Sunday, March 7, 2010

City Ride 1: Ride Singapore

It's officially ON! I've completed my first city ride.
And one word to describe this ride is "HOT".

Sunday morning the 28th of February 2010, I was in a taxi heading over to the East Coast Park, Singapore to start my first city ride.
After spending a few hours on Saturday looking for a good route on Bikely I found one that would work.
The route started at the East Coast Park (ECP), went along the coast, around Changi airport, into the Eastern parts of the city, then to Bedok reservoir and back to East Coast Park.

City Ride 1: Ride Singapore (Road Biking) | Singapore

Where to rent a bicycle in Singapore:

1. Kit Runner at East Coast Park rents out road bikes for S$20/ 2 hrs.
However they rent a generic brand bike with low end components in only one size. Would recommend this place for a leisurely ride along the coast, but not for any serious rider.
They also rent Mountain Bikes, Hybrid bikes and inline skates.

2. The Bike Boutique on Amoy street has a better selection of bikes ofavailable in an array sizes. They rent bikes by the day: around S$50/day. I'd recommend them for a decent bike.

The Ride:

My friend Ankit who lives in Singapore decided to accompany me on my maiden City Ride and his maiden ride :)
We started our day at a McDonalds on ECP with a hearty breakfast of Pancakes and eggs. and once fueled we picked up bikes from Kit and hit the road.

Our route as you will notice on the map, started off very scenic. We rode along the coast of Singapore, by clean blue waters and ships in the backdrop. Our ride took us along the beach, with picnickers taking in the sun, a group of Indians playing holi, then to the pier with folks fishing. We crossed the Bougainvillea gardens, a water sports park, riding through dense green trees for a good part of the ride. Check out the pictures below.
The Singaporeans have done a good job creating a beautiful bike and skate park.

We reached Changi airport where Ankit turned back (woot woot! Thirteen miles on his first ride!) and I continued to ride into eastern parts of the city.
Once in the city, I tried riding on the streets as there were no dedicated bike lanes, but after being pushed off the road twice (thanks to the taxi drivers) it just seemed safer to ride on the side walk. Little did I know that people on mopeds are allowed to ride on the sidewalk too!

The day got crazy hot and temperatures reached 32 degrees Celsius, 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The humidity made the ride even more intense.

I got back to ECP around 3 hrs later, exhausted, sunburnt, and dehydrated but excited to have completed my first city ride.
We returned our bikes at Kit and went across the street to Scruffy Murphys to celebrate the ride with a near perfect pint of Guinness.

Route Description:
Mostly flat and scenic ride. Gets urban, crowded and on-road in the city. Skip the city if you're not comfortable riding on the streets.
I'd recommend riding this route up Changi Airport all the way to the Singapore Sailing club and then riding back on the same route. This way you'll be on a dedicated bike lane though the ride.

Advice for a Singapore ride:


- Keep yourself hydrated. Carry lots of water.
There aren't any water fountains around Singapore.
- Overload on Sun Screen. The heat + humidity makes it intense.
- Get a good map. Directions aren't obvious in parts of Singapore.
- The city does not have dedicated bike lanes. While drivers in Singapore are generally nice, be careful of Taxi drivers.
- Bring your own patch kit. Bike rentals don't give you patch kits here.
- Carry your cell phone.
- Carry some cash (Very useful to buy cold water at 7 Eleven)

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