Bike/Pedestrian Paths in Bogota

adrimm says on Dec 5, 2004, 10:32:

Oh and one more thing How much and where could I rent/hire a bike to explore these?

Gracias :)

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adrimm says on Dec 5, 2004, 10:36:

A link http://pages.infinit.net/colombia/bogota/trans/ciclo.html

Looks quite inspiring.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Dec 5, 2004, 10:51:

Bikes I don't know of anyplace to rent bikes here but you can buy a reasonable Colombian or Chinese made bike for less than $50. Carrefour has them, Exito has them. There are also good deals to be had on nicer bikes of questionable provenance in the pawn shops along Avenida Caracas roughly between Calle 60 and 80 or maybe a little farther downtown.

The best biking thing about Bogota is the Sunday morning and holiday ciclovias, when lots of major roads are closed to motor traffic for the benefit of bikes and pedestrians. You can ride all the way from the north of Bogota to Plaza Bolivar and points south along Carrera 7 that way.

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adrimm says on Dec 5, 2004, 11:09:

Naw, maybe I can borrow one then I'm not going to be living there, just visiting for a awhile. Hmm ah well, one of my cousions may know someone who can loan me one.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Dec 5, 2004, 12:18:

Make someone happy That's possible. Or you could buy one for $50 and make one of your cousins a nice present when you leave.

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kernow62 says on Dec 5, 2004, 12:43:

You could do as Mr. Hollywood says and perhaps have the loan of it when you visit Bogotá again. I have left a bike with a friend in Cornwall for just this purpose, he also has my wellies, but it beats packing them in the suitcase covered with sheep shit.

I did notice quite a few using the routes to commute, or at least I assume they were commuting. Not like you are in Holland or China, but certainly a few.

I am an avid cyclist and admire what Bogotá has done, I wish more cities would follow this path.

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adrimm says on Dec 5, 2004, 14:17:

LOL Ew.. Kernow, That and overzealous entry-people. My 2 days on a farm in the UK cost me 30 min of lost time on re-entry to Canada as they grilled me over what livestock was kept there, how clean my shoes where, and made me walk the disinfecting mat umpteen times.

I don't go to Col often enough to really buy one and just leave it there, especially not at $50 USD - I'm a student and that's 1/2 my monthly groceries.... (I'd love to bring my own little GT but can't justify it for a what may just be one or 2 rides, and 4 flights worth of being tossed around isn't too desireable either).

Ah well, still not sure how long I will be there for so I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Did you ride at all yourself on your last trip to Bogota?

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kernow62 says on Dec 5, 2004, 19:48:

No I did not ride at all on my trip, although I will entertain the idea next time. The Hotel Dann Norte is surrounded by Cicloruta paths and the area is beautiful. It was my first visit to Bogotá and I was not aware of the cycling infrastructure even though Penalosa did an article in cycling magazine.

I can see your point if $50 USD is half your grocery bill, why not buy a used Strida on eBay, they are weird to look at but easy to transport and they ride pretty nice for what they are. You can latch on to them for about $100 and use it anywhere you travel.

I have a GT too, my MTB is a GT but a good one before they were purchased by Pacific. It is in the shop now having the shifters and brakes upgraded.

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adrimm says on Dec 5, 2004, 22:12:

Thanks for the suggestion Kernow, Strida. Are these the little folding bikes that the RVers and boaters all use? So cute! I checked the name on ebay and came up empty-handed, but they do have other folding bikes.

My GT is also a pre-Pacific MTB, it's my 2nd tho. I had a beautiful dusty blue Palomar that weighed a ton, but it was stolen and I managed to get the last 12.5 inch frame "old" GT in the city. Try finding a 12.5 frame (anytime). It's a chrome-coloured aluminum frame Aggressor 3.0. It was so shiny when I got it I just about duct taped the frame for fear it would get stolen. I settled for a $70 (CAD) lock instead - ouch. It's become more of a commuter bike, but I've still got the shocks and knobby tires hanging in the closet for when I have time (and the guts) to learn how to Mtn bike properly.

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kernow62 says on Dec 6, 2004, 05:16:

Strida

http://www.strida.com/

 

I think they have the others beat in a couple of important ways. It is much lighter, doesn't use a chain or any grease (important when you are travelling). Disadvantages, it is single spped, not fast, a bit jittery on descents, and weird looking. (In many places the latter is an advantage).

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Mr. Hollywood says on Dec 6, 2004, 07:18:

Wow, I like that That strida is really cool. Especially because it checks on an airplane for free. Someone could really abuse the 60-day no-questions-asked trial period, if you know what I mean.

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adrimm says on Dec 6, 2004, 16:43:

Very very cool I will have to consider that (in the future).

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webmanco says on Aug 7, 2006, 21:23:

New improvements on Bogota's Ciclovia, August 13



Tendrá baños portátiles, puntos de primeros auxilios y veterinarios, más módulos de ventas, cinco tarimas adicionales para aeróbicos, espacios para deporte extremo y cicloparqueaderos, entre otros.

Saber dónde están será fácil. Habrá una señalización diferenciada por letras. En la que tiene la letra A el usuario tendrá ocho opciones, incluyendo las más importantes: baños y primeros auxilios. Las demás, identificadas como A1, B y C, tendrán entre seis y siete opciones.


Todo esto llegó por un estudio de la Universidad Nacional para el Instituto Distrital de Recreación y Deporte (Idrd), encargado de la ciclovía. A 60.000 asistentes se les preguntó qué querían.

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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