Because Cubans found Chinese bikes expensive, many families took to sharing their bike in a startling way: by placing a long sponge poached from old furniture cushions on the grill over the bike’s tire so a lighter member of the family could ride in the back or by handcrafting a small, removable wooden “seat” for a toddler that could be attached to the top tube of the bike frame. Here my cousin José Raúl and his wife Alicia depart for home after a long day’s work in downtown Cienfuegos.
