Vancouver By Bike

Vancouver By Bike Will Show You A Very Bike-able City

When we visited Vancouver for the fall, we drove across Canada and carried our bikes with us. We were staying in False Creek right on the seawall path and from many previous visits, we knew we would get a lot of use of our bikes if we had them with us. While Vancouver is not as flat as many other bike-able cities we have visited, there is still a lot to see if you want to explore by bike.  I must admit that I did miss my great eBike that I left in Toronto when we went out for longer rides.

Visit Vancouver’s biking web site to find out all about how to enjoy Vancouver by bike, get a bike map and off you go!

You can explore the seawall around False Creek on both sides, catching photo ops with BC Place, the Telus dome, Granville Island, the bridges crossing high above the water or the multitude of watercraft slowly making their way up and down.

You can bike around Stanley Park, put your bike on a ferry for a day trip to Gibsons Landing or even take your bike to Fort Langley and ride the Fort Trail.

You could even travel to the U.S. and cross the border on bike (in this case by eBike).

And if while you are exploring Vancouver by bike and you need a break, you can stop for food or a drink and people watch for hours.

You Will Never Worry About Where You Can Ride Your Bike

As in any great biking city, you can ride on a multitude of bike paths but you can also ride on many streets that are bide ready. The street signs offer clear directions when you are exploring Vancouver by bike.

In Vancouver, Biking is For Everyone

When you are travelling around Vancouver by bike, be prepared to share the bike paths and roads with lots of other cyclists. The bike riders come in all sizes and all ages. While many people use their bikes as a primary mode of transportation, many more use bikes for fun and exercise.

Bikes Come in All Shapes and Sizes

While riding around Vancouver by bike, we saw all different kinds of bikes. While there were traditional two wheeled bikes, we saw a wide variety of ways you could ride Vancouver.

When we saw a guy ride by on a unicycle, we snapped pictures to capture the sight, marvelling at his balance. People taking pictures of this guy must have been a common occurrence. He stopped and handed me a business card with his email address and asked that I share the pictures with him. This was a great tip for us to steal if we want to share the blogs that come out of the so many great pictures we take!

Probably the most unique bike we saw in our travels was the “Bear Necessities”. David stopped to talk with the bike owner and probe the history of this interesting bike.

Vancouver Is A Bike Friendly City

Biking is a serious business in Vancouver and bikers are well supported in the city. There are many places that you can rent bikes. And even one place that will deliver bikes if you have a group rental!

There are biking co-ops were you can drop in for a nominal fee to repair your bike and get advice if you are a novice at tinkering on your own.  We took advantage of the Our Community Bikes co-op at 2429 Main Street several times to get spare parts (fenders to let us ride in the rain) and to fix a flat tire.

And if you have problems while you are out, you will find scattered about the city in retail establishments places where you can repair your bike or get your tires pumped up. You should never be stranded when you travel Vancouver by bike.

Bike racks are everywhere so you don’t need to look far to find a place to securely leave your bike.

And if you ride too far, you may even be able to hop on the Bike Aquabus and hitch a ride for you and your bike!

We made great use of our bikes while we stayed in Vancouver, whether it was for fun or as transportation. We explored both inside the city and took our bikes on many of our day trips. We found it easy to find a bike friendly route to travel, whether on dedicated bike paths or on the street. Several times we took advantage of the great bike support system in the city. Make sure you explore Vancouver by bike when you visit!

Have you biked around Vancouver when you visited? Did you find it a great city to bike in? Did I miss any of the other major bike supports that are available in the city?