Was lucky to get Alec for a long road bike ride out into the foothills of Yangmingshan (85 km of scenic climbs and winding descents on quiet roads and then along the bike paths to get in and out of Taipei city), booked as a special ride based on my road riding ability. It was a stellar day, albeit a grueling ride and testing my ability on the steeper downhills than I am used to - but Alec was incredibly patient and encouraging. I picked up some new skills in cornering descents and riding over the drop bar! We stopped at a couple of FamilyMarts en route to stock up on fluid and get some snacks, as well as a cheeky coffee and cheesecake break. The Merida bike that I hired was in top notch condition, and set up for my size specs. Alec can make minor adjustments for you as he knows the mechanics of bikes (we did a brake adjustment on the ride). They also put on the compatible pedals for my mountain bike cycling shoes that I had on me so I could clip in. I brought my own helmet, gloves and water bottle, but you can hire a helmet and buy a water bottle there. FYI The pokari bottle fits into a bike bottle cage if you don't want to buy a cycling water bottle there if you've forgotten yours. I thoroughly enjoyed my day out on the bike and recommend this to anyone who loves long road rides, and climbing. Paying for a trip like this means you get the bonus of someone who knows the route so you don't have to keep checking your map for which roads to use to get the nice quiet and scenic route - then you can capitalize on descents and a flow of cycling without the faff of directions. For a day like this you'll need to email Alec and have a chat about your cycling experience as it isn't a standard offering. I hired my same bicycle again the next day to go and checkout the vast array of riverside bike paths across Taipei city - which Alec and Beatrice were very accommodating at figuring out collection and drop off times with the shop opening hours. These are fairly well signed so you don't need to be guided for them. My only regret is my bu$$ was so sore that I couldn't ride these nice flat, quiet, scenic bike paths longer. I'll most definitely be using Taipei Bike Works on future trips to Taipei /Taiwan, for bike hire and for getting a long and challenging guided road bike ride in. Thanks Alec!

Not so long ago, bicycles ruled the road in Taiwan. Two of the world's largest bicycle makers, Merida and Giant, have their origins in Taiwan. Bicycle is still the best way to see Taipei, just keep an eye out for crazy drivers. I rode my bicycle around Taipei for several years and came to no harm.

Amazing bike tour of Taipei! I'm overdue in writing this review, but we did an incredible tour back in October. Really good cycling, very interesting cultural attractions, and loads of good food. Alex was a great tour guide and I really enjoyed the whole experience.

Did the all day tour and it was incredible how many things you get to see in such a short amount of time. Despite this it didn’t feel rushed at all and there was time to enjoy all the attractions. Our tour guide Alec was very knowledgeable and passionate about Taiwan and did a good job of answering questions. Even if you’re living in Taipei you’ll see places you usually don’t get to visit and take a nice route as well through some nice alleys.

We did the 4 hour morning tour with Alex. It was the height of lunar New Years and so many of the markets were closed, and it was raining off an on as well, so not the best of conditions. But Alex was so engaging and informative that we had an outstanding morning. Saw all the important sites, ate some delicious food, and learned all the interesting things there are to know about Taiwan. Highly recommended!

Alex and Alec were very knowledgeable not only about the routes in the cities but also the rich history around many different places. As a Korean who had a somewhat similar history as Taiwan with the Japanese occupation, a civil war, and a long dictatorship afterward, it was fascinating to connect the dots. Even though it was just me for the whole 8-hour tour, Alex guided me throughout and it turns out to be a blast with the great weather as a bonus. Highly recommended for people who want to explore Taipei more closely.

We had a blast, this is the best way to see Taipei if you only have a day & even if you have Many days. The team is very accommodating, can’t ask for more.

Alex and Alec are both really nice and knowledgeable. They also gave us information so we could explore more on our own as well. We did the full day ring ride which took in many sights. We saw and learnt about things that we would not normally have done by ourselves. We started with a morning local market, then had a typical Taiwanese breakfast. Our lunch was excellent, very generous proportions, with scrumptious noodles, dumplings and meat in a rich broth. We went along the famous Dihua Street, learnt about the electric motorbikes and the battery exchange system, rode along the riverside on the west side and saw the typhoon walls. We saw contrasts between the hectic poorer areas and the posher richer areas. We saw the changing of the guards at Chiang Kai Shek memorial, the presidential buildings, Da’an park, went past the iconic affordable Michelin starred Din Tai Fung, Taiwan 101 before heading north riding along the open park area on north side of the Keelung River. it was a great introduction to the city. Later we went back on our own to Songshan night market to buy the tiger sugar bubble tea that Alex told us about. What really stood out about the experience was the information - who would have known that the seamless metro system is run by different private companies, that each temple is dedicated for a different purpose, the elections coming up and the different parties running etc. It is a great snap shot overall. The ride was easy and flat, the only times it was challenging is in the crowded areas with traffic and people but it added to the experience and we lived to tell the tale.

