It’s ridiculous and actually embarrassing that neither of us have owned a bike in Shanghai despite having lived here for so long. So, with a bunch of free time on our hands over the holiday, coupled with great weather, we figured it was high time to change that.

We head to the Giant bike shop on Jiangning Road 江宁路, and picked up a couple of the cheapest bikes they had for sale. Giant is a bicycle manufacturer from Taiwan that is probably one of the biggest (and cheapest) sellers on the mainland. The models we picked up were ‘city’, no gear (Shanghai is pretty flat, so this is no issue) bikes, but they seem decent enough and are pretty lightweight. For 438 RMB you can’t really complain. The guy threw in bike locks and a basket to seal the deal.

As crazy as Shanghai traffic is, the city is perfect for cycling. You kind of get swept up in the sea of bikes and scooters. Before long, weaving in and out of bumper to bumper traffic, ignoring traffic rules, and dodging obstacles becomes second nature.

Also, with the recent raise in Shanghai taxi prices, it’s perfect timing.