Reporter’s investigation ｜ It is becoming more and more popular to measure the city by cycling. Why are young people willing to spend money on bicycles？
"I like the feeling of sweating by cycling, and the wind is full of freedom." Ms. Ye, a cycling enthusiast, shared her reasons for falling in love with cycling with the reporter of CCTV News+. Since joining a friend’s cycling group, she has insisted on riding three or four times a week. "At first, she was riding for leisure, but this year she began to break through herself slowly. The number of riding kilometers is increasing, and the average speed is getting faster and faster. Now she can ride 60 kilometers at a time as far as possible." After long-term persistence, Ms. Ye not only "feels her legs are strong", but also becomes more energetic.
Ms. Cao, the manager of a cycling club in Beijing, is also a senior cycling enthusiast. "At first, cycling was just for commuting. After a long time, I felt that cycling alone was boring, so I wanted to find more friends who loved cycling." Therefore, Ms. Cao sprouted the idea of setting up a cycling club. Since its establishment in October 2023, Ms. Cao’s cycling club has more than 1,500 members, and the number is still increasing.
"If you leave, you can lose weight. Cyclists enjoy summer first." Ms. Liu described her riding feelings on social media. Ms. Liu is a dance teacher. She needs to stand for a long time in class every day and often has backache. "But after riding for three months, my waist muscles really don’t hurt." She said that now she can basically attend classes for five or six hours a day and ride a bike for 20 kilometers. For the 3,600 yuan spent on buying a bicycle, Ms. Liu felt that it was worth the money.
"In recent years, with the continuous improvement of the national economic level and the need to pursue a healthy and beautiful life, people’s enthusiasm for participating in outdoor sports is high, and the number of participants has grown geometrically. Cycling has gradually changed from a simple mode of transportation to a way of sports and lifestyle, and its social attributes have also been more developed. " Peng Haibo, deputy secretary general of China Cycling Association, told CCTV News+reporter that the improvement of urban infrastructure and the improvement of air quality also provided convenience for cycling, making cycling the first choice for more outdoor sports enthusiasts.
Outdoor cycling fever has also promoted the vigorous development of the bicycle industry. According to the data of China Bicycle Industry Association, in 2023, the output of high-end bicycles with a price of more than 1,000 yuan in China reached 12.15 million, up by 15.1% year-on-year, the sales of high-end sports bicycles increased by over 10%, and the sales of riding apparel also increased rapidly. "In 2020, the total scale of the cycling industry has reached 150 billion yuan, and the number of cycling events at all levels has reached 5,000. The scale and potential of cycling in China are very large. " Peng Haibo said.
Is it easy to fall into the trap of "burning equipment" by cycling?
However, the threshold of "into the pit" cycling is not low. Mr. Tu, a cycling enthusiast in Guangzhou, sent a list of cycling equipment to the reporter of CCTV News+,including a brand bicycle with a price of 3,888 yuan, a carbon fiber cushion in 280 yuan, a flashlight with a price of 129 yuan and cycling pants with a price of 155 yuan … There are so many things that the price has exceeded 5,000 yuan. He also introduced that these are just "cheap low-grade riding equipment, and many riders only spend 10,000 yuan to buy cars". In addition to the items on the list, he also bought expensive riding accessories such as sports watches, flower drum wheel sets, locking shoes and cameras.
Ms. Cao, the manager of the above cycling club, also told reporters that some riders’ fun really comes from upgrading and transforming vehicles. In order to get a better riding experience, Ms. Cao also bought a lot of equipment. "The first equipment purchased was a helmet, and later it was equipped with riding glasses. Cycling in summer is equipped with a lot of sunscreen products, such as ice sleeves, masks, etc., and special cycling clothes will be selected. Because it was later discovered that the equipment I just bought was not enough to meet my needs. " Ms. Cao said.
However, Ms. Cao believes that there are many kinds of fun in cycling. "If we are concerned about the happiness brought by cycling itself, what kind of car to ride is actually not that important. There are also many members riding ordinary bicycles in the club, and they can also challenge long-distance road riding. " She suggested that in terms of riding equipment, in addition to the helmets that must be prepared, we should be rational and do what we can when purchasing other items.
Peng Haibo also said that cycling is not an "ungrounded" high-consumption sport. "China is a big country in bicycle production and export. In 2021, the production volume reached 76.39 million, and the export volume reached 29.23 million. Bicycle sales stores and e-commerce platforms can reach the whole country, which is enough to meet the purchasing needs of the people all over the country." Peng Haibo said that from the overall domestic bicycle market, the price range of high-,medium-and low-end cycling equipment is relatively large, and the price of a bicycle can range from 500-800 yuan in the middle and low end to more than 100,000 yuan in the high end. "The majority of cycling enthusiasts and cyclists can choose cycling equipment according to their own economic conditions and spend rationally."
Peng Haibo reminded that high-end equipment is mainly built for competitive purposes and may not be suitable for every cycling enthusiast. In terms of vehicle selection, beginners and participants with less riding experience can choose bike-sharing in the early stage, or buy primary mountain bikes, BMWs and urban comprehensive bicycles; After fully mastering the riding skills, choose professional road bike or professional mountain bike.
What safety issues should I pay attention to when riding in summer?
As more people join the cycling team, everyone’s safety awareness has also improved significantly. "Probably from last year, more and more people will wear helmets when riding bicycles, and even I saw people riding bike-sharing wearing helmets. This is an obvious trend that I feel, and it also requires us to continuously improve the safety level of the cycling group. " Ms. Cao said.
Previously, there were netizens on social media who spoke out about uncivilized riding, such as hooking up when riding a bike, hindering others from passing, and "racing" at high speed on crowded roads in urban areas. In this regard, Zheng Xiang, a professor at the School of Law of Beijing Jiaotong University and a researcher at the Center for Sustainable Transportation Innovation, reminded that riding in parallel, chasing each other or racing in twists and turns has violated the Road Traffic Safety Law and its implementation regulations. "In other words, you can’t hold others, lead others, or chase each other during cycling." Zheng Xiang explained. At the same time, when riding a bike, you should not tow the climbing vehicle or be towed by other vehicles, and you should not leave the handle with your hands or hold things in your hands, otherwise it may violate relevant laws.
On the issue of route selection, Zheng Xiang suggested that cyclists should try their best to ride on non-urban main roads, to relatively remote places with special bicycle greenways, and not to ride at high speed in areas with dense crowds and complicated road conditions, especially on motor vehicle lanes, so as not to cause road congestion or scramble with motor vehicles. Peng Haibo also suggested that it is best to choose urban slow lanes for cycling fitness and training, while it is best to choose closed greenways or sports parks that allow cycling for family cycling, and don’t let children ride on social roads.
At the same time, Peng Haibo said that cyclists should have a full understanding of their physical health, physical fitness, riding skills and experience, choose the route and riding distance that suits them, and check whether there are any problems with tires, brakes, speed change and steering before riding, abide by traffic rules, do not overspeed or retrograde, and pay attention to observing and avoiding other traffic participants.
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