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Cycling tips in HK

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  1. #1

    Cool Cycling tips in HK

    Hi all, I'm moving to HK for three months from late January.

    I realise that HK is not an overly friendly city for cycling in, but I have an event to train for and need to get some practice in, so I'm bringing my bike along anyway!

    I'm from London, and used to cycling in a busy city, so the traffic doesn't worry me too much...

    Has anyone got any tips around the following?
    - Locking a bike up in the city - where can I do this?
    - How common is bike theft? I have a mid range priced carbon bike (£700), so it's not super glamorous, but I still want to take it home with me
    - Good cycling routes in HK Island and in New territories?
    - Challenging, but manageable hill climbs?
    - Cycling clubs?

    Cheers!
    Niall


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Jan 2018
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    Look up sir cycling in yahoo groups. There are almost daily rides on the island and other regular groups in Kowloon. There are plenty of hills to train on, too many to list really. Have a look on Strava, you'll also see Sir cycling and you can see some routes. There are dozens of riders out to Shek O on weekends and on Lantau. There are cycling paths in HK but they are to be avoided especially on weekends unless you are early. There's also a velodrome where you can do some track if you get certified. In my opinion, you're far better served for cycling in Hong Kong that you are in London. Also several Tri Clubs: Dragons, Tritons, Lantau Buffalos... Teams that travel to races in Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan. I wouldn't lock my bike outside while I go to work but I do it at my sports club since there are guards at the entrance. You can get some racks to hang the bikes if you have a small flat.


  3. #3

    Join Date
    May 2017
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    New Territories West
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    - Locking a bike up in the city - where can I do this?
    In the city? If you mean Central, there is very little parking, elsewhere, there are plenty of bike racks but...

    - How common is bike theft? I have a mid range priced carbon bike (£700), so it's not super glamorous, but I still want to take it home with me
    ...if you park a half decent bike at a bike rack here it will go. I had a $1000 (100quid) bike stolen from a rack at a LRT station (lock broken)...I also hear about bikes being stolen from outside restaurants and shops as well as bikes locked outside village houses...keep it indoors or in sight.

    - Good cycling routes in HK Island and in New territories?


    I'm not a roady, I'm guessing you are? I'll find some links for you...if you are a mountain biker, let me know, then I can help.

    - Challenging, but manageable hill climbs?
    You're spoiled for choice here!

    - Cycling clubs?
    Many...ask here:

    Hong Kong Cycling Alliance (HKCAll)香港單車同盟
    civil_servant likes this.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by ndmccormack:
    - Locking a bike up in the city - where can I do this?
    You don't lock up your bike. You go riding, stop for a beer, keep it in eyesight, keep going.

    Bikes are kept inside the flats unless your building has a special arrangement. If you keep it outside, it'll get rusty very fast.

    Quote Originally Posted by ndmccormack:
    - How common is bike theft? I have a mid range priced carbon bike (£700), so it's not super glamorous, but I still want to take it home with me
    Not much bike theft here. Your bike is a low-end bike in Hong Kong. Due to flat sizes, people don't need much stuff. They don't need any tools, garden equipment, a big amount of furniture, cars, etc. That leaves a lot of money to be spent on hobbies. There are plenty of Pinarellos on the road.

    Quote Originally Posted by ndmccormack:
    - Good cycling routes in HK Island and in New territories?
    There are no cycling routes on HK Island. If you want to cycle there, it's either in the very early hours or late at night.

    There are cycling paths in the New Territories. However, there are barriers to going fast. If you prefer going fast, you can use the roads. A lot less traffic than on Hong Kong island.

    Quote Originally Posted by ndmccormack:
    - Challenging, but manageable hill climbs?
    There's Route Twisk (500m) and Tung Ching Road (350m). Both are challenging but manageable hills.

    Quote Originally Posted by ndmccormack:
    - Cycling clubs?
    There are some, but usually you just find a buddy. You can ask on Geoexpat. Biking is quite popular here.

    Also...

