Cycling in Kaoshung (Gaoxiong)

[Tunica]

Hi there! It's my first post. I will be moving to Taiwan from the Southeastern USA with my family in the next couple of months. I'm a very avid cyclist. I don't know if this means anything to Taiwanese but I'm a USAC Category 1 XC mountain bike racer. I'm only yet Cat 4 on the road but have had more interest in road racing this year.

We will probably live in Kaoshung (Gaoxiong), my Taiwanese wife prefers not to live in Taipei. As an American I've enjoyed that city too, but too much hustle/bustle for her I guess. What I'm wondering is what the bike commuting, road racing, and mountain bike racing scenes are like in Kaoshung (Gaoxiong). I hope to ride my bike to work and not get run over. I've been to Taiwan several times before so I'm not completely green. It would be terrific if there were some nice XC trails and mountain road rides close by.

By the way if you're interested to know, I'll probably be shipping over my two best bikes, a Niner Jet 9 mountain bike and a Fuji Roubaix SL road bike (note the Taiwanese KCNC seat post and stems). Any recommendations on the least expensive way to ship the bikes would be great. I am 193cm tall so I have them fit the way I need it to be. I'd probably be interested in trying downhill eventually, not too experienced there myself, but the MTB shop tour I took into the mountains of Taipei revealed some pretty insane trails.

[trubadour]

Nice bikes, man.
I'm not sure how tough you are when it comes to commuting. I commute in Taichung. It's gritty, but most people are attentive. Whenever I've been to Gaoxiong (K) I've always been impressed by the wide roads but I'm usually just passing through the main central areas.
As far as mountains go I'm pretty sure there are some around!
You might be advised to get a GPS/smartphone and just head out and explore. I hope you are good with humidity..
You are definitely doing the right thing by taking those bikes as it is sometimes a challenge to find bikes for people of your height. If I was you, I'd consider taking them apart completely and putting the stuff in boxes, rather than shipping them whole. Not that I've tried it. I've gone the carry-on route and its stupid. Any box with 'bike' on it immediately causes problems.

[Mucha Man]

Ktown has a decent urban network of bike trails and most roads are wide and have dedicated lanes for scooter, which cyclists can also use. It seldom rains so visibility is always good. Summers will be a slog though.

There are no mountains in the immediate area but within an hour you can get to the Jin Shui Yin Historical Trail, about 20km of downhill single track.

There's also a 40km route I think they just opened around Taoyuan on the South Cross Island.

Also check out these guys:
http://inmotionasia.com/adventure-tours ... iking.html

[Abacus]

I was told (or saw a sign) that the JinShui trail is closed to bikes now but you'll probably be able to ride it on weekdays.

Kaohsiung's roads are alright for commuting. I commute 1-2 times/week and I've survived so far but it's not fun riding in the city.

I don't know much about mountain biking trails but there are some great mountainous highways to ride all over the island.

[Tunica]

Thanks guys for your replies. I can deal with the humidity, not that I like it. As far as toughness goes, I'm not known for being tougher than an automobile so I'd like to avoid being hit by one In my experience, although Taiwanese traffic seems insanely hectic to me in the city, drivers look out for two-wheelers better than Americans do, and they don't expect to go full speed on every road, at least from what I've seen. You all may have different experiences.

Trails and mountains, I am glad to hear there are a few around in Kaoshiung (Gaoxiong). I am primarily an XC rider and roadie but would like to get into DH if given the opportunity. I still feel the soreness from a couple of badly broken fingers from a MTB marathon in the Franklin mountains of El Paso, Texas earlier this year. My fingers tell me that I'm not indestructible.

Thanks for the link to InmotionAsia.com. Last time when I came to Taipei I rented a mountain bike and the only thing they had was a size Large 26" hardtail. My tour host was told that I was a racer. Perhaps he wanted to make a point or something because he was riding a brand-new full-suspenion 29er on our tour; needless to say I was humbled that day going downhill on slick rocks and steep temple staircases.

Very much looking forward to moving over in the next couple of months.

[mimiliu161]

what is the best way to ship a bicycle from the US to Taiwan?

[trubadour]

troll!