From the Streets – Fixed Gear & Graffiti
Hi everyone,
Imagine this, how does it feel to combine fixed gear bikes that glide through the alleys with the graffiti full of excitement and character? Yes! That’s right the feeling of the city street! The subject of our last Sunday’s riding event was exactly about riding and graffiti, and it brought more passion to everyone! Let’s go back to the street!
For this week, we will be waiting for you guys and girls with more bike events! We also sincerely hope that the Beijing bike polo scene can grow up bigger and bigger, and everybody can come and join this interesting and beneficial sport, here is a link on our website about polo.
The same time we were feeling the excitement of our Sunday ride we were also excited about the start of the Tour de France! Thanks to Tom Lanhove who leads the Beijing Peloton group the Belgian beer bar, Beer Mania in Sanlitun, is offering us rotating beer specials and a dedicated TV screen. Below is the schedule for the coolest stages to watch together:
* Thursday July 14th: First mountain stage finish on Luz Ardiden
* Saturday July 16th: Mountain stage finish on Plateau de Beille
* Thursday July 21st: Galibier finish
* Friday July 22nd: Alpe D’Huez finish
* For all other stages, check out the site www.steephill.tv for LIVE feeds (usually between 20:00 and 23:30)
Wednesday Interview and Film Shooting
1:00 pm: The TV crew of the show “Fashion Show” would like to visit Beijing Natooke and make a show about fixed gear bikes. You are welcome to come and express your own feeling about fixed gear and even more welcome to do some skids. They may also shoot some scenes of us playing polo.
* Only if it is not raining.
Wednesday Bike Polo
5:45 pm: Meet at Natooke to grab some mallots (we will also take some extra ones)
6:00-8:00 pm: Bike polo at Ditan Park West gate (just off Andingmen Waidajie). You are welcome to join at any time as it is open and free
Thursday Olympic Forest Ride
7:45 meet at Natooke and then at 8.00 pm we head out together to the Olympic forest to cycle some laps
Friday Morning Bike Trick Practice
9:00 am: Meet at Ditan Park West gate (where we play bike polo) to practice track stand, backward circles and some wheelies. Newbies welcome!
Friday Midnight Riding with STC
Are you a rider who likes Beijing city but is tired of horrible traffic? Do you want to ride your bike in cooler temperature with more enthusiasm? Guess what! We planned a midnight ride for all!
11:00 pm: Meet at Ditan Park South gate
Saturday Bike Polo
4:00 pm: Meet at Natooke to grab some mallots (we will also take some extra ones)
4:30 pm: Worker’s Gymnasium East gate (this is West of Worker’s Stadium). You are welcome to join at any time as it is open and free
Sunday Afternoon Riding
After meeting up we will ride out and find a cool new place to cruise and find adventures. Urban riding is something you should not miss!
2:30pm: Meet at Natooke
Hope to see you at one of the events!
Ines & the Natooke Team
P.S.:Mark your calendar:
Saturday July 16th: Afternoon Bike Swap Meeting (Organized by STC), Place: CBD Central Park
And of course if it rains hard the outdoor events are canceled.
Caochangdi Graffiti Ride
Sunday, we didn’t stay at home or in the shop, we went out for Sunday riding in perfect weekend weather. We visited a secret place of 798 art district where we took cool and scary pictures. Then we met up with other Beijing fixed gear riders and rode to Caochangdi art district. One of our customers Chen Chuang is a graffiti artist and he had a gathering at a gallery with an outdoor terrace, basketball court, bar, cafe, and theater! They screened two documentaries about graffiti art and then he started doing pink graffiti on a car. Sorry for those who didn’t come yesterday, but it was GREAT!!!
People & Bikes
We are always happy to see interesting and famous people visit our shop. We feel happy about more and more people understanding the benefit of riding bicycles. In the first picture is Mr. Bear, the Owner of Bear’s bikes, and one of the sponsored riders who visited our shop! Two cyclists with their unique antique bikes also visited our shop. Second picture shows a Beijinger’s old Flying Pigeon bike (used over 50 years!) converted to multi-speed. He says he likes riding down hills in a handstand. The last one is a 40 year old Swiss military bike with a handgun holster on the bike. The owner is one of our customers.
Natooke Shop In Style
When was the last time you visited Natooke shop? We just rearranged our interior. We definitely have got more space now. Hope you come and check out our new style （new guy as well） and new products which await for the right owner. We are also updating our website. We now have a section with all the past newsletters.
Bikes Love Sunshine
There is always sunshine after rainy days. Here we have some new Natooke bikes for just such days! First bike: Combination of sky blue and pink, which makes us imagine a delightful little girl’s sweet lollipop… Second bike: Just check out this combination of color, grab a beer and let’s ride somewhere cool! Third bike: 1st Natooke woman’s bike. Don’t let your girlfriend see this or she will want one too!