# 开发区 to 金州湾



## terry b (Jan 29, 2004)

It's been a while since I have posted a ride report but I thought it might be time to share one of the place I've been spending all my time lately, Dalian, Liaoning, China.

The title of the thread translates to "Kai Fa Qu" to "Jinzhouwan" which means it's from where I live outside of Dalian city to Jinzhou Bay which is on the other side of the peninsula. This ride ended up being a perfect metric "century", 62.6 miles. It took us the better part of 5 hours because honestly, it's hard riding a bike here. The traffic is killer, you have to watch the cars plus the pedestrians and the road surface where minor things like sewer grates are generally missing. Climbing is something else because the Chinese do not care a bit about grades. 10, 15, 20, even 30% climbs are quite common.

We started the morning in 70 F pea soup fog and ended the day in 100F+ temperatures.Along the way we rode through tunnels, one if which I graced the wall with my body when I couldn't see the road surface (that had changed to mud and gravel) because my glasses fogged up halfway in. We did some cyclocross riding down a muddy main street under a overhead bullet-train track that was being built. We found the home of the Chinese Metlife blimp and had a pleasant hour's ride along the ocean before turning inland and riding through the peach farming district where the roads were slippery with crushed fruit, fallen from tractors. We stopped at a small bodega in a farming village for Cokes and Dove bars, almost certainly exposing the young women running the cash register to the first instance of mud covered spandex clad westerners. 

It was something a typical Sunday around here that morphed into one of life's little memories.

Next ride I'll include more pictures. I'm currently riding with a P&S camera that is too fancy to stick in my pocket, having left my ELPH in the US like a moreon. 

The first bike shot is near a small shrine to Guanyin on Black Black Mountain which is not far from my house. The second is in front of the store, post mud-ride. The rest, sights along the way.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Amazing....You better brush up on your bunny hopping skills ...riding into a missing sewer grate would be no fun at all....


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## terry b (Jan 29, 2004)

Like this?


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## saf-t (Sep 24, 2008)

Gonna spend a day riding around Yangshuo in November- btw, thanks again for the tips!


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## Henry Chinaski (Feb 3, 2004)

terry b said:


> Like this?


Scary! Great pics. I assume you're there on business?

Hey, is that a steel fork with a flat fork crown on your Strong?


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Wow- I don`t like hitting them even when the grate is in place! And while you`re brushing up, don`t forget to do a little extra work on your tunnel ducking and bat radar skills.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

I love exotic locals and that is pretty darn exotic.

BTW you must be a very strong rider!


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## KenS (Jan 28, 2004)

Great shots. I look forward to more pix and details in the future.

I am reading in the almost-current New Yorker about a drive across the Siberia. It is amazing that adventures like that are still in existence.


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## messyparrot (Sep 17, 2007)

Thanks for the ride report 

Those grades are HUGE and scary sounding!

Love the pics, take lots more please.


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## terry b (Jan 29, 2004)

Henry Chinaski said:


> Scary! Great pics. I assume you're there on business?
> 
> Hey, is that a steel fork with a flat fork crown on your Strong?


I'm here building a factory.

That is a flat crown fork. I designed this bike specifically for this trip and to have almost ultimate flexibility and so ordered 2 forks for it - a unicrown that clears tires up to 28 and the flat crown that will go to 34 or 35 knobby cross tires. I only brought the flat crown over here.


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## kykr13 (Apr 12, 2008)

terry b said:


> Like this?


The was a girl from my town (Chicago-ish) that _died_ from falling in one of those things. The things we take for granted... Apparently the scrap metal is worth enough to make them tempting. Must be quite an experience, living and riding over there. Interesting to hear and see what it's like.


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## terry b (Jan 29, 2004)

kykr13 said:


> The was a girl from my town (Chicago-ish) that _died_ from falling in one of those things. The things we take for granted... Apparently the scrap metal is worth enough to make them tempting. Must be quite an experience, living and riding over there. Interesting to hear and see what it's like.


Exactly. They remove them during big rainstorms so that they don't clog up and stop the drainage. Then someone comes along and takes them to get the recycling money. No replacements are forthcoming.

I rode by one the other day that had two bricks piled in front of it as a warning. I had a good chuckle.


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)

Wild! Nice report. I like the Strong as well. Beats a Flying Pigeon any day.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

I'm not sure I'd call it fun, but I'd like to ride over there to just say I did it. Maybe I need to redefine "fun".


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## seeborough (Feb 3, 2004)

Having visited China before, I always enjoy ride reports from there. Thanks.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Which province are you in? I've only been to Guanzhou (Canton) myself.


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## terry b (Jan 29, 2004)

I'm in Liaoning.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

are Strong's good bikes?


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## My Own Private Idaho (Aug 14, 2007)

LOL. That's cool. How many Strong's would you guess are in China? I'll bet one could count them on one hand.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

terry b said:


> I'm in Liaoning.


Where's that relative to Canton? Canton being in the south-east of China.

Dang, I should know my own Chinese geography but I don't.


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)

I believe Canton is actually the province of Guang Dong (廣東/广东）While the old city of Canton is actually Guang Zhou (廣州/广州) in the southeast. 

Unless you mean Canton Ohio.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Yeah, Guang Dung is the province while Guang Zhou is the city. Back in the day it was the province of Canton and the city of Canton, I think.

I Googled Liaoning and see that you are in the north-east of China, bordering on Korea, terry b.


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## rayhead00 (Mar 3, 2009)

Looks like nice fresh air.


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## Mosovich (Feb 3, 2004)

*Bike..*

Tell us more about the bike, it's a beauty!


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## 2571 (Aug 20, 2009)

*Chinese not to be disparaged; steal grates here , too*

The locals steal the drain grates here in Detroit, too. Never seen anybody put bricks up to warn the next guy, though. Chinese mst have have better manners that our ghetto folks.


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)

Are you kidding? That's a spitting target.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

2571 said:


> Chinese mst have have better manners that our ghetto folks.


Umm, yeah. My neighbor is from Guanzhou and he was telling me that, back in the day, people in China would stand at the side of the road with air pumps and patch kits to assist folks who would have flats while riding their bikes along said road. How would they know that these folks would have flats in this section of road? Because they would have started their day by breaking a glass bottle some 50 yards down the road and scattering the glass all over for people to ride their bikes over. Yeah, they got paid for this "service".


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