Cycling in South Korea

[LouDeeter]

In an article in National Geographic Traveler, November 2014, they mention that cycling has become very big as recreation in South Korea. The country is building over 1000 miles of trails and it seems there is a transition from cycling just for transportation to cycling for enjoyment. Has anyone here cycled there recently?

[fiamme red]

Has anyone here cycled there recently?Goonster has: http://forums.thepaceline.net/showpost.php?p=1435324&postcount=13.

[Saint Vitus]

A friend of a friend was cycling the peninsula a month or two back and posted some images on FB, the bike paths looked smooth and sumptuous.

[vqdriver]

i've been daydreaming about riding there when i ever get back. goonster's comments echo what i've heard thru word of mouth. within seoul, there's a fairly good network of bike paths but clearly it's in the mup category. there is some deference to the weekend warrior groups that blow thru but still the expected strollers and dog walkers so not ideal for good effort. if you don't mind just cruising it's supposed to be awesome for seeing the city tho because it goes pretty much the length of the han river.

iirc, there's actually a dedicated path from seoul all the way to pusan. makes for a nice multi day ride to see the countryside.

[vqdriver]

just found this site which is more recent than the last time i googled korea riding. i'm even more tempted now.

http://nicolonelytraveler.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-longest-bicycle-path-in-world.html

tunnels just for bike paths!?!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Ch6LPkis74/UqHH_l-t4SI/AAAAAAAAFSg/6YsCmDWAdaI/s1600/DSC_8054.jpg

[goonster]

http://nicolonelytraveler.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-longest-bicycle-path-in-world.html

tunnels just for bike paths!?!


I dunno . . . doesn't sound much like the Korea I know.

I have ridden ca. 60 km of the path he describes into Busan, and would have preferred regular roads. The trail links a series of parks, the exits of which I found frustratingly difficult to find in the dark.

The trails may serve a purpose in getting you out of the cities and into the rural roads in the mountains, but they have all the limitations that multi-use trails have here. You wouldn't go to France to ride the "bike trails", would you?

Anyone seriously seeking cycling route guidance for Korea should contact Jan Boonstra, whose expertise on the subject is possibly unmatched. He describes the Seoul-Busan trail here (http://user.chollian.net/~boonstra/korea/sebu.htm) and provides links to annotated Google map routes.

[JWDR]

I regularly ride from my door in Yongsan, to all points in the greater Seoul Metropolitan area. As long as you don't mind getting up early or riding during the work week, the bike paths in the city aren't bad. There are also lots of slower traffic farm roads within 20 miles of Seoul that make for some good riding. I haven't ridden to Busan but find no issues with anything written in that article.

Saturday mornings when the weather is nice, the only way I'll ride the Han is with my family.

[JWDR]

A few pics from the 4 River Trails along the Han.
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/WorldDominationRegime/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-03/D73BB3D3-6A36-449A-A823-D380306A6F2A.jpg
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/WorldDominationRegime/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-03/52A8B923-ACC0-4FC8-BA97-997AEA00AE90.jpg
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/WorldDominationRegime/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-08/2C9F177F-F5A4-489E-AB6A-B76A3DE17BB2.jpg
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/WorldDominationRegime/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-08/FBD1AAC2-CDC0-4AD1-842D-E2D666429BFC.jpg
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/WorldDominationRegime/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-08/6166E631-190E-45E7-8F9C-568FD6A9CC80.jpg
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/WorldDominationRegime/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-08/2BA7C220-1960-4558-91F0-2C65B45FE160.jpg
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/WorldDominationRegime/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-06/87C8254D-B1C4-435E-952A-E85CDFAB56B4.jpg
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/WorldDominationRegime/AB7E2395-58DF-471E-8FDE-AB3B914570DA.jpg
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/WorldDominationRegime/28E2CDC7-FAD7-4966-A0F7-CD2445CAB258.jpg
http://i914.photobucket.com/albums/ac345/WorldDominationRegime/52A8D5CD-7FDE-4790-94DE-3F6A237ABBD9.jpg

[adampaiva]

Reviving an old thread as I just booked spur of the moment ticket to Korea today. I leave in a week. I plan to spend 5-7 days in Seoul and 7-10 days out somewhere in the countryside/mountains to cycle. Day rides from a home base, not bike touring.

I found this page which has several nice looking routes out of Dangyang so I'm thinking about that as the base. Anyone have experience or have other recommendations? I'll be on my Rick Jones w/ 35 mm tires so road / gravel type riding.
https://www.cafeducycliste.com/en_us/la-gazette/cc-korea/

[pasadena]

I love riding in Seoul. There are some great local loops you need to do in Seoul:
Namsan (Seoul Tower) and Bugaksan (people call it the Nam-Buk loop), and of course the bike paths on the Han River. You can ride all day, literally, on the paths. There are quick marts, restaurants, bike-friendly bathrooms all on the path. Touristy areas get crowded mid-day to afternoon, but it's just more atmosphere to enjoy.
There are a few cool cycling cafes too, depending on where you explore. Tons of cyclists. On weekends, you can just follow all the cyclists! Riding past the Kings Palace and President's Residence is pretty cool too.
I always ride early mornings and weekends - easily 3-6hr rides. It's great.

Try stopping by Watts cycling in Hannam-dong to get some more info on where to ride. They speak English. I don't know what kind of gravel riding there is there outside of Seoul. Rapha is there, but it is a bit tricky to find- they are really good with places to ride as well.
Get familiar with Naver maps (like google maps) and click the bike icon to see all the bike paths. There are street views, so it's really helpful.

There is a fun bicycle passport you can get...ask about it! There are British telephone boxes at points along the bike path -I think all the way down to Busan!- with 'passport' stamps. I never did it but i've seen many do it. I think you can pick up the passport at some local marts.
*found some info on it
https://www.koreabybike.com/certification/


Reviving an old thread as I just booked spur of the moment ticket to Korea today. I leave in a week. I plan to spend 5-7 days in Seoul and 7-10 days out somewhere in the countryside/mountains to cycle. Day rides from a home base, not bike touring.

I found this page which has several nice looking routes out of Dangyang so I'm thinking about that as the base. Anyone have experience or have other recommendations? I'll be on my Rick Jones w/ 35 mm tires so road / gravel type riding.
https://www.cafeducycliste.com/en_us/la-gazette/cc-korea/

[adampaiva]

Great. Thank you Pasadena !

[RobbieTunes]

The S Korean bike paths are great. They like things clean and smooth.

Many of the roads, are, too. They paint great lines on them and immediately ignore the markings.

I'd ride on the bike paths any time. Not sure I'd ride on the roads, especially around the circles. It was organized chaos the last time I was there.

Personal cycling accountability to the nth degree, you were on your own. Either ride as if you were invisible or prepare to get hit. Very nice people. Chaotic drivers in rural areas.

My main concern would be potable water. Was and is a concern in many areas, which tend to boil first.

[goonster]

My main concern would be potable water. Was and is a concern in many areas, which tend to boil first.

How recent is this concern?

[RobbieTunes]

How recent is this concern?Ha! 20+ years. We boiled all our water with a couple of barleycorns in the pot, even in Taegu. People I know who've been there recently say pretty much the same. Boil or roll the dice in rural areas.