I will be going to Hsin Chu in 2019 Feb to June, would like to find some decent cycling routes around and possible to join a club. Also, i am from Singapore and bikes brands like S-works, Merida, Giant are slightly cheaper over in Taiwan. Any places where i can get a good price for a decent bike? My cycling discipline is Road. Thanks!
Thereās one nice 17-km bikeway in Hsinchu, which continues to Miaoli. You can also ride near the river or in Zhubei. But just come to Taipei and try their riverside bikeways and youāll regret your stay in Hsinchu forever. Those are the real deal.
For longer rides you can try āgo to Taipei or Taichungā by bicycle (about 100 km), thereās an official āround-the island routeā in Taiwan, or even ride to Shimen reservoir and go around via the Luoma bike trail, that thing is pretty serious, especially in summer, with its endless rolling hills.
E-Ma is (or was*) the local team. Try to hook up with them if you want some serious road time. They used to rip my legs off.
Pretty windy around there. Plenty of good climbing to be had.
*Not sure if they are still going, but I assume so. Based around National Chiao Tung University, I seem to remember??
There is great cycling out of Hsinchu heading into Miaoli. Ignore the 17 k cycle path going south, you want mountains. Provincial highway 3 and county road 124 out past Nanzhuang is world class scenery. Also out to Beipu and the killer hills behind. Youāll bump into E-Ma out there on any given Sunday.
If you want to die while riding your bike, ride with e-Ma. They wonāt physically harm you, but in order to keep up, youād probably prefer to walk through the 9 circles of hellā¦barefoot.
Depending on whether youāre in Zhubei or Hsinchu city, itās very easy access to the hills.
Hsinchu, youāre a hop skip away from Chung Hwa University area where you can ride around Xiang Shan. My friend who lived down there for a year or two said this was his short ride after work or in the morning.
From Hsinchu city, if you want a longer ride, head east towards Zhu Dong and you can hit up the Nei Wan area, but be careful on weekends. Itās a small road and thereās lots of cars!
For Zhubei you also have the option of going east/north east towards Guan Xi/Long Tan where thereās lots of options for climbs that get you great views overlooking the Shimen reservoir.
As for shops, Iām not too familiar with Hsinchu, but I know that thereās a shop there that sells the brand that I ride, Roxycle. Not a very big brand, but the bikes are nice, good value and they sponsor nationally ranked track riders in HK and the no.1 Taiwanese womenās cyclist in Taiwan. Come to think of itā¦Roxycle used to sponsor e-Ma! 
PM me if you have any questions about it!
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[quote=āthe_bear, post:4, topic:168071, full:trueā]
Ignore the 17 k cycle path going south, you want mountains. [/quote]
This
In Zhubei, I used to deal (and ride occasionally) with Eric at/from this Giant shop:
May be worth a visit.
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Sure ! Thanks i will check this shop out!
Some roads in XiangShan can be a bit iffy ā there was at least one busy gravel operation there with dump trucks driving at top speed through narrow roads. I had many close calls when riding with my son. Many of the stray dogs in the area were not so lucky, the roads were littered with their bodies. But this was years ago and maybe it has improved somehow.
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Thanks actually i am looking around a good 30-40km route that i can cycle in my free time. of course looking at road conditions and lesser traffic and safer route.
For rides of 30-40km from Hsinchu, I often ride NE towards Xinpu and Guanxi or for 60km to Yangmei. For something a bit more hilly, go SE to Hengshan. Outside Hsinchu City and Zhubei City, the traffic is usually quite light.
As mentioned above - traffic around Neiwan can be busy at the weekend, but go beyond Neiwan into the mountains and itās quiet (but steep).
Thereās plenty of bike shops, Giant franchises, Merida (in Zhubei), Specialised etc