Props, the undisputed BMX video film masters (in my opinion) have been pumping out quality videos for years, and this has got to be the most inspiring video ever (I’m not a BMX’er anymore but when I watched this I was itching to get out and ride!). Not the latest, but still mint, Props Issue 62 ladies and Gentlemen.
Wideopen issue 6 is ready to download NOW from wideopenmag.co.uk.
It’s jam packed with over 100 pages of mountainbike and BMX action from the UK and abroad.
There’s race reports, interviews, product repo’s, news, bike tests, industry features and loads of great photos. 100% guaranteed to get you fired up and ready to ride!
Wideopen are also very excited to announce that they’re looking for a team rider for ’08. They want someone to hit up the races, spread the name of Wideopen and do a bit of reporting for the mag and the website. Full details are in the mag. Anyone at all is welcome to apply!
That’s it. Log on. Download. www.wideopenmag.co.uk
We all know that China is well known for knock offs of designer gear and expensive bags. Every major city in China has a market where tourists can pick up Rolex watches or Gucci bags for a fraction of their retail prices. Unfortunately they’re never what they should be (no matter how hard you try to convince yourself) and the designer bag you just picked up at a ‘Bargain Price’ turns out to be nothing more than ‘Jia De Prada’ and will probably only last you the walk back to your tour group. The bicycle world in China is no different, but fortunately the Police and local governments are cracking down on the people involved.
For every real S-Works frame there is they’ll likely be 1000 ‘replicas’ varying in quality and design. For those of your not sure the frame on the left is a real S Works with a real price tag of more than 6000 RMB, the frame on the right is the fake and is priced to reflect it’s quality, 300 RMB.
It’s not just Specialized that gets the makeover treatment either. Giant, Cannondale, GT and even local brands such as Flying Pigeon get copied and flood the market at knock down prices.
The people or factories involved in the copying business vary from the casual seller who wants to sell is Huffy at a Litespeed price, so simply changes the decals, to the professionals who copy the real product to such great tolerances that even a pro would have difficulty working out if it were real or not.
Just last year Chinese police arrested and shut down a group of individuals producing fake Phoenix brand bikes. The municipal police managed to confiscate more than 2000 bikes in different degrees of completion from the factory, which employed only migrant workers. It was believed that more than 200 crates containing up to 1500 fake bicycles would leave the factory each day. Police estimate that at least 1,000 of the bicycles have been sold in Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces.
To be fair, over the years I have seen less and less fake and more real bikes and parts, this is partly due to the government taking firmer measures to stop companies from making such copies, partly due to the big companies like Specialized getting in to the Chinese market and shutting the counterfeiters down, and partly due to the Chinese riders becoming more affluent and demanding better parts and accessories and not being happy simply ‘making do’ with a substandard product.
So next time your at your local Chinese bike shop or online searching the many bargains there are to be found, keep in mind the $14 Cannondale frame probably isn’t a Cannondale and the $4 Prada bag you picked up for the GF probably isn’t Prada.
We were recently approached by Redstar magazine, based in Qingdao, China to provide info and pictures on riding in China. Check out our online mention over at the Redstar website, or if your lucky enough to be in Shandong, grab yourself a free copy of the Redstar Magazine for a full write up on mountain biking in Qingdao.
I’m not one for romantic nonsense, but this story really tugged the old heartstrings.
A fleet of bicyclists was dispatched to pick up a soon-to-be-married bride, attracting many curious onlookers in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, on Tuesday.
The 100-bike fleet rode more than 55 km on the city’s major streets for seven hours to pick up Yu Wanwei for a wedding ceremony.
Huang is a post-graduate from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, while his bride is a doctoral student at Wuhan University.
Huang said he came up with the stunt because both Yu and he are fans of bicycles.
It seems bicycle weddings are all the range in China at the moment with a similar wedding happening in Anyang city, Henan province, in September of last year (top of story).
I just found this rather interesting thread over at www.mtb-bg.com. It shows off the wild, wacky and plain old ridiculous bikes, companies and individuals have been putting together over the past few decades.
Here are a few I spotted :
On Monday, February 25th Steven Wesley DeLay peacefully passed away due to advanced pneumonia. Steve, known to many as “Short White Dude”, was founder, owner and the driving force behind SWD Racing. He was undoubtedly one of the most passionate and dedicated frame builders the industry will ever see.
As you can probably see we’ve revamped the look for 2008. It took a little time, and there are still things to add, but here it is!
You’ll find a much neater comments system, added functions such as Flikr photos and more!
Hope you like the new look!
CMTB Team
Today is the eve of Chinese New Year. Next year will be the year of the mouse. Happy to all those celebrating (and those which don’t) have a great new year and be careful with those fireworks!
Keep on riding (that’s what im going to do in a minute in the freshly fallen snow!)
