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how is Biking in Brussels (and Paris and Madrid..)?

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how is Biking in Brussels (and Paris and Madrid..)?

Old 09-18-10, 04:46 PM
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how is Biking in Brussels (and Paris and Madrid..)?

I'm going to Europe very soon and I want to take my bike with me and ride a fair amount. I hear that Brussels is a bad city to bike and that I shouldn't bring it. So has anyone one here biked in Brussels (or Paris and Madrid, which I also hope to visit while there)? How do they compare to cycling in a city like Boston for example?
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Old 09-18-10, 05:01 PM
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I love biking in Paris, and last biked there in June of this year. The city is much more bike friendly than it used to be. They've added a significant number of bike lanes, as well as bike/bus/taxi only lanes. Plus, the "Vélib" (Vélo libre) system of short-term free or cheap bike rentals throughout the city has been a phenomenal success, greatly increasing the number of cyclists on the streets.

I've been to Brussels and Madrid but haven't biked in either. My sense is the Madrid would be OK, though I have seen very few cyclists in most Spanish cities. I don't have any sense of what biking would be like in Brussels. I have biked in Antwerp and Liege and both were fine. If you're comfortable biking in Boston, I suspect you'd be comfortable biking in all of these cities.
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Old 09-18-10, 05:21 PM
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I did Brussels over 20 years ago and it was no worries.
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Old 09-19-10, 02:17 AM
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If you'd ask somebody living in Flanders if they'd bike in Brussels there's a big change they'll say 'hell no! that's way too dangerous'. But really it's okay, a lot of people cycle here. You just need to stand your ground. (And refuse to ride on the badly designed bike lanes to avoid dooring/patches of glass)
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Old 09-19-10, 02:24 AM
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I've cycled in Paris and it was all right. I'm not overly fond of cycling in cities, but compared with some of the other cities I've cycled in, Paris was better than most. Outside of Paris ... I loved cycling in rural France.
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Old 09-19-10, 01:05 PM
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I road all around brussels in 2003. It's a fun city to ride around, I totally recommend it. If you are used to riding around Boston you won't have any problems.

Usually recommendations saying not to ride in a particular city come from non-cyclists, and are not particularly useful.
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Old 09-19-10, 02:18 PM
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OTOH, the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe is truly scary. I walked that one.
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Old 09-19-10, 05:22 PM
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IMO it isn't worth bringing your own bike unless you plan to do an actual bicycle tour for at least 1 week. It almost certainly isn't worth it if you plan to fly to multiple cities in a relatively short period. (Train for intercity is fairly easy though)

Flying with a bicycle is kind of a PITA and is getting more expensive. You will need to get your bike to and from the airport, box your bike (either before or at the airport), and will get charged at least $50 per flight by most airlines.

IMO you're almost certainly better off renting a bike. I'd also spend time in other cities like Ghent or Brugge, very good cycling in Flanders.
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Old 09-20-10, 01:11 AM
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Renting a Villo! bike in Brussels is extremely cheap (you do need a credit card). I too think it's going to be more trouble than it's worth unless you actually plan to tour.
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Old 09-27-10, 11:18 AM
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Free Bicycle Maps of Brussels

La Promenade Verte (The Green Walk) is a 65 km loop around Brussels, leading you along parcs, lanes and natural reserves. The luxurious brochure in Dutch or French is for free and can be obtained following the next link:
https://www.bruxellesenvironnement.be...60&detail=tab3

The digital version of the brochure:
https://www.bruxellesenvironnement.be...?langtype=2060

The digital version of the map:
https://cartoweb2.ibgebim.be/cartoweb...&langtype=2060

Nearly for free (1 euro!) is the bicycle map of Brussels. This 'Carte vélo - Fietskaart' is available from a few addresses in Brussels:

La Maison des Cyclistes, 15 rue de Londres, 1050 Bruxelles - T 02 502 73 55
Point vélo VUB-Voot 40, boulevard du Triomphe - T 02 762 48 93
Point vélo NoORD, sortie gare du Nord - direction Rogier - T 02 203 85 55
Point vélo CENTRaAL, gare centrale, accès rue de la Madeleine - T 02 513 04 09
Point vélo Luxembourg, dans le hall de la gare de Luxembourg - T 02 224 77 22
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Old 09-27-10, 09:06 PM
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I'm with Machka on this one. I prefer rural touring. Biking in an unfamiliar city is not my idea of a good time. I have visited large metropolises such as London, Paris, and Los Angeles, and phew! It takes a lot of effort to keep track of where you are, deal with unfamiliar rules of the road, ask for directions, and so on.

I find mid-sized cities are marginally easier to get around, but a lot depends on the city. I was mostly OK in Ottawa, thanks to its comprehensive bike path system that happened to go almost exactly where I needed to go. But Quebec City's ancient cobblestone roads and steep hills were challenging on a bike.

Give me a scenic country road anytime!

It's a different story if you are spending a lot of time in a city; then you have a chance to learn the place.
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Old 09-28-10, 12:17 AM
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Their cities don't sprawl for miles..
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Old 09-29-10, 01:44 PM
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Madrid is not a good cycling city

I cannot speak for Paris and Brussels because I have not visited either city in recent years, but I transited through Madrid last winter. The central parts of the city have been turned into streamlined avenues and boulevards for cars, engineered so that they can quickly navigate between neighborhoods. Drivers behave like they are Italians, even though they are Spaniards, and are considerably more polite when they are not behind the wheel.

Some European cities will impress you with their bike friendliness. Not Madrid.

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Old 10-01-10, 08:07 PM
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rent a bike
My friend took his. His case was over 50lbs from all the crap he had in it. It cost him $800 each way. I rented a nice trek through the tour company.
Arrange the rental very early if it is during or near the time of le Tour, if you will be in France.
Hauling the bike around in the case was a major pain.
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Old 10-05-10, 01:20 PM
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Thanks Guys!
I've been in Brussels for about a week and I find the city very ridable except for some cobblestone streets (700Cx23 100psi :/ ) and some "free ways" that cut through the city. pasopia is totally right; I shouldn't listen to recommendations from non-cyclists.
I brought my bike in a second hand cardboard bike box which did pretty well. Final weight was ~10kg out of the 20kg I could bring. I was luck I didn't end up paying overweight or special charges.
I went to Leuven which is a lot more bike friendly + has some nice country side roads.
The real problem with Brussels is that it's almost aways cloudy so it's very easy to get lost. But it's manageable.
Villo's aren't really bikes... not IMHO.
fietslogies thank you so much for the links!
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Old 10-05-10, 03:04 PM
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Glad you like it here!
If you're still around I'd suggest you visit Ghent with your bike, it's just a 60km ride. Ghent is much more lively than Leuven and there are bikes everywhere you look

https://www.flickr.com/photos/muriel_vd/984799647
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Old 10-12-10, 04:59 AM
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Originally Posted by lechatmort
Glad you like it here!
If you're still around I'd suggest you visit Ghent with your bike, it's just a 60km ride. Ghent is much more lively than Leuven and there are bikes everywhere you look
Woah! I'll make sure to visit soon! I also hear there is a velodrome there? I'd like to try that.
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Old 10-18-10, 06:27 AM
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Ghent velodromes

Ghent has two velodromes. The oldest one is the famous Kuipke Velodrome, home for the annual 'Six Days of Ghent', end of november. Out of that period it's hardly used. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Days_of_Ghent

The second one is brand new and located in 'De Blaarmeersen', a huge site full of sport accomodations. The velodrome is called 'Cycling Centre Eddy Merckx'. Probably it's easier to try this one. gent@bloso.be https://www.topsporthal.be/EN/start/
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