Hello and seeking advice on a town to live.

Hi folks,

I've been reading for a while and thought I'd say hello. I'm an Aussie male, early 40s, currently living and teaching English in Zhejiang, Taizhou.
Obligatory picture of my Mighty Steed: http://imgur.com/1F94PCK With added bling just to be outrageous :-D http://imgur.com/oQZAfzC I'd like to upgrade but I'm still studying for my licence.

Anyway, so in a few months I'll have finished my second year in this job. I'm looking for a new gig and optionally a new town. Taizhou is bike-friendly and it's a small town of only 6 million so it's pretty safe and relaxed. I was hoping to draw on the great wisdom of the forums for some suggestions for where I might move to, if I do. I found the big list of towns where bikes are not permitted, but as they say, China's a big country! I'm sure there are thousands of suitable towns and I wouldn't know where to start.

Do you live/work in a similarly sized town where bikes are permitted? What's the weather like? Are there nice places to ride around? How's the (expat) biker community? Do you know a school in the area that's looking for an English teacher?

Cheers,
BMIC

hey bmic and welcome
the best places to ride are really out west , but the economic development lags behind a bit there.
small cities rule as you know but lower pay there for the teaching of the mother tongue
no simple answer to your question

Tough question...
In my view you have to balance cost of living, legality, earning potential, employment opportunities, air quality, weather and road quality (physical quality of safety and smoothness lack of pot holes and other debris) and style (fun to ride on eg mountain road or racetrack).

Where I live...

-Cost of living: Good but getting more expensive, especially housing.
-Legality: Good, motorcycles legal everywhere. Big trucks banned only. Three wheeler ban failed.
-Earning potential: Fair.
-Employment Opportunities: Good, lots of jobs.
-Air Quality: Fair to Poor, like Beijing winter can be bad but windy days in Spring can be fine, especially at altitude in the countryside.
-Weather: Dry winters, and wetter summers, 3 month off season winter, good but could be better.
-Road Quality: Generally good, but dangerous places.
-Road style: Boring straight main roads but fun twisty mountain roads if you care to look.

Good but could be better maybe 6/10. I'd say further south than Shanghai for a year round riding season, not in Guangdong for legality reasons. Zhejiang might work, as maybe Sichuan, not sure though. Sounds where you are now is probably pretty good.

Thanks guys. I'm a novice biker and a coward so slow, scenic rides, mountain villages etc are more my style. I know that Zhejiang does have those. I'm currently browsing to see what kind of bike I want to get. The Raptor DD250E is looking pretty good! The problem I have in this town is that there are few job opportunities other than working the unsociable schedule of a cram school. Looking on the job websites, all the advertised jobs are in BJ, SH, HZ, GZ, Xiamen, Shaoxing, Changsha, etc. Of course bikes are banned in every one of those cities!

I was talking to a guy tonight who said he lives in ShenZhen, Futian. He says he has near-misses with motorcycles every day. I haven't clarified if he's lumping ebikes in that. I suppose I should check. There are some very good jobs on offer down there.

Double post redacted. Stupid Chinese internet!

I wouldn't buy a Regal Raptor. The idea is good, that you feel you aren't a racer therefore a bike to cruise on might work. However the reliability of that bike is pretty poor (I know I used to own one) and a cruiser riding position just doesn't suit Chinese roads. Personally I'd get something like a YBR250, light and can be thrown around, good quality few reliability issues and much better resale. Then instead of upgrading the horn and hacking the muffler like so many people do, upgrade the tires and brakes.

Also you are saying bikes are banned in all the cities with jobs, but also they are banned in Shenzhen. Bike ban 'cities' misleading as often they only refer to the very central areas or they just aren't enforced at all. So it's a case of finding out if you'd be living on the edge of a city or a central area.

Yes I had some concerns about the ride height of the cruiser. YBR250 looks nice and I can load it up with panniers easily which is appealing. 25k new though. I'll need to save a bit.

Yeah, the level of enforcement is the hard bit to deal with. I wish there was a map that showed me where it's enforced and where it's not. Asking non-riders hasn't proven to be too helpful! Is Futian in the enforcement zone? Who knows? :D Well, I have some riding friends in SZ. I'll see if they can advise further.

Thanks for the suggestions!

I had a 2009 Regal Raptor and honestly you'd be lucky if it would be worth 3000 yuan after 5 years. A YBR would be worth much more. Save now and you'll get your money back at the end at resale or just have a bike for longer.

