“You must be crazy to carry your bike.”
My wife told me the first time when I try to bring my folding bike on a business trip. But after trying it once, I am hooked.
Bike + train = ideal way to see Europe
Empowering mobility
IMO cycling is the best way to explore a new place. Walking won’t take you far, and you are most likely keep bumping into other tourists. Tour bus bring you from A to B, but you are missing all the fun between A and B. Sure, for longer distances, I need to rely on train/bus or other transports. That’s precisely when a folding bike come in handy; I simply fold it up and I am ready to go. Once at the destination, unfold my bike and my circle of exploration is immediately 10 times more.
With my bike, I am more willing to explore because it’s more fun. It’s just like upgrading from dial-up to broadband, it’s much faster and more fun and I end up staying longer on the Internet. There is no need to go really far, as long as it’s beyond the reach of a typical tourist, I sure will find something more authentic and more “human”. In fact I always find something interesting within 30 minutes of cycling from any hotel I stay. Thinking back, isn’t it the same in Singapore? Beyond the typical tourist spots, the tourist fade and the local live springs up. 5 mintues cycling (1km) is usually all it takes to go beyond the typical “tourist area”.
Curious girl playing with my bike
Ice-breaker
People never fail to ask me question about my bike, and I got to chat with many people because of this very visible “toy” I am playing with. Once the conversation started, it’s a lot easier to understand the human side of the place I am visiting. I remember once I was sipping a coffee and enjoying the sunset along the Tanshui river side in Taipei, there was this little girl she was very curious about my bike. At first she was very shy but later she just can’t resist her curiosity and start asking if it’s a bicycle. I rewarded her courage by showing her how to unfold and folding the bike. She was very excited and run to told her mum. Later, talking to her mum I learnt that they came to the river side every other day to enjoy the sunset, and the place I was sitting is one of the favorite spot for local too.
Keep it safe
So far no one has stop me from carrying my bike into my hotel room. As a courtesy, sometimes I fold it up before carrying it into the lobby, but most of the hotels are happy to let me roll the bike right in. I‘d feel very stressed if I have to leave my bike outside at night in a foreign land. Losing the bike is one thing, but missing the fun the next day is the worst.
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Want to try the bike ? Here is the link:
http://jz88.com/try.html
