My first trip was an ill-fated one to see the Jardin Botanique. I spent more than the allotted 30min Bixi time getting lost on my way to the park. I should mention that riding a Bixi is the equivalent to riding an SUV bike. They are 3 speed, heavy, upright machines. Having been used to my road bike in NYC, I wasn’t prepared for the time difference and the bikeshare is built for short commutes. It begins charging after 30min, 60 min and so on. (Later I learned that it is easy to dock at any station for two minutes and then set off again.) When I arrived at my destination, I discovered a full bike rack which meant, asking for more time and cycling a bit out of my way for the next rack. So much for my first experience but it still beat taking a Metro and bus and I ended up using the system four more times throughout the day without problems.

As with most bikeshares, the majority of stations are concentrated downtown. For my first three days in the city, this wasn’t a problem since I stayed in the center of town. I also got to use the Bixi system as a member which allows you to swipe your key and take a bike right away. I found it easy to head off to the Mile End area of town and then back downtown to the Musée d’Art Contemporain (both of which are fantastic and recommended). I also questioned the need for 3 speeds on the bike until I cycled part way up Mont Royal and over the Jacque Cartier bridge. It was then that I learned it is possible to cross bridges and cycle hills on a three speed dutch bike!

up the hill to Mont Royal, the old hospital

I spent my last two days further out in the city as a paid 24 hr member. This required me to swipe my credit card every time and obtain an unlocking code. Not totally inconvenient, but I did encounter two stations where the computers did not work. I also found more empty bike racks on the outskirts of the city. Even with these issues, I still had the best time cycling everywhere in Montreal. It cost me $12 to get around for the week and I experienced one the great joys in every city, riding fast downhill.

While you’re there check out some of my favorite spots, Le Cagibi, Drawn & Quarterly, Patati Patata (for poutine!) and hike up Mont Royal. The colors are perfect this time of year.

at the top of Mont Royal

I should start with a disclaimer. I am in love with Barcelona. It was by far and away my favorite of the cities I visited and cycled in on my trip. I arrived with some dreamy stereotypes in my head (ahem Vicky Cristina Barcelona – yeah I said it) and what I came away with was even more lovely than one Woody Allen film could depict! Ok so now that is out of the way, cycling culture!

I started my trip by meeting up with Txell from Barcelona Cycle Chic and Steven, a friend of hers from Pedal Messengers. They took me to rent a bicycle from My Beautiful Parking, a very cool bike shop in Barri Gotic (C/ Cervantes 5) where I got a lovely Fuji single speed for the next three days (15-35 Euros per day).

My new cycling friends and I went out for a night tour of the city where we mostly drank and ate for the next few hours…just my type of ride! We got to discussing the growing bike culture in Barcelona. The city installed Bicing, a bike share system in 2007 which helped launch bike culture in the city. Now Barcelona accounts for 10% of all Brompton sales!

You can see bike lanes and increasing numbers of cyclists around the city. Not to mention, Barcelona is the perfect size for commuting and has year round cycling weather. Because the culture is so new and fairly small, cyclists seem to unite together. I was hanging out with a a cycle chic blogger and a messenger and it wasn’t really a big deal. This is something you don’t find in NYC very often. It’a shame that we have our own pockets of bike groups here – commuters, messengers, racers, etc and very rarely do they intersect. One of the goals of my rides has been to bridge this divide!

I spent the next few days on my bicycle getting lost, cycling from one mountain to another and eventually to the beach. Everything in Barcelona is easily accessible and within 20-30min on a bicycle. Along the way I noticed that cars generally pay a little more attention to cyclists in BCN than in NYC and that cyclists here pretty much ride where they want. Bike theft is a problem just like any other city but people generally get away with using cable locks. To give you an example Steven locked his Cinelli frame to my Fuji and leaned it against a tree and we had no problems.

Overall Thoughts:

Barcelona is at a very exciting crossroads when it comes to bike culture! The newish bike culture makes for friendly cyclists and they ability to cycle in the narrowest of the old city roads…one of the coolest ways to get lost and see the city! But because the culture is new, look out for motorists who aren’t used to sharing the road.

I’m always going to recommend you spend a day on a bike in any city, but you should REALLY spend a day on a bike in Barcelona. It’s a smaller city with the perfect weather and great for cycling.

For more photos from the trip check out BrooklynbyBike on Flickr.

Some things that resonated with us…

• Vélib is more about the mind shift in eco-friendly transportation than the actual environmental impact.
• Bicycling in Paris has increased not due to Vélib but because people are riding more of their own bikes since Vélib was introduced.
• Vélib stations – located every 400m around Paris – help facilitate more human-human and human-nature interaction. Singles and friends are meeting up more and more in these stations.

See the trailer for yourself. The episode is narrated by Brad Pitt and should be re-airing again on PBS. Check you local listings. It made us feel inspired to continue to push forward with a similar program here in NYC.

You can see the exclusive podcast here.

Starting now, any NYU ID carded folks have access to a 30 bikes located at two on-campus sites. The bikes provided will be odd-shaped Birias, single-speed cruisers.

Apparently, “They scoop down in the front, so you can get on with a skirt or suit.” …just what we’ve always wished for.

[via ABC news]