I am a Japanese bicycle lover. I purchased a 28-inch Roadster bicycle made by Tianjin FLYING PIGEON directly from a Chinese bicycle lover through a private sale.
Since there are no stamps on the frame, I cannot determine the exact year, but it is likely from the mid-1980s. The manufacturing year of the tires can be read as either '83 or '87.
I bought this bicycle directly from a local collector who sold me one in suitable condition for actual maintenance and riding. The bike itself cost about $100, and shipping from China to Japan was about $70. It took one month by sea freight.
As you can see from the photos, the quality is absolutely excellent. The chrome plating is very high quality, and the metal materials are also good. It's heavy because it's a practical tool, but it was truly made to be used for a lifetime. Rotating parts like the hubs and bottom bracket could be disassembled and serviced without any problems. While it's possible to upgrade parts, I maintained this bicycle with the intention of preserving the original parts as much as possible as a collectible.
I replaced the tires (28 1-1/2), tubes (original was Dunlop valve, but I changed to Schrader valve), and brake shoes (Japanese-made). Of course, I kept the original parts without throwing them away.
I've already cycled about 40km around my neighborhood, and I can ride it without any problems at all.
What got me interested in this type of Chinese bicycle was buying a new Shanghai PHOENIX bicycle in 2024 last year. Initially, I was simply interested in the fact that bicycles with rod brakes are still being manufactured new today. And that modern bicycle was of very poor quality. As you know, Chinese bicycles are hit or miss, but many are of excellent quality, like road bikes. Since it's a long-manufactured old model, I expected it to have good quality similar to how Japanese rod brake bicycles maintained the highest quality until production ended in 2006, so this was unexpected. Nevertheless, I thoroughly adjusted it to make it rideable. In September this year, I even took a 500km trip on that bicycle (Previously posted on Reddit).
https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycletouring/comments/1neyn37/chinese_roadster_585km_cycling_trip_tokyo_to/
However, after accessing the internet "behind the wall" in China, my perspective suddenly expanded. I studied basic Chinese in university, so while I cannot speak or understand spoken Chinese, I can read simple texts. I can also communicate using AI translation (this text is also AI translated).
I learned that China has its own bicycle lover culture and collector culture. Here's what lovers taught me:
- The bicycles being made today are of very poor quality. The former state-owned enterprises went bankrupt in the 1990s after losing out to competition following Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening up. Now only the brand names remain as something different.
- Local collectors are collecting items from before the 1980s. Moreover, what's truly rare are items from before the 1970s.
When searching Reddit about this FLYING PIGEON bicycle, you'll find conflicting opinions saying "excellent quality" and "very poor quality." Both of these opinions are correct. Some people are writing about their impressions of riding good quality 20th century bicycles, while others are writing about their impressions of very poor quality bicycles made in the 21st century.
Chinese bicycles might be the frontier of the bicycle hobby. Just as Japanese MTBs from the 1990s are now treasured, perhaps the day will come when Chinese vintage bikes attract attention from people around the world.
by scura_vrc