Somebody messaged me on Facebook today about my opinion of my Flying Pigeon and whether or not he should buy one. Not having posted in ages, and feeling like sharing a bit I decided to post my reply here, enjoy!
I pretty much love my Pigeon. As for the build quality, that depends on what you’re used to, but I’d say it’s fair. It’s different from most bikes you see in your typical store these says because they’re all modern bikes and the Pigeon is still essentially a 1949 design still being built exactly the way it was 50+ years ago.
It’s all steel and weighs a ton. It still uses push rod brakes that are rubbish (but stupidly easy to maintain) and it has a pretty primitive steel wheel (strong as hell though). The tires it comes with were garbage (got 3 flats within a couple of weeks, but downtown LA is pretty rough on tires), so I replaced those with some really nice puncture resistant ones from Schwalbe. Speaking of tires, it’ll be hard to find replacement ones for it since it uses a rare size that’s really old and only really used in China and the Netherlands (but like I said, Schwalbe makes several tires in the correct size).
Mine had some pretty shoddy assembly (crooked decals and handlebars). But the bike is soooo easy to work with since it’s so primitive and the frame is ridiculously solid. Makes a bit of clatter when riding since you’ve got a full rear kickstand and fenders and a full chain case.
I’ve commuted to work on it before (12.5mi. each way) but Downtown and South and West LA are pretty flat, so it being single speed is OK… Other areas (like Echo Park, Silver Lake, etc..) are really hilly so unless you’re a strong rider you’re gonna be walking the bike uphill. But then it’s meant to cruise at a leasurely pace on a relatively flat topography (Beijing for example is really flat). It rides quite a bit different than most modern bikes though too. It has REALLY relaxed frame angles (since it’s pretty much a copy of old English and Dutch roadsters) so you ride very upright. It gets a little tricky if you’re trying to ride really aggressive leaning over the handlebars and peddling furiously because the front fork is swept really far forward and the handlebars are swept so far back that the bike gets a little unstable. Also, with the big tires and steering setup it’s a little difficult to ride at really slow speeds (like walking pace). However because of it’s relaxed geometry and REALLY long wheelbase, it makes for a VERY comfortable cruiser. Once you get used to it you’ll have no problem and you’ll probably develop better riding balance.
I can’t speak on the issue of snow since I do live in LA and have never ridden a bicycle in snow. I think the bike is geared a little too tall for snow riding (in my uneducated opinion), although if you’re a strong rider it may be fine. My main concern with snow is wet rims. Bicycle brakes generally degrade in performance as the rim gets colder, and obviously lose friction when getting wet, and the Pigeon’s brakes are absolutely rubbish in the wet. On the other hand, the fenders keep you clean and dry and the full chain case keeps your drivetrain nice and clean running (although makes rear wheel removal a pain).
With regards to gearing and snow, one option I’ve been contemplating has been trying to retrofit my Pigeon with a Sturmey Archer 3-speed geared hub. They still make the AW (A 60+ year old design) which many English roadsters of similar ilk as the Pigeon had. Plus supposedly they make them with support for 40 spoke holes (the Pigeon has the old 32/40 spoke setup, and most modern hubs are either 32 or 36 spoke), which is important since there’s be less work in integrating the geared hub with the factory rim. Shimano, SRAM, Sturmey Archer, and Rholoff all make newer, more modern hubs with more gears, but they’d require significantly more work and the modern look of them IMO may clash a bit too much with the older look of the bike.
Now this may sound like a lot of negatives about the bike, but in spite of all that I still really love this bike. When all I see all around me are generic road bikes and mountain bikes, my Pigeon sticks out as glaringly stylish and retro (which is probably why they command a ridiculously high price in New York). I get people stopping me and asking me about it all the time and get some pretty amusing looks from lots of Chinese folks when I go riding around in Chinatown. I tend to have some rather particular tastes as I’m really into 40’s to 60’s English and Dutch style roadsters and late 70’s to late 80’s Japanese steel track bikes (Keirin). Electra and Schwinn make some really pretty bikes in a somewhat similar vein but to get one in the configuration I wanted, I would be looking at around $600 USD. A real nice Dutch roadster generally costs around $1200 to $2000 USD to import which was more than I was really willing to spend at the time. Especially since my Pigeon cost me a little over $200 making the Pigeon somewhat of a bargain. Plus it simply has way more character than the Electras and the Schwinns. It’s a beautiful bike, and there’s a reason why the design has been copied so much.
I hope that helps..!
