The Flying Pigeon Project

As Seen on Ebay

When is a Flying Pigeon not a roadster? Quite often actually, the Tianjin firm does manufacture a full line of bikes. However, if your tastes ran in black and classic, you'd still have another choice. Like this Flying Pigeon BMX.

Handsome and old school, wouldn't you agree?

It flys the Pigeon proudly!

Yep...definitely from Tianjin.

If you definitely have to have it find it on Ebay here for a buy it now price of $145.

Dicer Bikes

 

 

Yes. It's been my first post in almost 2 years. However, I have to say that this is a helluva post. As somebody with an interest in classic motorcycles and Flying Pigeons, I find the work of Australian, Brad Wilson at Dicer Bikes just fascinating.

You see, Brad also likes classic motorcycles...board trackers in particular, and Flying Pigeons...so why not combine the two and make a motorized bike that looked the part?  That was the idea anyway, when Brad, who was living in Singapore at the time, went to Shanghai looking for bikes...

"I was so disappointed when I went to Shanghai and then Beijing hoping to find a few donor bikes. I was expecting there'd be thousands, and my idea was to recycle and breath new life - in a hot-rodded fashion (I'm a big fan of 50's american hotrod culture). I just couldn't get my hand on any. Everyone's riding electric scooters - I feared I was a couple years too late and they've all been crushed. Apart from the couple stores who sell them at ridiculous prices."

But did this deter Brad...Noooooooo....

"I also took a visit to Tianjin - by myself - with no Mandarin skills -  was a challenge. The CEO ended up dropping me back to the station after a tour of the factory. I'd hoped to buy directly - but unfortunately they only dealt in large quantities - and quantities my funds wouldn't allow."

Eventually however, some bikes were found and the first prototype, the PIGEONATOR, was created. It features a special two part tank made to fit between the top-bars of the PA-06.

Of course it helps to have help. In this came the help came in the form of Kenny an adventurous welder inspired by OCC choppers. What Brad designed, Kenny helped put together.

But why limit yourself to just one design when you can have many? Next up was the HOMING PIGEON featuring a round tank design with stainless steel sourced in Thailand. A move to Melbourne from Singapore put further work on hold. But now, Brad, a Creative Director fresh from two new business ventures is ready to tackle the Pigeon again.

And perhaps thats a good thing, because the result is the boldest design yet: the Screaming Pigeon with  an integrated "Missle Tank" which seems to integrate into the lower bar of the PA-06.

I don't know, but it seems to me Brad is off to a fantastic start! Soon these efforts might be crowd sourced on the appropriately named Kickstarter. If you like what you see, you can contact Brad at  info@dicerbikes.com, or see more of his bike and non-bike work at http://www.brad-wilson.com

 

Flying Pigeon Vancouver

Apparently Flying Pigeons have arrived in Vancouver, and to announce their arrival the importer has made this rather artsy film:The Flying Pigeon Bicycle from yulu canada on Vimeo. 

It shows young, attractive, and presumably hip individuals out and about on Flying Pigeon roadsters. I have to say that I find this somewhat amusing and ironic. In China, the young, attractive and presumably hip crowd would not be caught dead on a bicycle, let alone a Flying Pigeon. Maybe they should reconsider.

Adding to the lifestyle statement, the bikes are being offered through a rather chic clothing boutique Roden Grey. 

You can also get them directly from the importer. And, in what is perhaps a bicycle first outside of Italy or France...you can get them with a wine caddy.

Yes...the one time communist icon, and tool of the proletariat, is being peddled (and pedaled!) as a bourgeoisie toy. Times have changed.

The marketer in me wonders whether this lifestyle approach will be successful. Nonetheless, I wish them luck. 

New Bike Shop in Town: NYC Flying Pigeon

Vendors that carry the Flying Pigeon are a rarity, so when an IMPORTER opens up in my own back yard I have to make note of it.

Nathan Einschlag of NYC Flying Pigeon has a bike he wants to sell you! Nathan lived in China for 2 years so he KNOWS Flying Pigeon. He's also a dyed in the wool New Yorker, so he KNOWs what the market wants and it's not what you might expect.

Sure, there he offers the "Dutch" type roadster so popular right now in New York, but gone are the brake rods and cotters. The gear is much more modern and reliable. Calipers will provice the stopping power in the wet NYC weather.

And if I do say so, the step through version is particularly attractive.

He's also offering an FP track bike, inspired no doubt by the ongoing Fixie craze. And as we know from previous posts, the Flying Pigeon makes an excellent basis for customization. These fixie bikes should be doubly so. Looks tasty.

Best of luck to Nathan in his new endeavor. May the Pigeon Fly High!

You can also find NYC Flying Pigeon on Facebook and on Twitter.

Chung Kuo Cina by Michelangelo Antonioni, 1972-Again

 

This is actually part 1...or so Youtube says. Early in the video you can see some traffic in the Hutongs in Beijing....bikes and trikes and a single fast back car of unknown origin. At 1:49 a postal worker doles out mail from his bike.

Then more traffic. Trucks and Beijing 20/20 jeeps filled with soldiers vie with 28" roadster bikes for the roadways. At around 3:20 that fast back coupe appears again.  Hmmm...

People eat ice cream...and then mysteriously at 4:50, several women in Indian dress appear. Odd. Well, Beijing is the capital. Perhaps they were embassy staff?? 

The film moves on to The Temple of Heaven, swarming with people and blaring patriotic music. At 7:30 the camera shifts to the bike park out side. It is endless.They continue to film the bike lot for over a minute until 8:40. How many black 28" roadsters are there? Who can count? Maybe ask the soldier who appears at 8:10!! 

Whatever the numerical total, it's quite clear that this Italian film crew is obsessed with the bicycles!