Mo' Mambas

Location: Chennai

Every bicycle here is a Mamba. In Singapore, the double top tube Mamba is more common, but in India it is the opposite. There is also much more variation in accessories and trim in India (racks, seats, flashy chain rings, chain guards - or lack of), as there are many more companies producing it locally, whereas Singapore Mambas are imported from China. The colour of Mambas varies from black to olive to deep leaf green, to gaudy . They come in step-through versions too, usually red or blue. Nobody rides a Mamba the right size for them. I have seen children far to small for their bicycles riding perpetually standing on the pedals, barely clearing the top tube as their pedal stroke bottoms out. Mambas here are heavily adorned with stickers, spoke jewellery, leather folded over the top tube - you name it. However, the heavy duty rear rack is under-utilised, with loads of greater than a few bundles of bananas or a small person usually being carried on more substantial vehicles (which are readily available). No families on bicycles here. You will see a family and a half cram into a rickshaw though. You will also see an auto-rickshaw carrying a Mamba.

Out of their element

Location: Singapore

The most common bicycle in Singapore? I couldn't tell you. Construction workers ride mountain bikes almost rusted solid, hawkers and other "uncles" ride Mambas (Pigeons) and rich expats ride very expensive bicycles - carbon racers or mountain bikes (usually with some element of spandex or sunglasses as part of their attire).

The Mamba is referred to by the dealers as the "gentleman's bicycle" and is usually the olive green (Tianjin) Flying Pigeon bicycle, the most illustrious of the 1920's English bicycles ever copied by the Chinese. Not without reason either. It's a gorgeous bicycle (good specimen not pictured).