"I'm going to blow you up today."
"Then you're going to fly solo."
Don't think it's Yang Zirong and Zuoshandiao's "slang", it's a secret phrase among cyclists, meaning "I want to stay far away." throw you away."
Shuttle through the sunset in Beijing's Chang'an Street and Shanghai's Miaojiang Road... It is easy to capture a special group. They wear reflective clothing, riding helmets, and pedal bicycles. Pretty boy. They sometimes line up in a line, sometimes meet in pairs, and naturally there is no lack of "one ride alone", but "the speed is 20 miles, the mood is free", these cycling enthusiasts and the traffic around them become the city scenery.
The Baidu search index shows that since late March this year, the search data for "cycling" has continued to heat up, jumping from the previous high of 580,000 to 2.57 million. The sales of road bicycles are rising steadily, and some mid-to-high-end models of well-known brands are even so popular that "one car is hard to find". Bicycles with national memory in the 1980s are now not only convenient means of transportation, but also popular as a fashionable way of life.
Since the invention of the bicycle, it has gone from a fashionable item in the Paris metropolis, one of the three major items of marriage for Chinese people, to a means of transportation that few people care about, the loss of a well-known bicycle factory, to the explosion of shared bicycles and the “popularity” due to cycling. , its fate has changed, and it has also witnessed economic and social development...
A "Brave Game"
American writer Gore Vidal believes that the invention of bicycles allowed rural boys to go to more distant villages to find their favorite girls, and this also caused the world's population to grow slightly. Although there is no data basis for this assertion, the advent of bicycles has indeed made people's footsteps faster.
Back in 1791, the Frenchman Sivrac was walking on the muddy streets of Paris after the rain, and rubbed against a four-wheeled carriage. The driver of the carriage hit and ran, leaving only Sivrac covered in mud and lonely. figure. However, instead of holding the carriage driver accountable, Sivrac felt that since the road is narrow and there are many pedestrians, why not "slim down" the carriage and reduce the four wheels to two?
Soon, Siflaq's "Trojan Wheel" came out. It has two wooden wheels in the front and rear, and a beam is connected in the middle. There is a bench on the beam, and it can only be driven by two feet on the ground. Although there is no power and steering, and it looks more like a child's toy, it is the prototype of the bicycle.
It was not until 20 years later, in 1816, that Baron von Drais from the Baden Forest Service in Germany installed a steering handle on the front wheel of the wooden horse wheel. With the steering device, there is no need to manually move the car around corners, which greatly improves the driving experience. He named the new device "Dreiss Trojan horse", patented it, and brought it to Paris, the fashion capital, for sale.
At the launch of the new product, Baron Delais positioned the target group of the product as young French aristocrats, and aroused the interest of these mid-to-high-end people, which soon set off a boom in the local area.
However, after the novelty wore off, the Dresser Trojan was ridiculed by the British and American media, calling it "a strange device that stupidly pushes itself, not a horse".
Although the Dresser Trojan won the race from London to Brighton by an absolute advantage over the carriage, it was still seen as a form of entertainment rather than a means of transportation, and it soon became a source of ridicule. gradually withdrew from the stage of history.
For the next 20 years, the Dries Trojan was largely forgotten. In the first half of the 19th century, the development of steam locomotives and state-owned railways brought earth-shaking changes to the field of transportation. The whole of Europe was overwhelmed by the infinite possibilities brought by large-scale machinery. Light and simple things were often not given due attention. .
Until 1840, the English blacksmith Macmillan used iron front and rear wheels, and added a power device such as a stirrup. Although it is not a turning stirrup in the modern sense, but a pedal stirrup, it is the history of bicycle development. major breakthrough.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, all things recovered. In the period when the industrial development was relatively backward, bicycles were the luxury goods of that era. The first to use bicycles in large numbers were postmen. The postmen who rode the green "two-eight bars" and rang the metal bell did not know how many people envied them.
How to use the front and rear wheels to maintain balance and move forward quickly was an unconventional and counter-intuitive design at the time, which made the cyclist look like a clown riding a unicycle, thus making the rider more willing to "sit in the carriage and cry" "The noble ladies scoffed.
It will be another 20 years before it can be called a real bicycle.
