Hey Folks,

I'm going to buy a small, compact stationary exercise bike. I found a local shop that has one for 800 RMB. It's nothing fancy. Built mainly for compactness. It has a friction knob and a battery-powered LCD readout. I'm not sure whether this is a price for a new one, or the floor model. The price seems fair for either (in U.S. terms).

Does this seem fair you folks?

I think this isn't a bad price. However I did see some okay ones on taobao for 700RMB a couple of months back. I suppose you need to factor in shipping costs though.

If i'm not mistaken, there are sports shops on Dongfeng DongLu (around the Communications Bank i think). You can get in and check what the price is in each shop so that you can get a general idea.

It's probably fair. Stuff in China is no longer cheap, especially in terms of usd. Stuff in Kunming costs a bit more even; no port. Unless you are buying teas or flowers.

Thanks guys. Yes, yankee...that's exactly where I found the bike.

If it had wheels it would be considerably more practical.

Not for me, Alien. I don't need transportation...I need exercise. Plus, I don't want to risk my neck on the street of Kunming.

Well, the bicycle wheels will supply both, but there's nothing wrong with walking, if you need the exercise, & buses when it rains or it's midnight or you're badly hung over. However, I think the dangers of bicycling here are very much exaggerated - I've met no dead cyclists, even in recent years. As for cars, including taxis, that's the problem which you've mentioned (add the general breathing problem, plus the horror show of some traffic jams I've been in lately), so it's better to use them only sparingly - if, for example, you fall off yr exercise bike & break a leg, etc.

As for Y800 to stay home & get nowhere, it seems a bit much, tho, in itself, an exercise bike at that price seems reasonable, if you have a reason.

@Alien - I will have to say that I find your attitude somewhat casual and reckless. It is certainly not the type of impression to leave Western newcomers to China, with.

I've worked professionally in public safety and by any global definition, the pedestrian safety situation is much more risky in Kunming...and China, as a whole. There are practically no designated bicycle lanes here and relatively few traffic control devices. At night, there is grossly inadequate street lighting; almost no use of lights on electric scooters; and those scooters run silently with no warning of approach. The proximity between cars, motorized two-wheelers, hand carts, and pedestrians is far below any acceptable, legal limit in most industrialized countries. To idealize it, as you have, ignores the fact that the Chinese themselves are working toward these international safety benchmarks.

While you've met no dead cyclists, I've seen plenty scary close call in my 7 months here. I've seen 3 impacts between electric bikes and cars; 2 between electric bikes and vendor carts; and countless soft impacts between people, carts, bikes, electric bikes, and cars.

It is also rather distasteful and callous to presume that all people are the same. Lot of people (including myself) have knee and ankle problems. Cold weather can also exacerbate joint pain, as in my case.

As for the 800 RMB, that's about $131 in U.S. money. That doesn't pay for 2-3 months of gym membership here in Kunming, nor will it even pay for a quality bicycle. I'm not sure what you concepts of cost, price, and value are based on.

i had one of those fricktion foldging bikes. to be honese they are not that good and i tended not to use it. i bought an eliptical trainer with friction mechanism that was used a lot and was less wear on the joints. best place to buy cheap gear is the supermarkets, it is the same qulity as the cheap gear in the small sports shops but not so pricey for same quality. 131 bucks seems a lot for that type of device, have a look on taobao and then use that price to negotiate with