What’s Shanghai Riding Right Now #01
When I was in Shanghai last year, I wasn’t really able to document the incredibly rich culture I witnessed in the Chinese megalopolis. Fixed gear, road, cargo bikes and so many unique builds and projects that I had to capture and share here. Prior to my two previous trips to China, I had pretty much no idea how rich the culture was out there. The whole trend of "alt-cycling" is still very new, yet I found some seriously interesting bikes and riders out here. So, without further ado, here are three of them:
Joyce’s Affinity Low Pro
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
Affinity Lo Pro
Drivetrain 44RN Chainring, 17T Cog
Crank
Sugino 75
Seatpost and Saddle
Thomson Elite, Selle Italia
Stem and Handlebar
Thomson X2, Hypergrace TakeOff bar
Wheels
White Industies hubs laced to Velocity A23
First up is Joyce. During a break on a group ride, I was, as usual, scouting for interesting bikes to photograph. When I asked who owned this Affinity Lo Pro, Joyce raised her hand. Through a mix of a phone translation app, approximate sign language, and a bit of English, she told me all about her bike.
Beyond being a visually extremely well-balanced build, this might be my favorite Lo Pro I’ve seen in a while. Joyce explained that she loves the geometry and the fact that it’s a steel frame. Everything, from the sticker placement to the orange accents across the bike, down to the Velocity A23 rim, gave me that OG vibe I really appreciate. Simple, yet exceptionally well put together.
Joe’s “Moridge” Prototype
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
Curtom “Moridge” Prototype
Goupset Shimano Cues
Crank
Shimano Cues
Seatpost and Saddle
Dropper post with brooks cambium
Stem
Custom “laser cut” stem
Wheels
What he could find
This is a crazy project, the kind that made me go, “What in the actual world?” the first time I saw it. It might look like a Mad Max-style build thrown together at first glance, but take a closer look and you’ll see just how much engineering is hiding beneath that raw steel.
This is actually Joe’s second prototype, and it’s based on the rear half of an original frame from a Shanghai shop called 2Bells, paired with a fully custom front platform. The entire front end was laser-cut, then assembled and welded together. Also up front is a 55 mm damper running a 3:1 ratio, giving you roughly 165 mm of suspension travel.
And if you’re wondering where that red fork comes from, it was salvaged from a Specialized kids’ bike. Finally, with everything going on, you might even miss the custom carbon rack, which is just waiting for webbing. What a project! Joe mentioned he’ll probably be at Bespoked Osaka later this year, so hopefully we’ll get to see how this prototype evolves.
Alex’s Custom Refelt SSCX
Frameset
Reflet Prototype
Drivetrain 44RN Chainring and singlespeed setup
Crank
Sram XX1
Seatpost and Saddle
Carbon seatpost and Prologo saddle
Stem and Handlebar
Relflex Ti Combo
Wheels
Gand built set
Alex works at Cirens, and when he casually told me he designed this bike, it really reminded me of the sheer manufacturing power that is present in China. If you’ve got a project and a few hundred to invest, you can end up like Alex, with a fully working prototype for your future brand.
This one is the first one of his new brand, Reflet. Expected to release toward the end of 2026, this cyclocross frame comes with a super responsive geometry, designed to be agile and genuinely fun to ride in the city. With clearance for up to 45 mm tires on 700c wheels, it strikes a nice balance between performance and versatility.
This one is built with its own titanium combo handlebar, perfectly matched to the fork. That two-face finish isn’t paint, by the way, it's one half of the frame anodized, which gives it that unique look. I’d genuinely love to build one of these, so let’s keep our eyes peeled for a release date…
💾: Leica SL
📍: Shaingai
