D17: 深圳/ 龙岗区→西坑工业区

June 7, 2023

I love when the bike lane turns into stairs

I first met the owners of LKLM—Mr. Huang and his wife—in 2015, on the ride with Myf. However, I'd already known them for a year and a bit on account of an attempt on my part to get a single waterproof pannier (at the time sold only in pairs) that—on account of that other site still being in it's heyday and my having a lot of views on there—resulted in my instead acquiring (for free) a full set of panniers front and back, a rack pack, a handlebar bag, and a stainless steel rack.

Although I didn't like most of their bags (I prefer fabric bags plus ziplocs), and the changes I made to the bags over the two tours where I used them mostly made them worse, I love their (of course, discontinued) handlebar bag¹, and I'm sufficiently impressed by their brand's build quality and responsiveness that I was sending them customers for years before they gave me a frame³.

Even if it requires pulling the seatpost, I'm in love with this style of work stand

A leftover sign from Covid times saying that customers can't travel between floors at the hotel or hang their laundry on the fifth floor

As they are the only bike people I personally know in Shenzhen and they have an advantage over most Chinese bike people of actually grasping the concepts of what needs to be different on a tour bike⁴, I'm visiting the factory to get a tune-up and to shill their awesomeness on my Douyin.

I get rained on a bit more on my way to the factory, have numerous hair raising episodes of being on the truck side of the fully isolated bike path because it crossed a road and I couldn't figure out how rejoin it, and am generally a bedraggled mess when I arrive but they are used to dealing with touring cyclists and, as I don't actively smell bad (especially after changing into normal people clothing), they are better equipped than most of our socioeconomic level to ignore my fustiness.

I want the glass bathroom wall trend to die

Any idea why drivers from Macau have lost the right to use the expressway during rush hour?

I so much prefer it when the bike path design makes use of necessary access roads for things like drainage canal maintenance .... instead of paralleling the highway from 5 feet away

The hotel for the evening—chosen specifically on account of listing themselves as having laundry facilities available—claims that their washing machine is broken. Claims that they are sending all of their sheets and duvet covers out to a laundry service. While such services do exist and are a very common method for hotels to do their laundry, the presence of piles of sheets and duvet covers next to the washing machine makes short shrift of that excuse.

As to why they are being like this, who knows. They provided me with a bucket and wash powder and hangers but they're vehement that I can't use the washing machine.

Although it wasn't quite an NFA, and they don't really seem to care about my nationality, there was some friction at check-in that resulted in a police officer showing up and a comedy of errors where I was literally begging to be allowed to just show them how to do it on the computer (and they were insisting to the police officer that since I'd told them my last hotel had just photographed my passport and sent it to the police, they should be allowed to do that⁵) but I wouldn't think that would result in a "we are going to make things extra difficult for everyone and refuse to let you use the washing machine".

I'm supposed to be on the other side of the barrier

I wish I was on the other side of the barrier

¹ The one I have, which I bought, is the third gen bag, and it incorporates changes suggested by me² from using their second gen bag.

² At least, I'm claiming the credit. There were easily a dozen other riders who they gave these bags to who could have made the exact same reasonable suggestions.

³ Slightly undersized (but in stock!), it's a replacement for the ti frame I ordered from one of the world's largest OEM manufacturers of titanium bikes. On account of said ti frame very clearly not being a tour frame, not matching my measurements, and missing numerous requested features, I'm still unhappy with the money and time wasted on that project....

Watched this guy notice the recyclable bottle the whitewash was in, decide to pick the bottle up, and dump the contents .... all for 0.05 yuan

⁴ Nothing grinds my gears more than having a shop whose most expensive bike costs less than my wheelset (pre-Rohloff ownership) telling me that my bike is unsuitable for touring and pitching a hard sell where they try to 'upgrade' me.

⁵ Which, since the only person who knew how to register me was me, was exactly what ended up happening.

Dangerous spot, an accident at this location resulted in 1 death

Today's ride: 20 km (12 miles)
Total: 1,024 km (636 miles)

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