If you’re also a poor kid and you ride a bike
then you might resonate with this
Thanks for sharing~~~
Me, and my friends around me—we’re not rich kids, and our families aren’t well-off either~ We’re not the poorest, because we can barely manage to eat enough！
But we’re all obsessed with cycling—sports bikes gave us all the joy during our college years.
Maybe the issue isn’t just about the bikes, but more about the bond between us—a group of people brought together by our love for bikes and our shared passion.
Because of the cycling club, we—a bunch of people with similar hobbies—were brought together！
Whether it was a general meeting, a family gathering, or a simple outing, our hearts were tightly bound here, never to break free.
At first, we joined the cycling club to make friends and enrich our college life outside of classes！That’s all.
Later, we found it wasn’t that simple~
The cycling club became our entire college life—not only was our extracurricular life enriched, but even our class-skipping time was fulfilling~
Slowly, we kids started hiding it from our families...
We’d call home saying we’d eat well and take care of ourselves, while gnawing on the cheapest steamed buns, pickles, instant noodles—or skipping meals altogether；
We’d skip study sessions and classes to find part-time jobs similar to KFC, squeezing in time to earn a little pocket money；
We’d borrow money from classmates who had a bit more cash, stubbornly insisting on paying it back in installments；
We’d wait in line for three and a half hours at the bank counter to withdraw our monthly 60-yuan student subsidy, and even try dumb things like “If I give you 20 more, can you let me take out 200？”...
And just like that, we got our own entry-level, great-value Merida Warrior bikes for personal use！！！
Then came two even tighter months！But we rode our own bikes, reveling across the outskirts of Beijing and various scenic spots~ Happiness without limits~
Finally surviving those tough two months, we then got the essential gear for biking: gloves, helmets！And for expeditions: racks, pumps, tools, AND SO ON……
Our classmates would say: Are you crazy, spending your own money like that~
But we’d just smile faintly！What we gained is something only my bike and I truly understand.
Every day, we gave our beloved bikes full maintenance and wiped them clean！
Every speck of mud, every bit of dust, every oil stain on the bike rack—stay far away from my bike
Every sticker on the rims, every tiny gap, had to be polished shiny and new with a cloth
If the gears weren’t smooth or the brakes had uneven tension, we’d fiddle around trying to adjust them
We’d agonize over tire wear or every chip of paint that fell off the frame
……
Don’t laugh—we’ve all been through this~
Occasionally joining club outings to see the world, compete in races~ Damn！！ What kind of bikes are those~
Who has the mood to compete? Everyone’s just admiring, taking photos, marveling at those dazzling bikes, and touching those exquisitely crafted components.
So this is the XT relief plate!!!
Ah ah, and there's XTR top-tier~~~~
Damn, the disc brakes are so shiny.
Damn, this chain is gold-plated and hollowed out~~
Everyone’s weighing other people’s beloved bikes, asking for group photos, worshipping them, fantasizing~~~
……
Stop laughing, you’re definitely the same~
We’re all poor kids who ride bikes ! What we can have is the purest and simplest joy~
We seek expeditions ! We went on a diet for over half a year for the expedition, skipped classes to work for gear, scammed and borrowed to get travel money and did all kinds of installment payments~
Finally, we set off, chasing the dreams in our hearts, challenging ourselves ! Doing what we love, doing what makes us happy~
Our group of bros plus two girls, wearing matching team jerseys, holding a big flag, marching boldly toward our destination~
About 8 hours of cycling each day, averaging around 20 km/h.
When tired, we’d sit by the roadside and eat a watermelon, maybe even find some wild jujubes or orchards—being a little naughty isn’t a big deal~
When hot, we’d find shade by the roadside, enjoy two popsicles, a few big buckets of iced drinks, so refreshing ! If there’s a reservoir, we could even jump in the river~~~
On the expedition trail
To improve our meals, we’d dine out once the whole journey ! And still had to haggle with the boss, and after bargaining, we’d ask for more food and bigger portions ;
To save expenses and time, we usually stocked up on steamed buns, flatbreads, pickled vegetables, and sausages on the shelves … All our drinking water along the way was filled from local residents’ homes ;
To find cheap accommodation, we’d often ride through the night for over 20 kilometers, enjoying the thrill and night scenery while heading to the next place with lodging. Once there, even a 20-yuan standard room felt too expensive. Damn, we’d just push beds together, N+ people squeezing in, enjoying per-person prices of just a few to over ten yuan … We love that feeling~ bros
Occasionally, we’d upgrade our bikes !
From 7-speed freewheel to 8-speed cassette to 9-speed racing !
From regular pedals to half-clipless to dual-sided clipless !
From spring forks to adjustable ones, then to lockout forks !
……
No matter how we change them, we’re just playing around—we’d rather enjoy the thrill !
We can dream about carbon fiber, big rims, top-tier air forks, top-tier groupsets~
But we’re still poor kids, and we’d rather spend the money for those top-tier parts on other things ! Hehe~ Things are just fine the way they are~
We can all dream together about the day we’re not broke and swap out some groupset or other
We can all fantasize about the day we ride some kind of bike and charge across the land
We can all work part-time, diet together, and act like delinquents refusing to pay bills~
We can have more topics to unite our hearts, make us more willing to give, and more willing to understand each other without words …
Maybe when we leave this group, another one will take us in
But I believe the next group will be in a similar situation too; otherwise, we’d feel overwhelmed, lose our drive, and ultimately be weeded out.
Maybe we’d feel inferior hanging out with those friends who also cycle but don’t have to worry about money.
But one day, we’ll all become the well-off ones too, and by then, we’ll still be laughing and chatting just the same—of course, we won’t forget the lean days we shared.
We cycle on a budget, and we find joy in simplicity.
We chase what we love despite all the opposition and disapproval.
We simply enjoy the ride.
We’ve been called crazy, maniacs, hooligans, trash.
But in my dictionary, these are all 【terms of endearment】.
Trust me, when you think I’m insulting you, I’m actually complimenting you.