Let's Go - Cycling

Let's Go

TRAVEL, TOURS AND FUN ITINERARY IDEAS AROUND SOUTHEAST ASIA

Singapore and Cycling: A Good Match

Biking in Singapore has never been more popular. This spring's Circuit Breaker elevated bike riding as an excellent form of socially distanced exercise. Indeed, enlisting pedal power is a great way to burn those stayat-home calories and tone those leg muscles! Sharing a ride with a friend or family member is even better, and a cold drink afterwards tastes ever so refreshing. I want to focus on cycling as a way to get outside, get back to nature, and have some fun. I maintain that peddling through hot, humid air creates 360° air conditioning, making cycling much less tiring in the tropical heat than walking or jogging.

How to Get Started

So… have bike, will travel! However, for those in the market to buy, the demand for new bikes in 2020 surged just as many bike factories in China had Coronavirus shutdowns. If you find yourself among the unlucky individuals for whom the bike you want to buy right now is out of stock, Singapore has a bunch of places to rent a bike.

Written by Meg Sine

Try visiting one of the GoCycling outlets (see map). They rent a variety of bike styles and sizes by the hour and are conveniently located next to several PCNs (Park Connector Network) and places to explore

nature. There are also bike rentals available on Pulau

Father and son bike ride along Marina Bay Ubin and Sentosa’s Siloso Beach. Be sure to check the brakes and the tires before taking off on your rental bikes.

Maps and Apps

Check out the link Google Maps of Singapore Bike Locations as a desktop tool. This site shows colorcoded routes that can be displayed one at a time or overlaid together to define PCNs, other cycling paths, common road links, park locations, mountain bike tracks and bike shops. The following link shows a simpler map including only PCN loops that are easy to follow, but are shared with pedestrians: National Parks map of PCNs. I recommend you map out your route ahead of time and use your smartphone GPS to guide your journey. It’s also fun to download a free app such as Map My Ride or Strava (social media for cycling) to track your route and record how far you go.

PCN Loops map

Test ride any bike before buying one

GoCycling map

How to Buy a Bike

In response to my recent informal survey of a variety of bike shops around town, managers indicated that backorders of bikes should start arriving by January 2021. But what kind of bike to buy? There are so many choices of fat tires, skinny tires, this or that brand and in Singapore, maybe even a folding bike. My recommendation is easy: get a bike that you think is comfortable to ride and to be sure, take a test ride! Also, buy the best components (brakes, gears, tires, frame composition) that you can afford. The other consideration is whether you want to share the PCNs with pedestrians and slower riders, or venture out into the road to do higher speeds and longer rides than allowed on mixed paths. These differences will help you decide between a folding bike with small tires or a traditional road bike. Folding bikes have a great advantage in Singapore in that they can be carried quite easily on the bus, train or taxi. Unlike most other bike-friendly cities, Singapore does not allow regular sized bikes on public transport. To ride a PCN loop in Punggol without a folding bike when you live near Bukit Timah, you either have to have a car with a bike rack or hire a costly ride in a Grab 6 taxi.

Bike Accessories

For buying bikes, or looking for service and accessories, search Google for large bike stores near your home under the brand names Treknology, Giant and/or Polygon. There are also shops called Bikehaus, Rodalink, Decathlon, Bike Settlement and My Bike Shop (folding bikes). Taking a look at Facebook resale markets is not a bad idea either for possibly finding quality used bikes. A good fitting helmet and water bottle are essential. Other nice accessories are a gel seat, padded gloves, padded shorts and a bell for the handlebars. A nifty bike jersey with back pockets is useful and looks good too!

How to Meet Other Cycling Enthusiasts

AWA has an informal WhatsApp group of foldingbike owners who ride by the rules once per week on the PCNs, often meeting near bike rental outlets for those who don’t own a bike. Treknology 3 bike shop on Cuscaden Road organizes “No Drop” rides once or twice per month for newcomers to Singapore and/or cycling. ANZA has a WhatsApp group called “Social Fun Road Cycling” for easy weekend road bike rides around Sentosa Island. Have fun and stay safe!

Meg lived and traveled all over Asia for almost 25 years before moving to Singapore in 2018. She enjoys biking, walking and quilting with AWA Creative Hands.