a job. If you have a passion for something, you’ll do it.

Q: What are some tricks that people commonly do?

A: One is called skidding, where you lean forward to stop the bike, causing the back wheel to come off the ground while riding. There are competitions to see who can skid the longest. There’s tricks too involving putting your legs over the handle bars, riding one handed and switching your feet on the pedals.

Q: Where do you get your parts for the bikes?

A: We order them from all over the world – America, Europe, Australia. Most of the parts have come from Taiwan but more are starting to be made on the Chinese mainland. I don’t like mass-produced bikes that are one color and just one style.

2010 BEIJING FIXED GEAR REVOLUTION II – Aug 13-15 2010年8月13日至15日

Juli 28th, 2010

2010 BEIJING FIXED GEAR REVOLUTION II

2010 BEIJING FIXED GEAR REVOLUTION II

The Fixed Gear Revolution II will be held in Beijing on August 13th to 15th 2010. This is the second time that there is a domestic professional Fixed Gear competition held in the capital. The Fixed Gear Revolution II is divided into a SCRATCH race, an ALLEYCAT race, TRICK CONTEST-BUNNY HOP CONTEST, JISU PK (gold sprints) competition with party and BIKE POLO match. These major competitions mainly for Fixed Gear bicycle fans (only bike polo is open to any kind of bike) are interesting and huge prizes are waiting for you! The ALLEYCAT race includes a game at each of the eight unknown sites, each site will have different difficulty and cultural characteristics. The map and the address of the eight sites will be distributed 1 minute before the start of the alleycat. The other three competitions also have great prizes waiting for you. Or just come and watch the event.

On the Friday August 13th at night there will also be a 19km fixed gear scratch race where it is just a matter of cycling speed and no knowledge about Beijing is required to win it. The fastest will get prizes.

Fixed Gear Revolution II Event Schedule

Friday August 13th
Event: SCRATCH RACE around the Olympic Forest
Location: North 5th Ring Road Northeast Corner of Olympic Forest
Time: 10pm

Saturday August 14th
Event: ALLEYCAT RACE
Location: Start at Worker’s Stadium East gate, then 8 undisclosed stamp points in Dongcheng District and Chaoyang District
Time: Afternoon

Saturday August 14th
Activities: TRICK CONTEST-BUNNY HOP
Location: Workers Stadium Southwest gate, open space outside of MGM Garden bar
Time: Evening

Saturday August 14th
Event: JISU PK (goldsprints) & PARTY
Location: MGM Garden bar (Worker’s Stadium Southwest gate)
Time: Night

Sunday August 15th
Event: BIKE POLO Match & FAIR
Location: To be determined
Time: Early Afternoon

Note: All participating bicycles must be Fixed Gear (no bikes with gears or freewheel), except for the BIKE POLO. Any bike can be used for BIKE POLO. If you know who you want to play with please sign up for BIKE POLO as a team of 3-4 people.

If you would like to participate (for free) in the Fixed Gear Revolution II, please contact Maggie to register or send me an email.

Registration phone number: 010-64075030 (Maggie 12pm-8pm)
Information required for registration: name, phone number, city

Special thanks to: adidas, motorola, SAG, Mess, Natooke, Flying Banana, STC

大家期待的Fixed Gear Revolution 2将于2010年8月13日至15日在北京举行。这是在国内第二次举办Fixed Gear专业性比赛,比赛分为ALLEYCAT、TRICK CONTEST-BUNNY HOP、极速PK、BIKE POLO四个大项,其中ALLEYCAT作为参与性最强的一项比赛被很多Fixed Gear爱好者所期待,这同时也是最具有趣味性与难度的一项比赛,丰厚的奖品正在等着大家!比赛里我们安排了八个站点,每个站点都会有不同难度和具有北京文化特色的游戏需要你完成,为了公平起见比赛的路线图和各站点地址将在比赛前1分钟公布。其他三项技术性比赛同样也有丰富的奖品等着大家,希望各位喜爱Trick的骑手们踊跃报名。

2010年8月13日晚上还有Fixed Gear自行车19公里比赛.

Fixed Gear活动日程安排

活动日期:8月14日

活动内容:ALLEYCAT
地点:东城区,朝阳区内共8站

活动内容:TRICK CONTEST-BUNNY HOP (技术比赛)
地点:工人体育场西南门空地

活动内容:GOLDSPRINTS (极速PK) & PARTY
地点:MGM花园(工体西南门)

活动日期:8月15日
活动内容:BIKE POLO (自行车马球)
地点:待定

如果您想参见本次比赛,请速与我们联系报名(免费)

注意:所有参赛车辆必须是Fixed Gear,参见BIKE POLO可以使任何自行车,但尽量请大家在比赛前以3-4人一队的形式报名

报名电话: 010-64075030(Maggie 12:00-20:00)
提供资料:姓名,电话,城市

特别鸣谢:adidas、motorola、SAG、Mess、Natooke、Flying Banana、STC

Alleycat Ralley in Erlangen

Juli 20th, 2010

I heard that there will be an alleycat race in Erlangen (a bicycle city that I used to live in and also the origin of Siemens company) and that has been published in all newspapers. So I was thinking „wow, a real alleycat race – why on Earth did they publish that in the public newspapers“. Because usually these races are more underground and only people that ride fixed gear bikes know about it. But then I found the website for the „Bikenite“ and saw that it is rather a ralley than a real fixed gear only race. So it is more to get the word out to the public about riding fixed gear bikes and having a ralley where anybody needs to find and cycle to certain check points in the city. I hope that will increase the acceptance of fixed gear bikes in Germany.

