Biking around a city is often the best way to explore it, and with its flat roads, infrequent rainfall and endless diversions, Beijing should be one of the most cyclist-friendly cities in the world. Problem is, there are 12 million other commuters using those same roads, including irate, horn-happy drivers, three-wheeled vehicles packed with polystyrene blocks, and onion-wielding old ladies that think nothing of walking into your path. Sound chaotic? In truth it only makes cycling in Beijing all the more fun.

Your hotel or hostel should provide a bike rental service, or at least be able to point you in the right direction. If they can't, check out www.bicyclekingdom.com. They will deliver your cycle direct to your lodgings and charge a reasonable rent. Alternatively, visit one of the city's hundreds of bike shops. Some do rent (though they ask for large deposits and maybe a passport).

Then take that bike and hit the road, but do it with caution.Unless you're a resident of Beijing, you will not immediately have the skills needed to dodge the abovementioned hazards. The golden rule, therefore, is to obey the rules. It might be tempting to follow a local cyclist through a red light, but for a novice on these streets, that is madness.

Always heed the traffic lights, and stay in the cycle lane. Every busy road in Beijing has a fulu – it's a side street that cars, buses and cyclists can use, with the lane for the latter clearly marked in white paint. That is at least the way it is supposed to work. But pedestrians often tire of the sidewalk and decide to stroll down the fulu, sometimes two or three abreast. If your bike has a bell, do not be shy about using it. Pedestrians, however, are slow-moving objects that are not made of metal, thus they won't be your number one concern.

Your main enemies in the fulu are cars. Drivers regularly cruise down the fulu to beat the traffic or pull in somewhere, but sometimes they stop in the cycle lanes to make a call or chat with an old friend they just spotted. Drivers generally slow down only at traffic lights. They will not slow down for you, even if you have the ''right of way.'' If one is pulling out from a side street and it's going to be a close call, slow down, admire something, and let him go. It can be quite annoying, but you will have the last laugh when you pass him in the traffic jam that will surely lie ahead.

Fortunately cars and buses travel pretty slowly in Beijing, even when the roads are not clogged up. There's usually plenty of time to get out of their way. And don't worry about getting hit from behind. Remember those horn-happy chaps described above?

Beijing bikes are for some reason prone to slow punctures, and even Lance Armstrong has fallen victim to the unpredictable variety. Neither is a problem in Beijing - wherever you are in the city, you can be sure there's a bike repair stand within spitting distance. Friendly locals run these stands, and they'll pump you up for RMB 1 or mend a puncture for about RMB 5. They're easy to spot too – they operate out of mobile workshops that are usually green and have a bunch of tires slung over the top.

Beijing offers the cyclists literally thousands of interesting sights, from its magnificent ancient buildings to the curiosities of local life. The roads may have their perils, but one can either easily avoid or adapt to them. You might learn to cycle down the wrong side of a fulu, and dodge those onion-wielding women, within hours of biking in Beijing. It's actually a challenging sport.

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Keywords: On Your Bike