Rider Profile: HaoZai 豪仔
Posted on March 17 2015
Finding the right bike and falling in love is what fixed gear riding is all about. That freedom to cruise the big city, enjoy life and use your ride as a tool to explore. We caught up with HaoZai to find out more about his philosophy on life and bicycles.
name: HaoZai 豪仔
age: 26
hometown: Guangdong
profession: Freelancer
Q: First of all, congratulations on getting married! Tell us about the second love of your life, this bike.
A: This is one of the first Solomone Cavalli framesets made here in China. Even though it’s unbranded steel tubing and quite heavy, I like how it rides. I’ve had this frame for two years now and I’ve used it on a lot of long distance rides, including one to Qingdao. I own some other pretty special frames like Nagasawa, Colnago, Vivalo, Eimei, Rossin and Spectrum but this SC is still my favorite because it was made by one of my friends.
Q: You rode to Qingdao? That must have been pretty tough, no?
A: The ride was actually really fun! We went completely unprepared and it took us 7 days to ride 800km. I’ve always wanted to do a really big long distance trip where I can take the time to stop and enjoy local cuisines and culture. Maybe this year.
Q: When did you get into bikes?
A: I’ve been riding fixed gear bikes for almost 10 years now, and before that I was really into mountain bikes. Obviously MTBs aren’t the best for city riding so I prefer riding fixed.
Q: What’s so appealing about city riding?
A: I move to Shanghai when I was about 13 years old. It was really my first time experiencing the big city, I’m a country boy at heart. I immediately fell in love with the bright lights, tall buildings and the fast paced city life. Getting around on a bike is just so convenient and allows me to explore more of what I love.
Q: What else interests you beside riding bikes?
A: Well, I play football about 3 or 4 times a week. That, and urban photography!
Q: In your opinion, what is the best part of Shanghai to ride?
A: It’s got to be the Expo site in Pudong. No cars, brand new roads and you can really ride fast without the possibility of getting hurt.
Q: Any advice to young riders to the fixed gear scene?
A: Just find a bike you’re comfortable riding. It doesn’t matter how expensive it is, just make sure that you like it. After that everything else will fall into place!
