No one would argue with the fact that Taiwan is the bike capital of the world, home to both Giant and Merida, to name but two. We are frequently asked about cycling in Taiwan and about buying a bike when you get here instead of bringing your own. Purchase, rental, equipment, and clothing are discussed below.
When considering which bike is best for riding in Taiwan, the answer is simple: the road bike is king. There are several thousand kilometers of road with good surface even in mountain areas. Being a small island, the roads are well maintained, and you’re not going to encounter the kinds of potholes or shoddy repair work that you might find elsewhere. As such, you’ll also find that folding bikes for both commuting and touring are popular.
There are 270 mountains in Taiwan that exceed 3,000m in altitude, making it one of the most mountainous islands in the world. Once you leave the coast, you are going up dramatically. If you are bringing your own bike, consider the gear ratio that will allow you to get up these hills without inducing a cardio episode on the road.
Taiwan is Mecca for bike touring, travelling with a loaded bike, either bike packing (lightweight, sleeping indoors) or bike touring (fully loaded with camping gear). – Both of these will be discussed and explained in our chapter on accommodation.
That could be all there is to it, which may seem to the reader that there is no opportunity for other kinds of riding such as gravel, MTB or dedicated downhill. That’s most definitely not the case. A quick read through some of our posts will inform the curious that we have recorded and included all forms of cycling.
The downside is that most areas which are suitable for off-road riding are close to the central mountains. That means if you are living anywhere along the west coast, you’ll need transport, or you’ve got a long-haul approach riding your mountain bike to get to a trailhead.
On one occasion, I rode a mountain bike with a trailer carrying spare wheels to switch out from road to off-road. Possible, but that won’t appeal to most people. Alternatively, you could carry MTB tires to switch out at the trailhead. In some cases, it is possible to travel by bus, but not all buses will let you take your bike on board.
There are fantastic forestry roads all over the island which were created to grant access for logging or, in more recent years, for forest preservation. These are great/suitable for gravel or MTB, but this is not gentle ascending through the forest mist. It’s not unusual to find yourself ascending at a rate of 500–1,000 m over a distance of 10 – 12km. Also, this is not multi-day riding; these forestry roads are mostly out and back. Two exceptions would be the Wujie Traverse and the Kenting Traverse featured in #004/#045 and #057/#058 of our series, respectively.
Full suspension downhill trails do exist, but they are few and far between. One very popular, and some would argue, the best in the country is the Jinshuiying Historic Trail, which traverses from Pingtung County in the west to Taitung County on the east coast. We have covered the approach ascent to this trail here: #019
Buying a bike in Taiwan:
Yes, a great idea if you can find one your size. Taiwanese are shorter than your average Western person, so L/XL sizes can be difficult to get your hands on and, in most cases, will have to be ordered in advance, which is something we can help you with. It’s unlikely you are going to get a great bargain. Depending on the import duties in your home country, there may not be a big difference in price. The same applies to bike parts; they are not substantially cheaper here. You can’t rock up to a factory and go shopping; that’s just not how it works.
Renting:
All Giant stores have rental bikes, but they must be booked in advance online. Road and touring bikes with panniers are available, but in some cases the sizes are limited. If you’re uncertain about this, send us a message. One great advantage of renting from Giant is that they allow you to pick-up/drop-off at different locations around the island.
You can contact us directly for bike rental/purchase. Also, there are two companies in Taipei with a wide selection of good road and touring bikes. Bike Express and MatthewBike
Contact
Mark: [email protected] · +886 982 858 316
Nathan: [email protected] · +886 981 170 240
E-bikes: Giant leads the way in this market, and they are available for rent from size XS to L, but they must also be booked online and well in advance.
Touring equipment: In general, Taiwanese do not tour with luggage, and most will use a support vehicle. It would be better to bring your own panniers. One Taiwanese company, Topeak, has an excellent selection of bike packing and touring gear available at most Giant shops. If you are looking to go cheap, then Decathlon is the answer. You’ll find their stores in most major cities.
Spares etc: Every major town and all cities will have several bike shops to pick up spare tires/tubes etc. However, you may not be able to find specific brands of tubeless tires that you can get at home. Consider bringing your own.
Clothing: No shortage of boutique stores for Rapha, Mapp, Assos, etc. in major cities, but again, don’t expect to find bargains or very large sizes. There are several Taiwanese clothing brands such as Atlas, Montt, and Wast with competitive prices, and Giant/Liv specializing in high-performance women’s apparel.