A group of fashion bloggers, tattooists, vintage brand creators and professional and amateur photographers were lucky to dress up in their favorite vintage outfits for a ride out on Saturday. It was the second vintage style ride that brought the past to the present. The roughly 150 participants had to book their place in advance online because the activity's popularity overwhelmed its limited number of spots.

700bike.com is one of the organizers of the vintage-attire themed ride since last year. It was sponsored by the Shanghai Vanke Group. Xu Hu, one of the co-founders of the 700bike.com, said preparing for the ride may help participants slow down their pace because participants can concentrate on selecting their favorite vintage clothing and accessories. Xu himself is a cyclist and a fan of vintage culture who rides to work almost every day. He dressed nicely for the day's gathering.

For ordinary participants, it was a great chance to show their hobbies, make friends and discover the city. Leona Shen, who teaches Chinese at a local international secondary school, joined the ride for the first time. In terms of the clothing preparation, she searched online and got a 1920-style student uniform. Shen said that the student attire of the time popped up in her mind. She further explained that she dressed like that when she was in university for a choir competition with her classmates. Her team won the third place. For her, the clothing brought back beautiful memories.

After finishing the ride, Shen was busy befriending other cyclers on WeChat, the popular instant messaging mobile app. She said it's a good chance for her to enjoy riding and making friends. "The ride was like a time machine," she said. "I saw the past from the old buildings on the Bund and enjoyed modern Shanghai from the city's modern architecture along the route."

Many other participants also brought family there. It was Qian Jun's second time on the ride. This time, he brought his 2-month-old daughter, nicknamed Doudou, to the spot, who therefore became the youngest vintage rider. She was dressed as a baby boy. Qian and his wife dressed in British attire from the 1970s. The couple began selecting the clothes a year ago after going on the first vintage ride in September 2013. "I sort of saw the city's change and felt its rapid development during the ride," Qian said. He explained that the display of Shanghai's old nongtang, the Bund and modern buildings reminded him of the city's changes.

Changes

"I prefer that people enjoy the ride instead of turning it into a show," said Lena Lee, a local Chinese organizer. In order to encourage participants to enjoy it, Lee cancelled the show potion of the event in which every rider would go onstage to show his or her bike and clothing to audience. Last year, many won great applause for their clothes. Therefore, Lee said she wanted it to be a party for people with common interest rather than holding it as a competition or a red carpet for riders to compete or show off.

This year, a vintage fair was added to offer participants and passersby a chance to get their beloved items. The route was changed to be a round trip, extending it into an almost one-hour ride.

Expectations

For Xu Hu, the former employee of the NetEase Inc, has more expectations than simply enjoy the ride. He said the ride was a way to promote cycling in a fashionable way. His final goal was to encourage people to ride as much as possible in their daily lives. He said his idea was not anti-car, and he's not trying to get residents to give up their cars in favor of bikes. "Cycling is much healthier. And it can help people witness the city's changes better than sitting in traffic," he said.

In order to make his dream come true, Xu turned some of his team's lazy tech geeks into cyclists. That is the first step, he said. It usually begins with affecting the people around you. He wanted to work with some bike-friendly cafés, where owners would reserve a special area for riders to park and keep an eye on those bikes. Some cafés also offer discounts to riders.

That's a long-term goal for the future development. But for Xu and other organizers, it seemed that putting off the ride until it cools down remains a top concern.

Antoine Chalendard, a French consultant, suggested holding the ride during the winter. Chalendard prefers wearing jerseys instead of vintage attire. "Because it gets too hot during a one-hour ride, I cannot dress fantastically," he said.

Still, his dark pink shirt and a black bow attracted a lot of media attention.

Chalendard rode among a group of expats during the ride. Lee said she would try to involve more expats next year by advertising the event in both Putonghua and English. "Expats may help make the event more diverse if more of them could join," Lee said.

Qian Jun with his family

 

Leona Shen in a 1920s-style student uniform

Photos: Courtesy of the organizers and Leona Shen