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” Get a bicycle.  You will not regret it if you live. “  ~Mark Twain

People’s Bike is proud to announce the 1st Ghetto Fabulous Fixie Competition ! So here’s the deal . .

We want YOU to go build yourself a fixed gear bike, and use as little money as possible ! Really, the rules are that simple :

1. Build a fixed gear bike in China

2. Spend as little money as possible

3. Post your photos and documentation online ! (HERE)

Could it get any easier ? Probably not. You must post all your documentation and photos online by March 31st, and then we will judge your stories and finished products to determine a winner ! Here’s what we’ll be looking for, and how we will judge the submissions :

1. The complete price breakdown of the bike you built – keep it as cheap as you can !

2. Full documentation of where you bought all your parts, and how you put it together

3. The final quality of your fixed gear bike

4. The final appearance of your fixed gear bike

5. The stories and ideas behind your finished product

6. How ghetto fabulous is your new bike ??

See? Super simple ! The only minor details are that you must build this bike within China, and you must submit your creations by March 31st, 2010.  All submissions must be posted in our forum, HERE.  That means you’ve got to be a member on the forum to register !

Not sure where to start looking for parts ? Try checking out our Guides Section for a list of localized bike shops. This would also be a good place to start looking : Bicycle Graveyard

And finally, did we mention that there’s a sweet prize up for grabs ?? Yep, a limited edition ONEWAY Shanghai Alleycat Messenger Bag !! Check out these photos :

You’ve really got nothing to lose, so get out there and start building yourself a ghetto fabulous bike !! We look forward to seeing all of your submissions, and of course, if you have any questions just post them here on in the forum !!

The first ever edition of Time Out, Shanghai, was released  for January 2010 – A free ‘zine on what to do in your city.  ” Know more. Do more. ”

People’s Bike was featured as the feature for ‘ Around Town ‘ : The best things to do in Shanghai this month !  The article was written by John Sunyer, and we’ve re-written it here online for all of you to read.  Photos of the actual article have been added, but the resolution probably isn’t high enough for you to read them . . So go pick up a copy yourself !! Did I mention it’s free ? It’s free !! Enjoy :

Getting their fix !

Fixed-gear biking has become more than just a different way to ride a bike, as Stephen Yang’s portraits show.  Words by John Sunyer.

Two years ago, China had barely heard of fixed-gear bikes.  Today, fixed-gear biking – riding bikes which have one gear, no brakes and can ride in revers – has become a global trend which Shanghai has been happy to be part of.

Canadian Tyler Bowa, 22, started People’s Bike, Shanghai’s first fixed-gear biking club, in January 2009 to indulge his passion for long rides, tricks and even bike polo.  Given that there was nowhere to buy fixed-gear bikes in town, he had his custom-made by Speedcat, which has now sold its fixed-gear bikes to other shops around the city.  ” At first, our website only had one viewer – me.  But now it gets thousands of hits a day, ” he says.

Perhaps more interestingly, fixed-gear biking has gone beyond sport into the realm of fashion, with many riders customizing their bikes to fit their style.  ” Some people are actually more interested in the fashion than the riding, ” says Bowa.  ” All over the world, they’re becoming the skateboards of the ’90’s. ” These briliant pictures, taken last November at the ‘ Shanghai Alleycat ‘ road race, which drew hundreds of racers from across China, tell their own story.

The Shanghai Alleycat Race is happening THIS upcoming weekend, and we’ve got a ton of great prizes to give away !

Here’s a quick short list of some of the things that will be up for grabs :

- Complete Custom Fixed Gear Bike, absolutely incredible !

- Bragging Rights and Trophy, obviously the TRUE prize.

- Airwalk Fixed Gear Frames

- Puma goods and apparel !

- Airwalk Cranksets

- Thule Gift Cards

- Eno goods and apparel

- Oneway Custom Messenger Bags

- Assorted Cycling Apparel

. . . and that’s just a taste for now !

I had to pick up the Airwalk Frames and Cranksets on the weekend, so that a few lucky riders can walk away with these beautiful prizes !

See you all over the course of the weekend !

//T

Beijing Alleycat – 胡同大猫 from Laonei on Vimeo.

Our friends up in Beijing finally finished putting together the video for the Alleycat Race they held almost a month ago.

You can check out the official link HERE

Great work guys ! We look forward to seeing a lot of those faces down in Shanghai when we host our race . . But more on that later