On Two Wheels – Semester Abroad Canada

On Two Wheels – Semester Abroad Canada

On Two Wheels

Report by Silvan G.

Nanaimo is a great city for cyclists. Everywhere is reachable by bike within an hour. Public busses offer a great network and allow for one person to bring a bike along without extra charge. However, the hills and steep streets do request for a good bike with many gears. There are many bike paths throughout the city and the backcountry. Drivers generally respect cyclists and give way.

I bought my bike through a friend. Other ways of buying a new or used bicycle are through the many outdoor stores, websites such as “craigslist” or through your host family. I invested into a road-bike. These things are important to remember: Make sure that you have good lights, sharp breaks, at least three gears and preferably fenders (as it does rain a lot). Also you should note that it is a LAW in British Columbia to wear a helmet, although I was never checked!!!

Exciting Trips:

The E&N trail through Nanaimo is the first great trip to take when getting a bike. Here you can explore the city and see many places that you can’t access by car. It is also a great trail to get around. I used this trail, for example to get to the North End of the city.

More challenging trails start just above VIU. If you follow the Jingle Pot Road to the Westwood Lake, you can find smaller, single trials that are more demanding and surrounded by woods. In the summer the mountain bikers meet here and ride well-planned obstacle trails, which offer difficult obstacles and jumps.

If you prefer to stay off the dirt and cycle more along the roads, I can promise you the island is the right place. All the highways are equipped with a hard shoulder so that one has enough space to cycle. The roads to Tofino, Port Alberni, Victoria and Qualicum Beach are well paved and easy to ride. Especially during the night (early morning) you might want to be riding these roads as they are less busy.

The best trip of all though was on Gabriola Island. To get there, just take the ferry where transporting your bike is free of charge. I recommend getting a map on the ferry which introduces you to the great 20 kilometer street loop. Along the way you will find beautiful sceneries and beaches.

Parking:

Parking your bike at VIU is possible and easily accessible. An official bike park is located right next to the gym. Further smaller stands are placed all around the campus. If you decide to buy or borrow a bike that is valuable I would recommend investing into a good lock as friends of mine had there bike stolen. Thus I would not advise you to leave it parked outside overnight at any place at all. VIU security is working currently on installing cameras around the bike park, so that the number of acts of theft and damage decreases.

Repair and Help:

I found that “hubcity cycles community co-op” (www.hubcitycycles.ca) offers a great service when it comes to repairing your bike. They also sell used bikes and offer services where you can use their tools to fix the bicycle yourself. As they are a non-profit organization, you can also offer to volunteer. The team is friendly and very welcoming to new cyclists.

So, enjoy the ride!