Mountain biking

[Bob & Lisa]

Hi - will be moving to Singapore soon. My plan was to leave my mountain bike behind for summer riding here in the U.S. Are there decent trails to ride in Singapore? I'm not by any means a great rider, but love to get out and would bring a bike if there were a few places to go. I'll be living up near the Singapore American School with only public transit to get me near any riding areas.

Thanks for any info.
Bob

[nakatago]

Bukit Timah or Pulau Ubin. That's about it.

[synack]

Hi Bob,

I do MTB myself but haven't tried any of the off-road trails since I got here 3 months ago. There's a list here though http://www.whereizzit.sg/off-road-bike-trails. I also know some of the bike shops organize rides on weekly basis and you can also join them.

[tonycur]

Although the mountain biking scene seems to be fairly limited in terms of location, if you're not going to have a car it certainly will be good to have a bike for general use - so far Singapre to me seems fairly bike friendly, particularly with the park connector network. For example I can get from my place in the east to the city only crossing a couple of roads and having bike paths carry me most of the way.

[nakatago]

Although the mountain biking scene seems to be fairly limited in terms of location, if you're not going to have a car it certainly will be good to have a bike for general use - so far Singapre to me seems fairly bike friendly, particularly with the park connector network. For example I can get from my place in the east to the city only crossing a couple of roads and having bike paths carry me most of the way.

That's not the case for the rest of the country though. Some park connectors are unmarked, some are being renovated of which you'll only find out when it's a long to turn back and some simply won't let you continue because there's an expressway in the way (I'm looking at you Kallang Park Connector).

[carteki]

There is not much in terms of mountain biking here, but a number of people prefer the hardier mountain bikes to road bikes for road trips in neighbouring Bintan, Batam and Malaysia.
If you're not paying for relcoation - bring your bikes with. You'll struggle to find bigger bikes (most are in the 15-16" range) and there are a number of social groups. There are also the road cyclists with their $xxx bikes too, but I find a road bike too limiting for travel and running errands on.

[Bob & Lisa]

Thank you all for the info. I do have another bike for street use, but it's straight up Chinese, basket in front and all. No matter how fast you pedal, that one sprocket just is not good for getting from A to B anytime soon. I might bring the MTB just for tooling around. If I periodically get to some dirt that can count as bonus time.
My understanding is that only foldable bikes are allowed on the MRT, correct?

[nakatago]

Thank you all for the info. I do have another bike for street use, but it's straight up Chinese, basket in front and all. No matter how fast you pedal, that one sprocket just is not good for getting from A to B anytime soon. I might bring the MTB just for tooling around. If I periodically get to some dirt that can count as bonus time.
My understanding is that only foldable bikes are allowed on the MRT, correct?

And not at all times. Only for non-peak hours, IIRC. Which makes it pretty effin' useless for commuting.

Can I bring my bicycle on board trains and buses?

If your bicycle is foldable, you may bring it on our trains and buses. It should be folded while on board. You are responsible for its safe carriage and must not leave it unattended at any time. Your bicycle should also be folded at all times in the MRT/LRT stations, and bus interchanges/terminals.

Note: Station staff and bus drivers may not allow foldable bicycles if a situation does not permit them to be admitted safely and without inconveniencing other commuters.

Can I bring my foldable bicycle on board anytime?

For the comfort of all passengers, your foldable bicycle can be carried onboard during the following times when our trains and buses are less crowded: Mondays to Fridays, 9.30am - 4.00pm and 8.00pm to the end of passenger service, and all day on weekends and public holidays

.

Perhaps you can consider getting street wheels for your MTB as wheel for going around.

[the lynx]

My understanding is that only foldable bikes are allowed on the MRT, correct?

Yup. But only of certain size and you can only carry it at off-peaks hours AND SMRT staff has the jurisdiction to stop you from carrying your foldable bicycles even if yours are within allowed dimension and at off-peak hours.

More info here: http://www.smrt.com.sg/RiderGuide/FAQ.aspx