Cycling in Taiwan

This page contains some general information and links about cycling in Taiwan. Please also see Cycling in Taiwan at Taiwanderful and the posts in the cycling category at David on Formosa.

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More photos in Taiwan Cycling

Taipei International Cycle Show

The dates for Taipei Cycle 2012 are from March 7 to 10 at the TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall.

Taichung Bike Week

Taichung Bike Week is held annually in November/December. In 2012 the dates are 13-16 November.

Tour de Taiwan

The Tour de Taiwan is held annually in March and usually coincides with Taipei Cycle. Details of the 2012 route are here. More details on the Tour de Taiwan website.

Cyclists on Ren'ai Road during Car Free Day in Taipei 2006

Critical Mass

Bike Smiling (微笑單車上路) is Taipei's version of Critical Mass. It was held regularly from 2007 to 2009. The Bike Smiling blog is mostly written in Chinese but it contains a good archive of reports about past rides and many issues related to cycling and sustainable transport in Taipei and Taiwan.

Bike Smiling 微笑單車上路 blog - Critical Mass for Taipei and Kaohsiung
Bike Smiling - discussion at Google Groups (Chinese language)
Bike Smiling - photoset at flickr

Taiwan Bike Day

Bike Day was an event held on the first weekend of May. It was held in 2008 and 2009, but I am not sure if any events were organised in 2010. The Cycling Lifestyle Foundation organised the day to promote cycling in Taiwan.

4 May is Bike Day (2008) - David on Formosa
Bike Day 2008 - photoset at flickr
Cyclists celebrate Taiwan Bike Day (2008) - Taipei Times article
Thousands attend Taipei Bike Day cycling parade (2009) - Taipei Times article

Bike hire

There are numerous options for hiring bikes in Taiwan. These range from cheap hourly hire to fully equipped touring bikes for multi-day tours. Jeff's Taiwan has information about Giant's rental program for touring bikes. I have used this service and it is excellent although it requires some advance planning.

Bikes on trains

Taiwan in Cycles has compiled detailed information in English about taking bikes on trains.

Interesting articles about Taiwan cycling

Taiwan: A Cycling Paradise - great article by Michael Turton at the Huffington Post
Head for the hills - Taipei Times article about cycling on Yangmingshan
Kaohsiung embraces cycling - by Mark Caltonhill in Taiwan Today
Brake away bikes - Taipei Times article about the fixed-gear bicycle fashion trend
Fashionable and Famously Forgettable Fixies For Formosa - Taiwan in Cycles responds to the Taipei Times fixed-gear article
Treatise On Superfluous Things: Giant "Woos" Women - Taiwan in Cycles looks at the marketing of bikes as a gender issue
Taiwan's Unofficial KMT Mouthpiece Touts Cycling - Taiwan in Cycles on how cycling is used to construct "Chinese culture" in Taiwan
Tour de Formosa Behind the Scenes - Bikedan in Asia on the race for deaf cyclists

Taiwan cycling photos

Taiwan Cycling - group at flickr
Bikes and cycling - David's Formosa Photo Gallery
David's cycling collection at flickr