When I visit cities overseas, I try to find a bicycle rental to ride around the town. It's a lovely way to discover interesting places, and lovely when there are safe routes for cyclists.
When friends visit Singapore, however, I usually suggest they cycle at Pulau Ubin. In recent yeas, however, park connectors have been gradually encircling Singapore and linking up. There are now safe routes through the city, which has many more interesting places in a small area and lots of great food. Ideal for a casual exploratory ride for locals and tourists alike.
I've always though, wouldn't it be great if there was bicycle rental in the city itself?
Well I was pleased to discover Druther's Bicycle Rental Singapore (druthers.sg) right in the city at Boat Quay!
Andrew Goh wrote me late last year to talk about his business. Druther's provides quality folding bikes (i. e. they aren’t $100 bicycles) and a map for self-guided tours. He can organise group rides to get to the city and good places for food stops, of course!
It's exciting to see a business like this open to locals and tourists alike. And just like bicycle rentals / city tours overseas, Druther's relies on Trip Advisor for reviews to spread the word.
From the comments there it seems Andrew has been delivering foldable bicycles to the various hotels and hostels which carry his flyers or notices. One reviewer said they received their bikes in 20 minutes so a spontaneous urge could lead to five hours of cycling! The rentals are available at night too.
Ash393 from Hong Kong says,
"I cycled from Boat Quay following the water around, crossing over bridges and seeing sailing boats in the harbour, passing by joggers running in the afternoon and walkers too.
I saw a lot of bars and restaurants where I could easily stop by and take a break. When I got tired of the the harbor, I went inland and cycled by parks and historic buildings and down city streets. I got some directions from helpful locals along the way.
I stopped at a food market and ate local Singaporean food. Singapore is relatively flat so cycling is always easy.
I thoroughly recommend cycling in Singapore, it made my trip unique and unforgettable, and it gave me another perspective of Singapore."
Andrew is keen that locals working in the CBD think about cycling after work, to enjoy foldables and a healthy lifestyle. Viewing photos on their Facebook page, I see some have begun to do so. It could be a nice way for me to meet up with my non-cycling friends in town after work, to get them to go for a spin before dinner.
Cyclists can venture further afield with a foldable bicycle, by going aboard the MRT and buses during off-peak hours [Mon-Fri: 9.30am - 4.00pm & 8.00pm to end of service; all day on weekends/public holidays.]. NParks has setup many Park Connector Networks around the island. Some are ideal to explore with interesting place to visit.
With a smart phone and data plan, Google Maps will free you up to explore many parts of Singapore - Druther's provides a bicycle lock. I'd suggest downloading a taxi booking app just in case you want to bail out for a ride and head back to town. With a foldable, that is easy.
How surreal that what I love doing overseas is now available in Singapore!
1 comment:
Hi,
im from Indonesia, and planning to held a cyling event in singapore for cycling.. would appreciate all the help i can get to get to know safe cycling in singapore..
Thanks
Fransisca (siesca.c@gmail.com)
Post a Comment