Cycling and Juggling

Juli 19th, 2010

Tom from the Peloton sent this link to a funny movie. It shows what happens if you are a cyclist and asking your wife or husband if you can go out for a ride. There is also the follow up movie of what kind of discussions you might encounter after your bike ride.

There is construction across from my shop so I assume there will be a new shop. I asked one of the guys from Wudaoying hutong and he said that someone wanted to open a bike shop but he did not allow that. As if I were to believe that. Does he really think that could frighten me?

The House will Turn into a Shop

Having a bicycle shop in Beijing makes you get the interesting as well as strange people come in suggesting various things. Especially Chinese people surprise me. I have been asked if I sell flags of various countries, or if I can help get some antique model trains from Germany. Advice has been to give my customers good customer service by requesting them to come back after 3 months and then open all the bearings and grease them so that they do not brake after 4 months. That would probably be a good idea if I were to sell the mass produced cheap low quality bikes that you get everywhere in China. A funny similar suggestion was to provide service to the elderly bike riders to repair their old bikes for free so that they like coming and then will buy a bike from me. That would be so funny of all the over 70 year old Beijingers would start riding flashy fixed gear bikes. I am happy the old cyclists already come and chat with me just because they know I love bikes and especially nice old ones. Another great suggestion was to do advertisement in the newspaper to get children to start the sport of trick cycling. That would be wasted money, I prefer to continue to perform in schools and show the children what trick cycling is and see if someone is interested. Another funny suggestion was to hire the Chinese cycling acrobats (that just stand together on one freewheel bike) to get more people interested in fixed gear bikes. Ha ha.

But a good suggestion of one of my Chinese friends was to find people to work for us. We are currently looking for an intern to help us with our website and office stuff. But we also are looking for a fixed gear bike mechanic or someone that wants to learn about single speed bikes to help us build up all the bicycles. Of course an intern is welcome. If you know someone that could be interested just contact me.

Tonight I went to the Beijing Jugglers meet up in Yuging Yishan bar. It is a bit dark but it is great to be able to use the space for free.

The Chinese and Foreigners Juggle Together

It is great to see that the group is growing and attracting beginners and professionals at the same time. It is really fun as everybody helps each other.

Newcomers and Professionals train together

Germany Closes Highway for Cyclists and Pedestrians

Juli 19th, 2010

I am so great to hear that Germany closed 60km of one of the busiest highways for a full day to give that space to the people. People came walking, riding bikes or skating to enjoy a day outside. The different community clubs set up different activities. And there were 20000 beer tables set up for people to sit and enjoy along the longest table. Here are some pictures from Spiegel where I really love the people just doing a great bike ride on the highway.

A40 Closed for People

Cyclists on the Autobahn A40 in Germany

This amazing mega-event was called Still-Leben and there are quite a lot of articles about it. Here is the link to the article on SPIEGEL ONLINE. Or here is one article on USA TODAY. And this is the picture of the autobahn crowded with pedestrians posted on USA TODAY:

A40 Closed off for a Mega Street Party

Here is the text of the article published by the GUARDIAN:
Life’s a picnic on Germany’s autobahn
Three million attend giant banquet on stretches of road between Duisburg and Dortmund

One of Germany’s busiest motorways has been brought to a standstill after a huge party saw picnic tables line 60km (37 miles) of the country’s famous autobahn network.

As many as three million people turned up for a giant banquet on one of the busiest stretches of the network between Duisburg and Dortmund, in western Germany.

A radio traffic report said: „Attention on the A40. There is a 60km (37 mile) closure between Duisburg and Dortmund due to the longest table in the world.“

The cultural celebration called rather appropriately Still Life was held in celebration of the Ruhr region.

The event’s organisers said they had given away 20,000 tables so people could eat, drink, dance and perform plays into the evening.

One lane of the autobahn, which crosses North Rhine-Westphalia state, was kept free for skaters and cyclists – and more than one million revellers brought bicycles, including the state premier, Hannelore Kraft.

„This is fantastic,“ she told Reuters. „I grew up right next to the A40 and still live close to it. It’s great to see it now without cars but with so many people and so much cultural variety.“

There are no general speed limits on Germany’s autobahns. Cars often speed up to 200km per hour (125mph) or more. In dense or dangerous areas, drivers are often required to slow down to 120 km per hour (75mph).

The Ruhr region was chosen by the European Union this year as a European Capital of Culture 2010 the first time the distinction went to an area rather than a city.

Magic Hospital Donations

Juli 10th, 2010

In our shop we have a jar to collect donation for the Magic Hospital organization. That is called „Fen For Fun“ jar as the collected money helps the organization send clowns and performers to cheer up children with severe deseases that are stuck in hospitals in China.

Natooke has so far raised 183.15 RMB thanks to our customers. Keep dropping some change in the jar. It is right at the entrance of our shop 🙂