Cycling Glasgow ain't just about
being snooty at drivers

Folks cycling Glasgow simply appear
that little bit happier

The Lowdown | Guide | Best Routes | Videos

Are 2 wheels better than 4?

Well I guess that's down to you really.

I'll point out from the start that I'm no hypocrite - I drive a car, occasionally catch the bus or train, hey, I'll even walk a few yards now and again (just to make sure I can of course).

But apart from a few childhood and recent cycle rides around the tiny island of Millport - which absolutely everyone should do at least once in their life by the way, if only for the well-earned ice cream at the end - I'll admit right now that I don't ride a bike very often, whether it's cycling Glasgow or indeed anywhere else.

So, now that I hope I've made sure you know that at the outset, I now intend to go on and convince you that cycling Glasgow without a doubt is something you should give a try when you're here!

Nope, not a hypocrite - no siree...

...Anywho, if you want to know what cycling Glasgow is like, what captivating cycle routes Glasgow will open up for you, or why if you're wise enough to bring along or hire a mountain bike Scotland will simply smack you right in the face with the challenge of your life, just come here, put on your gear, and start pedaling.

Slowly but surely, my happy but heavy old friend Glasgow has woken up to the benefits of the bike. When you look around these days, you'll see folks here and there just ignoring other folks on bicycles, where before you would've seen them look with sheer confusion at these funny little characters on two wheels, lightly weaving their way in and around the traffic conjestion with an air of satisfaction, heading out of the city smog and down country paths too narrow for 4x4s.

Because cycling Glasgow has become normal.

Just another way to get around. People will jump on their bike to commute to work or university, or will mountain bike their way over any obstacle and dirt track they can find here. They'll fill their family with porridge on a Sunday morning then whip them out for a ride around the park. And you'll catch riders whispering past you in the City's network of cycle lanes as you absently lick the car window wondering how nice it'd be to get some breeze on your face.

Given the Council's perpetual drive to improve our health, ridding the City of her doctor's note reputation, you'll find cycling in Glasgow is getting easier. Whilst the Glasgow Cycle Network is not yet fully completed, meaning that you'll often ride on a cycle lane which suddenly stops and leaves you to fend with the traffic as usual, as long as you're aware of the Highway Code you should be fine.

And when you head off the main traffic routes and into one of the many cycle-friendly parks or even onto the longer trails out into the looming wonder of Scotland, at your own pace you'll be invigorated like never before by our majestic scenery, wildlife and heritage.

So think of me sitting broken in my purring car - for those happy, healthy souls with bikes Glasgow is waiting...

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What to know before pedaling away

Cycling Glasgow is an open book for cyclists with all levels of experience. If you're not a weathered hand at this game and your head still ambles perplexed over the map of bike hire Glasgow shops, never mind the basics even on how to cycle in Glasgow, then your first port of call should be the Highway Code . This completely invaluable guide will tell you everything you'll need to know about cycling Glasgow safely, so it'd be a waste of your time if I unresponsibly carved it down and repeated it here. Regardless of your experience, you should always know the Code, and I'd suggest that you do so for the safety of yourself and of everyone else.

Wow did I sound serious there!

Once you're up to speed with the how to's, and need to find the best bike shops Glasgow has to offer, whether it's for cycle hire, second hand or mountain bikes or even just for spare parts and cycling gear, the most reputable places to type into your Google map are Halfords and Alpine Bikes. You'll find a whole load of other shops sprinkled around the place, but these two will have everything you'll need for cycling Glasgow. Halfords is more for purchasing items and Alpine Bikes for hiring as well, so just do a search in Google Map and you'll see how to get to all their shops in the area. Just speak to them and tell them what type of experience you're looking for, what level you're at and where you think you'll be headed, and without ripping you off they'll make sure you have the right gear to take with you.

When you're there, apart from the obvious bike and safety gear, you might want to pick up a Glasgow cycle map with all the best routes and trails laid out for you. Then it really is just a case of setting off wherever the mood takes you, and learning for yourself why cycling in Scotland is an experience that draws thousands of cyclists from all over the world each year.

I'm sure I could go into extra fine detail about bike maintenance, the best clothing to wear, how to put your feet on the pedals and so on, but I'm accused more than often about rehearsing the Book of the Obvious, so will simply take it that if you've read this far, you already know enough about cycling and just need to know where the Glasgow bike shops and routes are. If you need any other information however, just let me know, and no doubt I'll add it to this increasingly useless guide.

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The best cycle routes Glasgow opens up for you

Think of Glasgow as a gateway to the rest of the Country. As I mention in my guide to walking Glasgow, we're located here right at the hub of Bonny Scotland, the gateway to some of the most breathtaking scenery on the planet, so you really are spoilt for choice if this place is your starting point.

In the City itself the most famous cycling Glasgow routes you'll find are the peaceful (or as challenging as you can handle) Glasgow Mountain Bike Circuit in Pollok Park, the Glasgow to Loch Lomond Cycleway, the Glasgow to Edinburgh Cycleway, and the Greenock Cut.

However, I'd suggest that the best thing you could do is to email Glasgow City Council Land Services (land@glasgow.gov.uk) and ask them to send through to you all their current cycling Glasgow leaflets, including in particular their Fit for Life leaflet, which provides a great wee Glasgow cycle map with all the routes you'll need within the City. I emailed them and got the leaflets through the next day, so they're pretty efficient there.

The ethos behind Glasgow's Fit for Life campaign doesn't stop within the City though. It encourages cyclists to head out into the hundreds of easy to difficult cycling routes in Scotland, and to begin to understand why our Country in particular has become one of the world's top superstar draws when it comes to mountain biking.

The Mountain Bike World Championships are often held in these here parts, reflecting just how superb our undulating forest and mountain terrain is in comparison with everywhere else, and every year a whole host of seasoned and extreme bikers attend the many events and biking centres dotted around the Country, enhancing the delight of the hoardes of spectators in what's fast becoming one of the most popular sports anywhere.

For more information on the routes, events and trails for mountain biking in Scotland, I'd recommend the gobike.org and cycling.visitscotland.com sites for starters, as they lay out all the basic stuff needed to organise a cycling trip here, and even point you in the direction of the various clubs you can attach yourself to if you'd prefer to ride along with other like-minded souls.

So given that the routes you're looking for are laid out on loads of other sites and in the Council's leaflets already, I'll just leave it at that - all this talk about healthy activity is making me two-tyred anyway.

Eh? Eh?...Anyone?...

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Some biking videos for fun

Just to give you a wee flavour of what to expect when you'll be cycling Glasgow and Scotland, here's a few videos for you. Of course, I'd have filmed myself doing all the tricks, showing off my danger skills on a bike, but my camera's broken.

...Ahem...

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Cycling Glasgow ain't just aboutbeing snooty at drivers