Eric's Beijing Diary

Fixed the kickstand on my bike today. It's hard to explain if you don't know what an old style kickstand looks like, but the metal strap that comes down along the side and serves as support was sticking out on one side. The weld at the bottom had broken loose. I put off dealing with it, because it still sorta worked, and it looked terrible. In Beijing, a bike that looks like it's falling apart is very valuable. Anyway, last night the metal strap broke off. That meant I had to fix it, because it wouldn't stand up at all. If I had taken the time to fix it when I first saw the problem, a single coat hanger would have done the job. Because of my procrastination, I had to use three coat hangers. Disgusting. The only consolation is that it looks uglier this way. If I had managed to find someone who could spot weld it, it would have looked like new. Now it looks like it is barely being held together, when, in fact, it is quite functional. That's good. In Beijing, a bike that looks new is not going to last long. I know, bikes get stolen everywhere. But in Beijing, they are not just stolen one at a time for personal use or to make a few bucks. They are stolen in bunches for immediate resale. I have heard that the police have closed down some of these places where used bikes are sold, which is good news, because it will be less profitable to steal them. I have had this bike for a little more than a year, now, so that's almost a record. But the last one I had lasted three months, so I still have some catching up to do. Wish me luck.