China has been referred to as the "bicycle kingdom". Bikes are the commonest transportation method; at rush hour almost anywhere in China you will see hundreds of them. Most are fairly basic single-speed clunkers, but multi-geared racing style bikes are pretty common as well, and there are some mountain bikes. For the traveller, bicycles (zìxíngche) can be a cheap, convenient means of transport that beats being squeezed into a public bus for hours on end.

There are two great dangers for bicyclists in China:

One is the rest of the traffic; cars and motorcycles frequently pull out without any warning, and in some areas red lights are apparently optional. See the more extensive comment at Driving in China.
If your bike doesn't get run over by a motorcycle, it is still under threat from thievery. Bicycle theft is rampant throughout China. Bring at least one high-grade lock from home if you plan to use bikes much, especially if you will have a fancy, new foreign bike. Also, try to park in areas with a guard as much as possible; there will usually be a small fee, but it is worth it.

In most tourist areas — whether major cities like Beijing or heavily-touristed villages such as Yangshuo — bicycles are easy to rent and there is a repair shop around every corner. Guided bike tours are also readily available.

Buying a bicycle is not too much of a hassle, as most supermarkets carry a good stock of bikes, starting from as little as ¥150 ($18). The problem is that the average bike sold in China is of low quality, and it is not unheard of for a pedal or fender to fall off after riding a new bike for only one block. Bicycle repair shops are frequent in most Chinese cities; it might be a bit difficult for the average tourist to identify them if they cannot read Chinese, but usually you can just look for bikes and tires. For a quick fix to a sudden flat tire, there are also many people standing by along the road with a bowl of water and a repairkit ready.

China is a vast country and it may not appeal to the average tourist to bike across mountains and desert. Despite the difficulties of traveling by bicycle in China it is not unheard of to see foreign tourists biking across the Tibetan Plateau or through some ethnic minority village. See Karakoram Highway for one spectacular but difficult route. Companies such as Bike China and Intrepid Travel organise such tours for small groups.