Visor

Beijing is a city of bicycles, upholding a tradition that dates back centuries. This is despite the fact that dozens of new cars and drivers hit the road every hour. I am positive that, in 100 years, a simple bicycle will ultimately be the symbol of what Old Beijing used to be. And, alongside the bicycle, there will be the biggie-sized visor, a giant, tough, tinted-plastic shield that goes from the top of the rider's head to the tip of her chin.

I think the windshield-visor combination is cool. I've always wanted to arrive at my destination looking like I'm ready to cut and mend metal. If I happened to crash and break my bike frame, I could just fire-up the acetylene torch, make the repairs, and be back on the streets within seconds.

Seriously, it's a positive idea, achieving full-face protection from the sun's glare and debris from the road. If Dale Earnhardt was wearing this -- in addition to a proper seat belt -- maybe he would still be alive and winning races. Even more impressive are the lengths that some riders take to protect their exposed forearms from the harmful effects of the sun, especially among older mainland Chinese women. By custom, they try to avoid dark-tanned arms and shoulders. It's partly due to concern about keeping healthy, but it's also a fact that, in China, dark skin implies a life of manual labor, inviting social discrimination. So silk gloves that go up past the elbow are among the summer-season necessities for these easy-riding grannies.

Somehow, I'm not so sure the Intimidator would have followed that trend.