Golden Pigeon

The classic Chinese city bike

We have no stock currently remaining of Golden Pigeons.

 

Introduction

For those with an interest in cycling history, these bikes need little introduction.

Manufactured by the legendary Flying Pigeon Bicycle Company in Tianjin, the Golden Pigeon has been the foundation of Chinese transportation since the 1950s. Deng Xiao Ping once defined prosperity as "a Flying Pigeon in every household". In nearly 60 years of production they have become the most popular vehicle on the planet.

 

 

Premium specification

The original Flying Pigeon bike is a very basic black single-speed with push-rod brakes on steel rims.

Ours are something a little bit special. The classic meets the modern.

The classic: a genuine lugged steel Flying Pigeon step-through frame, with full length mudguards front and rear and a full chain case, painted in British Racing Green.

The modern: a Sturmey-Archer SRC3 three-speed rear hub with coaster (back-pedal) brake, and Shimano Nexus dynamo front hub connected to a Nexus headlight with light sensor. These supremely practical city-bike hubs are built up to 700c alloy rims and shod with big 45mm tyres.

The price

$245, including delivery to Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne or Adelaide.

A freight surcharge may be payable for delivery anywhere else in Australia.

Contact us to order or inquire.

Available on-line only, not through dealers.

For enthusiasts only. Not for the feint hearted.

On paper, these look like a perfect bike for normal people to go about their normal business - a low-cost, low-maintenance, low-impact mode of transport for Australian towns and cities.

That's what we were hoping for.

What we got is close, but not close enough. We don't plan on ordering any more of these bikes, which is really disappointing.

The problem? They are a design dating from the Chinese Revolution, with build quality to match. They need a "Revolutionary" approach to assembly, which may involve liberal use of a hammer, and possibly even a grinder. The bike will almost certainly require replacement parts (pedals, saddle) before it is fit to ride.

You purchase one of these Pigeons on the understanding that you are buying a project, not a working bike. You will need bike mechanic skills, tools and the aforementioned Revolutionary attitude; or an understanding and patient bike shop mechanic (and deep pockets to pay for workshop time).

So, what's wrong with them?

I'm going to tell it straight, and pull no punches. Before I start, can I just say: once they're built up and working, they are a brilliant town bike, and should last a lifetime. We're keeping three of them in our family, and expect to get many years of use from them.

As an up-spec model, these Pigeons come with a front basket. It looks like a classic wicker basket, from a distance, if you squint. It's actually moulded plastic, and quite ugly. There's a mounting bracket on the stem, and a stay brace to support the basket off the front axle. But the basket is too small to fit both mounting points. If you want the basket, you're welcome to it; otherwise we can dispose of it safely, free of charge (unless you tell us otherwise, we won't send the basket). The bike comes with all the attachments required to mount a nice front basket that fits, if you find one yourself.

The basket stay brace has a bend to go around the headlight... but it's not where the headlight actually sits.

The spring-loaded saddle is terrible. It looks a bit like leather, but is made from something more like cardboard. I've found it slightly more comfortable with the front spring removed (bolting the seat directly to the saddle frame), but it will need to be replaced.

The pedals are junk. The pedal bodies are very flimsy - it is easy to see why most bikes in Asia use greased blocks of wood for pedals. The block of wood approach may be possible on these Pigeons, if you don't bend the pedal spindles first. Plan on replacing the pedals. It's a standard MTB/road (ie not BMX) thread.

Of the three frames I've worked on, one has been perfect. One frame has a slightly mis-aligned lug (where the curved drop-tube meets the seat tube), although the frame is straight over all and rides beautifully. The third frame had a small hole drilled through one of the lug/tube junctions after painting.

The biggest  problem is the cranks and bottom bracket. The cranks are steel, and attach with cotter pins to an old-style cup-and-cone bottom bracket bearing. Old school.

Of the three Pigeons I've built up, two of the left cranks have stretched around the cotter hole. The further I drive the cotter pin in, the more the crank stretches, and the crank gets loose and floppy after a few pedal strokes. The cranks needed replacement. The third bike had no crank problem. The cotters were installed loose, but tightened up properly and feel solid. The remaining bikes for sale here could go either way. It's a lucky dip.

I replaced the two stretched cranksets with cotterless alloy cranks, and replaced the old-style bottom-brackets with modern cartridge bearings. This highlighted another problem. On both frames, one of the frame tubes protruded slightly into the bottom bracket lug, so a cartridge wouldn't fit. Nothing a Dremel grinder can't fix. This wouldn't be needed if you just replace the axle, or if you source replacement cottered cranks. The chain case is made to fit around spindly steel cranks, so it needed more dremel adjustment to fit fatter alloy cranks.

We could work around these minor problems if we were building the bikes and selling them in ride-away condition. It's just a matter of parts and workshop time. As an on-line business, delivering bikes requiring some assembly, we can not. That's why we have limited stock and don't plan to order more.

Does that sound manageable?

If this assembly process sounds like an entertaining afternoon in the shed, then you are qualified to be a Chinese bike mechanic. Contact us to order a Golden Pigeon of your very own.

They really are a gorgeous and extremely practical bike once you have them together.

Other ideas

The wheels, built on the Sturmey 3-speed and Shimano dyno hubs, are worth the price of this bike on their own. They'd be a brilliant set of low-maintenance winter wheels for any 700c commuter bike. Weatherproof and maintenence-free internal rear brake, internal gears, and a headlight that automagically comes on when it's dark and never needs batteries. Sold here with a free Golden Pigeon frameset, to sell off or build up as another project later.

Note that the Pigeon frame has rear-facing "track end" drop-outs, which would make the basis of a very cool fixie!