With economic development, cars have become commonplace in households, serving as the primary mode of transport in cities. As a result, some women now list having a house and a car as prerequisites for choosing a partner, while others believe that those who ride bicycles are "poor." However, at the Taihu Lake Road Cycling Race, the average price of competing bicycles reached nearly 80,000 yuan, surpassing the cost of some domestic sedans. The notion that cyclists are "poor" is clearly unfounded.
Complaining on social media: Cyclists looked down upon by reckless drivers
A few days ago, a friend vented frustration on WeChat Moments, expressing anger about being looked down upon while cycling. The original post read: Yesterday, I was cycling with my child on the bike lane when a BMW Mini driver, who was illegally driving in the bike lane, kept honking aggressively behind me just because I wouldn’t let him pass. He even cursed at me, calling me a “stinky cyclist,” saying I’d only ever be good enough to ride a bike, followed by a string of vile and offensive remarks.
Similarly, a couple of years ago, a netizen from Xi'an made headlines by customizing a ¥100,000 bicycle. The man, named Lin Qi, is a cycling enthusiast with a well-off family background but a deep love for bikes. “I’ve always loved cycling, but over time, I noticed that some people look down on cyclists,” Lin Qi said. What stuck with him the most was an incident when he rode his bike to a car dealership. To his surprise, the salesperson, seeing that he arrived by bicycle, treated him coldly and with arrogance. That experience planted the seed for an idea: to create the highest-quality bicycle possible—and even inlay it with gold—to change the perception that “only poor people ride bikes.”
Cyclists might be wealthy too – Top-tier racing bikes can sell for €100,000
If you’ve ever participated in a professional cycling race—or even have some familiarity with them—you’ll know that the idea that “cyclists are poor” is nothing but a bias, and quite a narrow-minded one at that. The cost of a professional bicycle far exceeds what most cycling fans can imagine. It’s been reported that the cost of an ordinary racing bike is around $10,000—enough to buy a car. A slightly better model can go for $30,000, and American cycling legend Lance Armstrong’s race bike was even valued at €100,000. Take the bikes used in this year’s Taihu Lake Race, for example. Depending on their sponsors, the bikes used by riders typically range in price from ¥60,000 to ¥100,000.
At this point, you might think that these high-priced competition bikes must be amazing and offer an incredible riding experience. But the answer isn’t necessarily yes—because such bikes aren’t something just anyone can handle. A staff member from the provincial sports bureau, responsible for logistics at the Taihu Lake Race, shared their personal experience: “It’s strange. Professional bikes are incredibly hard to pedal, and the riding posture feels very awkward. I felt like I couldn’t push forward. Also, the bike is so light that you barely feel it—it lacks the presence that regular bikes have.” It turns out that riding these kinds of racing bikes requires skill—something that us ordinary folks simply haven’t mastered.
Besides being expensive, professional cyclists’ bikes also hold a significant speed advantage over regular bicycles. In the Taihu Lake Race, the riders averaged speeds over 50 km/h. Meanwhile, regular bicycles only go up to about 15 km/h.
The frame is made of carbon fiber – Small bicycles packed with high technology
Why are professional road racing bikes so expensive? It’s because their materials and technological components differ from those of regular bikes. It’s been revealed that the vast majority of bikes used in the Taihu Lake Race are made of carbon fiber—not the titanium alloy many assume. Li Fuyu, China’s first road cyclist to join a professional team and qualify for the Olympics, currently rides with the Donghengxiang Continental Team in the Taihu Lake Race as the team captain. Li explained that while titanium alloy does offer a more comfortable ride, it isn’t suitable for professional races. Carbon fiber bikes, on the other hand, are harder, more stable, and quicker to accelerate—perfect for competitive cycling—which is why most pro athletes choose carbon fiber. Although they may look “bulky,” they’re actually extremely lightweight. “Currently, the lightest bikes used by riders weigh around 7 kilograms,” Li said. Moreover, according to Li, professional racing bikes are usually custom-built to match each rider’s unique physique, with mechanics fitting different components as needed. “For example, riders often choose frames from France or Italy, gear shifters from Japan or Italy, braking systems from the US or Japan, wheels from France, Japan, or the US, and saddles from Germany—these are all popular among riders,” Li added. It’s no wonder a seemingly ordinary bicycle, packing so much advanced tech, can be priced similarly to a car.