I've thought about that. I don't consider vehicles as an investment, but rather as a cost of living. A Raptor is only about 15k new which, if I keep it for 5 years is the cost of a scooter per year. That's not a huge expense. If I get a second hand one, it's even cheaper. I know that I'll need to spend a little more keeping it operational, but its a local brand so maintenance shouldn't be too expensive. One concern I have about spending money on a bike it that it'll get stolen or the hand of fortune will take me to a place where I can't ride bikes. Heck, I'm a newbie and I might find that after the novelty goes, I don't care to ride bikes anymore.

So, I'm rolling all these ideas around in my head. The suitability of Raptors to local roads however, is a concern. I have a Harley rider's physique (6'1" and 150kg) so I punish the suspension a bit. A bike with low clearance might have some problems with me riding :D

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Originally Posted by bmic

I've thought about that. I don't consider vehicles as an investment, but rather as a cost of living. A Raptor is only about 15k new which, if I keep it for 5 years is the cost of a scooter per year. That's not a huge expense. If I get a second hand one, it's even cheaper. I know that I'll need to spend a little more keeping it operational, but its a local brand so maintenance shouldn't be too expensive. One concern I have about spending money on a bike it that it'll get stolen or the hand of fortune will take me to a place where I can't ride bikes. Heck, I'm a newbie and I might find that after the novelty goes, I don't care to ride bikes anymore.

So, I'm rolling all these ideas around in my head. The suitability of Raptors to local roads however, is a concern. I have a Harley rider's physique (6'1" and 150kg) so I punish the suspension a bit. A bike with low clearance might have some problems with me riding :D

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You're rationalizing the Regal Raptor as being acceptable for a whole host of reasons, your body weight, possible theft, it's easy to fix in China etc etc. Really at the core there is only one reason: price. It's clear you really don't want to spend that extra 10,000 yuan but it's worth the extra money X2 for a Japanese made in China bike. There are two bikes that should be on your short list, as a reasonable price and quality 250cc. The Yamaha YBR250 and the Suzuki GW250 and maybe soon the Honda CBR250R. That's it. Anyone whose ever owned both a Chinese 250 cruiser or Jap 250 made in China bike would implore you with every fiber of their being to buy the Honda, Yam or Suzuki.

Honestly I feel like banging my head on a brick wall sometimes. It's not just you, it's a mistake that has been made a thousand times over, buy a Chinese cruiser, shit quality, shit brakes, crap riding position, shit tires. No fun to ride. Fake Honda engine that doesn't put out even it's claimed power rattles around, unreliable annoying. Why come asking of advice and ignore it?

Firstly, I'm sorry I make you feel that way. I know that I too, feel frustrated sometimes when dealing with computer newbs.

As it happens, I didn't ask for advice on what bike to get, although I certainly appreciate the advice you have given. Cost is indeed an important factor, but so are ride comfort, reliability, safety and to an extent, style. I like the look of a cruiser and imagine that I would like the feel of riding one. The reliability of the Japanese bikes has already been strongly impressed upon me by my local mentors. Two of them have Japanese bikes and speak highly of the reliability and engine. Were I able to find a cruiser style bike from a Japanese brand, I would buy that over the Raptor, even if it was more expensive. However other factors, such as safety, might take me to a sit-up bike. I've also considered getting a DS as I've read here that they're well suited to Chinese roads (although I'd like panniers which I don't think are easy to fit to a DS).

Regarding safety, when you speak of the "poor riding position", are you talking about the relatively higher vantage point afford by the sit-up style bikes, being better for awareness?

If you can't afford 25,000 for a YBR250 or Suzuki GW250, then I personally opt of a YBR125, maybe the X version or a Honda CBF150.

However there is a Suzuki GN250, not sure if they are made any more, last time I heard they were being made by Wonjan. That would enable you to have a Jap cruiser, they are very ugly though.

See cruisers are about style, form over function. That's fine if you are riding Captain America at 55 mph from Reno to Las Vegas on a hot day, especially if the rebel Rodeo Clown image appeals to you. But if you want to really ride in Asia or Europe you need a bike with a regular riding position and the best brakes and tires to avoid those lunatics that just pull out of intersections without looking. It's not just me, the opinion is pretty much universal on these message boards.

Cool, the safety aspect is more important than style. Thanks for the advice. I probably will go for a Japanese 250. Before that though, a licence and settling on a town to stay in for a few years.

just picked up my secondhand ybr250 in shanghai, definitely worth the money !

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Originally Posted by zhu

just picked up my secondhand ybr250 in shanghai, definitely worth the money !

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Were you the lucky buyer of the "deal of the decade" via this forum? Even if not, one cannot go wrong with a YBR250 - great bikes.

yes I bought Mauro's bike a while ago but only got to pick it up now. Its a bit scruffy looking but that doesn't bother me. As to the original question, buy the best bike you can and pay more than a little attention to the air quality where you plan to live because it is a real issue here in Shanghai.