On this page we attempt to make available the experience of individual bicycle tourists who travel to Columbia (you can share your experiences here).
Table of Contents
Self-Guided Bicycle Tours in California & Oregon
LifeCycle Adventures specializes in working with couples and small groups to create custom cycling vacations. You tell them your dates and the style of riding you enjoy and they then design your trip. You even get to choose your lodging.
During your stay, LifeCycle Adventures take care of the logistics so you enjoy the freedom of cycling. Their support vans are always nearby to provide 24/7 support. You'll ride through breathtaking scenery and they help you find hidden gems and great restaurants.
Just some of the reasons they were awarded "Best Outfitter on Earth" by National Geographic Adventure Magazine.
Western Canada Rail (cancelled)
30 Oct 2002 -- This train has been cancelled per James Spears
James Spears, August 21, 2000
Renting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Alley Cat (downtown) or West Point Cycle (South-West of Burrard bridge) have bike rentals. I believe Alley Cat rents both road and mountain bikes with a wide variety of sizes.
For recumbents & specialized bikes, Cambie Cycles down at Cambie st, just south of the Cambie bridge rents them.
However, rental cost can be pricy. Imagine about $20-30 a day or about 80- $100/week.
Anyhow, if you're looking for a group to ride with or need directions to the local riding attraction, check out our Vancouver Bicycle Club website for details.
David Poon. Director, Publisher and Special Event Organizer for the VBC.
British Columbia bikes-on-buses
The British Columbia Cycling Coalition has just posted a comprehensive listing of the various transit systems in the province and whether or not they take bikes.
Go to: http://www.bccc.bc.ca/bikeracks.htm.
Cheers, Ken.
Portland, Oregon
Laura and Jonathan Einbinder wrote:
> 2. Is it hard to ride out of the Portland airport?
> 3. What is the best way to get from Portland to the coast? Bike (95 miles) or rent a car...? I would hate to spend 2 days (out of 7 or 8 total riding) on an unremarkable highway. The Bikecentennial map does give an alternate route (Highway 26) through the Cascades to the coast.
> 4. How do we get back to Portland (or other large airport city) if we bike down the coast? Car? train? bus?
My vote would be a ride down the Oregon coast. you need to get a copy of a book entitled, "Bicycling the regon Coast" by Robin Cody (ISBN No. 0-914143-25-5). Biking out of the Portland airport is very easy. You are correct in stating that the ride from the airport to Astoria is unremarkable, but it does have its moments. The book claims that you can take a bus to Astoria, but it seems to be a roundabout way to get there. I'm not sure that it still runs. nevertheless, the ride down the coast is worth any sacrifice you might have to make to get there.
At Brookings there is a bike shop that will box your bike and ship it back to you via UPS. They do a great job, and the price is right. Almost across the street from the bike shop is the Greyhound bus station from which you can get a ride back to Portland. At the bus station in Portland you can catch a shuttle to the airport. There is a great youth hostel at Fort Columbia. It is across the Astoria in bridge in Washington. you should work it in if you can. You might want to think twice about the 'little brown squirrel' hostel in Newport.
Ciao,
Portland, Oregon
The airport is close enough to the city to bike; city streets are fine, and there is a bike path parallel to the north-south interstate. You may want to bike along the Columbia river gorge before leaving the area, however. Not to be missed. We did not inquire about checking bike boxes at the airport, and since we have hard-shell cases, obviously did not want to discard them. There is a taxi stand with helpful people right at the airport. I would suggest getting a station wagon taxi rather than a van, since there is a surcharge of $15 for the van, and none for the station wagon.
Andrew Schwartz, March 01, 1997