Hello I was just wondering how you can find good cycling tracks around that don’t pose a high risk of getting maimed by a blue truck.
Also I was wondering about the round island bike ride which is something I’ve got an interest in - how much of the ride is alongside traffic? How safe is it or how likely am I to get maimed by a blue truck?
Look for indoor tracks where possible. Significantly reduces the risk of getting pancaked by blue trucks.
I like biking in the riverside parks. Danshui has a really long route, as I recall. Haven’t been up there in a bit.
It is pretty scary to bike in Taiwan IMO, definitely not something I would ever dare to do on the road, but I imagine it can’t really be that bad if I’m seeing people, both local and foreign, do it every day without ever seeing them get into an accident.
Get Strava for your phone.
It’s actually safer here than in the west because you don’t have knobheads trying to run you off the roads. Contrary to fake news blue trucks are your friends. When you puncture in an obscure location it’ll be a blue truck what brings you home. On the other hand the problem with the dedicated cycle paths is they are full of non-cyclists who do pose a danger to you and also stop you hitting a sweet spot of 40 km/h. The key might be for you to find the secret routes near your home. These are less used roads that head up into the hills. Once you find them you’ll also find hundreds of other weekend warriors. So, yeah, download Strava.
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I cycle the river paths and tributaries on a regular basis, you’d be surprised how many there are. (Look on google maps). All within a reasonable distance from an MRT so if you are bike-less like me pick up and drop off a U bike. They are very safe routes and attract many different types of cyclists from the speed freeks to families. Definitely keep off the roads unless you have a death wish, its a jungle out there with Tiawanese drivers, rules of the road dont exist.
No no a thousand times no. The roads are very safe, I’ve only ever died twice on them. The cycle paths are dangerous unless you’re on a Youbike and going very slow.
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There are lots of bike paths in and around Taipei. If you tell us what area you live in, I can direct you to a bike path near you.
I would stay off the bike paths during busy times. Which can range from weekends, nice weather and after dinner on weekdays.
I’ve actually found the safest road in Taipei is ZhiShan Road after the National Palace Museum 7-11 (https://goo.gl/maps/4ia2eMC4oY22). It starts as a narrow 4 lane road, but then expands to a ginormously wide 4 lane road by the time you get to the top and despite it being an incline, it’s not difficult to conquer if you aren’t used to climbing.
There’s 4 ways to get there (and this depends on where you’re coming from)
- Zhi Qiang Tunnel
- Jian Nan Road
- Shuang Xi Riverside path
- Zhong Shan North Road/Shilin MRT area
I can do the upgrade to a 34 cog gear for under 2,000 NT. I might do this sometime.
You can pay over a period of six months. I don’t know the details of how that’s done (whether there’s interest, whether a foreigner can do it, etc.). When you go to the Giant shop and see bicycles in the 100,000 NT and well over range, 28,000 NT starts looking not so crazy.
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riding on the roads actually isn’t that bad just for getting around. i ride slow, i’m pretty used to it now. the most annoying thing is people parked on the road. buses are a bit dodgy too. as for proper cycling i guess its comparable to riding a scooter, so basically not that bad out of the cities.
I agree with this. But I have found early morning on the weekends doable.
Also, I took the day off today (Monday). I headed to the bike paths at around 8 am. They were magnificent and I could go as fast as I pleased. So if your work schedule is flexible, I would add mornings during the week as a decent time to hit the bike paths.
Definitely.
Mornings > Evenings
There’s always one or two clowns on the path late at night with no front/rear lights.
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all downhill 
This one has his line ID in the about me part. Says the bike is an M but it looks like the scultura has an S/M and an M/L so not sure which one.
https://goods.ruten.com.tw/item/show?21844913625993#info
I think the odds of getting hit by a scooter are much higher than those of getting hit by a blue truck.
In Taitung here. I’ve biked all over the county, and I can tell you that most of your ride would be alongside traffic. If you avoid major holiday weekends there won’t be that much traffic though.
If you’re going down Highway 9 from Hualien there are some side routes possible, but there will still be trucks on these roads. To the north of Taitung County, near Fu Li in Hualien County, there are some bike paths.
I would say it’s very safe if you keep your wits about you.
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