In 1861, Michaud and his son, carriage repairers from France, improved the stirrups and replaced them with pedals that could be turned. A leaf spring is also installed between the seat and the frame, which plays a certain role in shock absorption. However, since then, in order to increase the speed, the front wheel of the bicycle has been continuously enlarged, and many people fell during the riding process. This design also brought obstacles to the popularity of bicycles. Back then, bicycles were still "Jumanji's game".
However, when it comes to fashionable objects, it has to be more acceptable to the public in Paris, the fashion capital. In 1867, Michaud and his son took the bike to the World's Fair in Paris, which was also the first time the bicycle was shown at the World's Fair.
It has been nearly 20 years since it became the appearance of a modern bicycle.
In 1877, James Staley, an Englishman known as the "father of the bicycle industry", designed a brand-new bicycle model. Compared to the past, Staley designed the front and rear wheels of the bike to be the same size to maintain overall balance. The most important thing is to increase the braking device to make the riding safer, so it is almost in line with modern bicycles.
Since then, like mushrooms, bicycle manufacturers all over the world have rushed to design and manufacture their own products, and hundreds of bicycle companies have appeared around the world during this time. At the Stanley Bicycle Show held in London, England in 1895, more than 200 bicycle manufacturers displayed 3,000 models.
Luxury, Necessity, Shared Goods
The success of the Paris World Expo made bicycles really go to the world and also to China.
Young people have shown a strong interest in this kind of means of transportation that "does not require wires, rails, no one to pull it, no cattle or horses to lead it", and even gave it a more down-to-earth Chinese name-fenghuo wheel.
Mr. Deng Yunxiang once recalled in "Supplementing Yanjing Local History", "Every day, I stepped on two 'hot wheels' and galloped to school. In that small alley, like a fish, swimming around, It's gone in a flash." In the past, the old Beijing city was mostly paved with loess, which was full of potholes, and even half a street of yellow mud when it rained. This kind of road condition is really not suitable for bicycles. South and Qianmen Zhushikou go to the north, with Wangfujing, Dengshikou and Nanchizi as the center.”
Of course, there are also people who dare to let go of riding in Beijing, that is, Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty. When Puyi got married in 1922, his cousin Pu Jia gave him a bicycle as a gift. Puyi's master Chen Baochen was very angry, for fear that Puyi would be injured while learning to drive, but fortunately Puyi had some talent, and he learned it without falling. ride a bike. In order to ride smoothly, Puyi also removed all the thresholds in the palace. After the fire of Jianfu Palace in 1923, Puyi simply opened a sports field here, where he rides bicycles and plays ball every day.
Some previous horse-drawn carriage and rickshaw repair shops gradually began to represent foreign brands of bicycles, and later there were China's own bicycle brands.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, all things recovered. In the period when the industrial development was relatively backward, bicycles were the luxury goods of that era. The first to use bicycles in large numbers were postmen. The postmen who rode the green "two-eight bars" and rang the metal bell did not know how many people envied them. The "three turns and one sound" with bicycles, watches, sewing machines and radios became the "standard" of bride gifts for newlyweds in the 1970s and 1980s. When people talk about Dove, Perpetual, Phoenix, it's nothing less than the Jetta, Beverly and Santana that people were talking about at the turn of the century.
In the 1980s and 1990s, bicycles became an important means of transportation for Chinese people. At that time, the morning and evening peaks and the spectacular bicycle flood made China a "bicycle kingdom" in the eyes of foreigners. In 1993, the number of bicycles owned by Chinese residents reached 500 million, an average of one bicycle for every two Chinese. Those "post-80s" and even "post-90s" who haven't ridden the front bar of their father's bicycle when they were young? Although the journey is long and bumpy, it is still called by the warmth of home.
With the popularity of motorcycles and cars in more and more families, China's bicycle market is gradually saturated, and at the same time, the market competition is suddenly fierce. The old three kings "Feng Yongfei" have gradually slowed down on the rapidly developing industry track...
With the entry of a large amount of private capital into the bicycle market, the styles and prices of products have gradually diversified. In contrast, the colors are outdated and the styles are single. The Flying Pigeon bicycles have been losing ground. The company's revenue dropped from 210 million yuan in 1987 to 59.47 million yuan in 1991, while the profit was less than 10 million yuan. In 1992, Flying Pigeon ushered in its first loss in history.
In 1998, Feige Group's production fell to the bottom, and it suffered losses for five consecutive years, accumulatively reaching more than 300 million yuan.
Before and after, Shanghai suffered a permanent loss; in 2001, Shanghai was permanently suspended from listing, and later merged into Zhonglu Shares.