    What are the best areas to live in for cycling?
    Gold Coast, excellent for mountain and road biking. There are dirt and paved trails that can keep you busy all day.

    Anywhere on Lantau, excellent for mountain and road biking.

    Tai Po, excellent for road biking.

    Should I get into mountain biking?
    Absolutely. They have excellent trails here. You can get a used bike here.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/378740692161957/

    Or you can visit Shun Lee Bike shop for a good deal on both used and new bikes.

    https://www.facebook.com/ShunLeeBikeShop/

    Here's more info about the trails and such.

    Welcome to the Hong Kong Mountain Bike Association
    SpeakCantonese likes this.

  5. #5

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    I'm looking into getting into mountain biking in the New Territories side. I'm a beginner but I really love riding on dirt trails. Are there groups for this or people willing to let me tag along?

    SpeakCantonese likes this.

  6. #6

    Join Date
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    Had 4 bikes stolen in HK. Friends bikes stolen too. Leant my bike to a friend and it got stolen. Theft for anything not rusty is a problem. Lock it and it's gone. And the bikes I had were not that expensive!

    Now I have two bikes and they stay in the house.

    Storage and getting in and out of your apartment might be troublesome (small corners/lifts). Bringing bikes on MTR is a nightmare and you need to remove the front wheel and stay in first or last train.

    Biking on a path is more of a slow walk. It gets super busy so wouldn't think about it on the weekends. The pros cycle on the roads, I almost hit a few of them driving. The roads are too small with no bike path and there's tons of crazy drivers coupled with new drivers who can't drive. And plenty of Brits came here and got killed leaving a wife and child behind. The driver only paid a small fine, no jail. On the road you're considered a car with no protections.

    I used to bike and would do 20 miles daily up to 40-60 mile trips in the west. I guess here I'm not brave enough to attempt.

    Lots of hills!

    Just be careful and know that you DO NOT have the right of way.


  7. #7

    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by MandM!:
    Had 4 bikes stolen in HK. Friends bikes stolen too. Leant my bike to a friend and it got stolen. Theft for anything not rusty is a problem. Lock it and it's gone. And the bikes I had were not that expensive!

    And plenty of Brits came here and got killed leaving a wife and child behind. The driver only paid a small fine, no jail. On the road you're considered a car with no protections.


    Lots of hills!

    Just be careful and know that you DO NOT have the right of way.
    Agree with stolen bikes, I know of several people that had theirs stolen.

    Mmm, Plenty of brit leaving wife and child behind with driver exonerated? I know of one case which was pretty tragic and he was one of the best cyclist in HK... Very well known. Very sad.

    There are less cyclist that die on the road as there are people murdered in HK and it's considered to be a very safe city. For every cyclist killed in Hong Kong there are about 10 pedestrian that die. It is a bit stressful to ride on the road and some of them are narrow and twisty, you are at the mercy of a driver being stupid or making a mistake because there's often nowhere to go. That being said, there are more and more people cycling every year and as I said, you will see dozens of people out on the road on weekend mornings. I put in about 5000km yearly and the only times I crashed, it was because of wet roads and going a bit too fast.

  8. #8

    Thanks for the replies peeps, all great leads.

    As for locking my bike up - I guess I plan to cycle to Central/Wan Chai from Kennedy Town for work and didn't know if there were dedicated places / bike racks to lock my bike to while I'm in work. Of course I'd use a good d-lock and take my front wheel into work with me. It sounds like there's a mixed experience with stolen bikes tho.

    I'm used to road cycling in London, which can also be very busy. I'm always pretty cautious and generally don't take many risks. thanks for the advice.


    The SIR Cycling group looks ace - I'll definitely go on a few of their rides.


  9. #9

    Hey, I didn't necessarily mean on the main intersections, more Queens Road West etc. Again, I'm used to cycling in central London.


  10. #10

    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    7,517

    Cycling along the tram lines is possible, just be careful about getting in the tram rails!

    I'd take my bike inside the building if possible.


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