The Bike Business
There were only a few people who rode fixed gear bikes in Beijing, as it was hard to get such bikes and parts just a few years ago. This was one of the reasons Ines decided to open a fixed gear centric bike shop. “To own a shop is not the best way to make money, but I like meeting biking enthusiasts. Every day many cyclists from different countries, different age groups and different backgrounds come to the shop and the thing that unites all of them is biking.“
She thinks back to her first visit to Beijing in 2001. Biking culture was so strong here—bike lanes were full and there were hardly any cars in the wide streets. “I wish it was the same now,” Ines says, “but it’s the opposite—cars flooded the city and even the bike lanes are blocked by cars. People consider cars as a symbol of wealthier life. They think, bikes are not cool, but rather something from the past and were only used as transportation, when people couldn’t afford cars. By selling colorful fixed gear bikes I want to attract people to bike and to prove them that biking actually is cool, fun, and what is more important, healthy and good for the city and environment.“