After entering the 21st century, even college students and big car owners have put them on the shelf, and the outdated bicycles seem to have become "outcasts" overnight.
However, this is only temporary... In the
past 10 years, the spring breeze of the sharing economy has made the bicycles, which seem to be at the end of the road, "revealed". Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue, purple... All kinds of colorful shared bicycles appear on the streets of big cities and towns in China. The crisp bells echoed in people's ears again.
You see, its history seems to always repeat itself.
"Red" again
"Welcome back to the 1980s." This is the welcome phrase for cycling enthusiasts to recruit newcomers.
Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, in order to avoid crowds, bicycles have become popular again. This time, in addition to being used as a means of transportation, bicycles also superimpose various attributes such as fitness, leisure, and social interaction. In addition, cycling has a particularly trendy name - cycling.
Cycling is not only for fitness and shape, but also for making friends. No need to rent a venue, just looking at the weather, the "organization cost" of the event is simply as low as sea level.
However, the cost of activities is low, and the cost of equipment should not be underestimated.
For ordinary enthusiasts, even a shared bicycle can ride a "trend style". But for the "equipment party", a professional bicycle is superimposed with various configurations, which is expensive.
A bicycle that used to cost a few hundred yuan can now be considered a base for a thousand yuan; and a bicycle equipped with more than 10,000 yuan can become an "enthusiast". With a car, related accessories should also be purchased. Generally speaking, equipment such as cycling clothes, helmets, pedals, front and rear lights, and stopwatches are also a lot of overhead after superimposing.
The heating up of cycling fever has also made retailers crowded. The data disclosed by the China Bicycle Association in June this year showed that in 2021, the total operating income of China's bicycle industry will be 308.5 billion yuan, and the industry's export volume will exceed 12 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 53.4% and a record high.
The sports needs of national fitness, the strong market atmosphere, or the satisfaction of seats in the circle of friends have become the "accelerators" for bicycles to become popular.
Cycling is back in style
In the eyes of many cycling enthusiasts, cycling can make more friends who love sports and life, and it is also the positive energy brought by cycling. The local government's investment in road improvement and other hardware has also contributed to the development of cycling activities.
As early as May 2019, Beijing opened the first bicycle-only lane for commuting in the Huilongguan area in China. The whole journey from Huilongguan to Shangdi is 6.5 kilometers. Cycling has not only become the most cost-effective way of commuting between the two places, but also takes into account the functions of leisure, entertainment and fitness.
The three-year usage data released in August this year shows that the cumulative traffic of this bicycle lane has exceeded 5.7 million, the average daily traffic is between 4,000 and 8,000, the average riding distance per person is 3.8 kilometers, and the cumulative carbon reduction exceeds 1,500. Ton.
In June this year, Chengdu, Sichuan also launched 11 "Tianfu Greenway Riding Boutique Routes" to guide citizens to ride scientifically, safely and healthily.
From 30 to 40 kilometers of urban leisure riding, to hundreds of kilometers of suburban wetlands, to challenging long-distance routes such as the Sichuan-Tibet line, and cycling around the lake, cycling has released young people's enthusiasm for travel.
According to Mafengwo's "Outdoor Leisure Popularity Report", the top popular cycling routes this year are cycling around Erhai Lake, cycling around Qiandao Lake, cycling at Shili Gallery in Guilin, cycling at Xi'an Ancient City Wall, cycling at Miaofeng Mountain and cycling at Longjing Ride uphill.
Han Yuanjun, an associate researcher at the Strategic Research Institute of the China Tourism Academy, believes that cycling routes connect urban landmarks and scenic spots, thus creating more new "Internet celebrity check-in places" and bringing new vitality to rural tourism.
In addition, in order to develop the local economy, enhance the city's business card, and develop global sports tourism, professional-level cycling events have been held in many places. The construction of professional-level cycling race tracks can be described as a great day, creating a good road environment for international and domestic cycling races.
Guo Jianrong, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Bicycle Industry Association, believes that the introduction of cycling events has led to the participation of a large number of cycling enthusiasts, especially young people, and has led to a new trend in sports. People's high enthusiasm for participation not only enjoys the joy of cycling, but also makes the city glow with infinite vitality.
Rather than cycling becoming fashionable, cycling has returned to being fashionable.
%20(127).jpeg)
%20(127).jpeg)