Now where do I start? I took the tour at the start on my weeklong vacation in Taipei (my first visit to Taiwan) and it’s been one of the best travel experiences anywhere (Been across Western Europe, America, most of Far East, Australia and NZ). First off the tour is designed to be as seamless as possible with everything, I mean absolutely everything from meals, snacks, drinks and tipping being included in the price. The experience was highly personal, felt like having an old friend guide you through their city, except with much more knowledge than a typical friend. Our guide Alex had the qualities of a great guide, amiable yet professional, passionate about the subject, eloquent, flexible, attentive and considerate. He was also extremely knowledgeable. Knew everything from Taiwan’s history and political structure as well as various creative government policies that form the clockwork of the society to micro details such as the characteristics of each bubble tea brand. The tour was incredible comprehensive, could not believe how much I saw and learned in one day. Visited many off the beaten path locations and great food that’s hard to find online. On the other hand it’s much more manageable then it sounds, with most of the way being flat terrain. I started the tour knowing little, left with fond memories and great photos, complete orientation of the city (hence clear plans for the rest of the trip), a clear understanding of the Taiwanese society and most importantly great appreciation for Taiwan and it’s people. If deciding between half and full day, both start with the half day tour with breakfast, light riding and visiting sites on foot. The half day ends right before lunch at the CKS memorial where as the full day continues after that where you make you way from the memorial to the 101 then around the pretty much whole city. There’s about 4X more riding in the second half of the full day. For those short on time or energy half day is decent, covering several key sights but the full day is where you really experience the city like a local. If you have just have moderate fitness I can’t recommend the full day enough. At sub 100 USD it’s a bargain(a steal if you’re lucky with small group). Honestly cannot think of a more pleasant, comprehensive, efficient and immersive way to see the city.

Did the 8 hours full day tour. Great for active people who don't mind cycling. You get to explore all the important areas which typical (bus, car) tours go to, AND heartland areas which typical tourists (bus, car) would not have the chance to go to. Alex is a great tour guide; provides a lot of information on history, culture and quirks of Taipei. Great personality and attitude! The bicycles are of great quality and comfortable to cycle in. Highly recommended!

What can I say... Alec and Alex are amazing set of people! They are some of the most friendliest people I have ever meet and are happy to help in all ways. The bike tour went for around 5 hours as they asked us at the start if we wanted to go longer than the 4 hours, which I recommend as we got to try and really great food and the breakfast was a real highlight. Pro tip: don’t eat before you go as there is lots of food for breakfast! It’s all flat so don’t worry you don’t need to be fit!

Our 8hr bike tour through diverse parts of Taipei was fun, informative, and memorable. The bikes are new and well maintained. Alex and Alec are knowledgable, supportive, and pleasant guides. They really went out of their way to show the diversity of Taipei and help us understand what is behind the things we see. The ride was not difficult but involved city traffic. I would not recommend it for kids. My wife and I highly recommend their tour to active people that want to see a lot of Taipei in one day.

I really loved my all-day tour of Taipei with Alex from Taipei Bike Tours. Started off early and kept up a great pace until we wrapped our day up at 5PM back at the shop where we’d started. We did a complete circle of the city, seeing everything from old temples to local diners to Taipei 101. Alex is an excellent guide. He is extremely knowledgeable about Taiwan, be it history, current events, culture, food. I learned so much on my ride with him. He also got me some great food – especially at the local lunch place we stopped where I had a bowl of excellent beef noodle soup. Besides providing a great tour, Taipei Bike Tours does some other things that really make for an excellent visit. The bikes they use – besides being brand new – are very comfortable to ride on for the day and are equipped with internal hubs. This is the same as my bike back home and let me tell you, I don’t miss derailleurs at all! This is also great for novice riders, as it makes for a much easier ride. Also, I am a solo traveler – and I was the only rider on my tour. Many tour companies require a minimum number of participants, which can make finding a tour to join difficult if I’m on my own. I mentioned this to Alex – and how much I appreciated his going out with just one rider. He responded that as a partner in the business, his main goal is to do his job and make his customers happy – even us solo folks. It’s a really great outlook. I really can’t recommend Taipei Bike Tours highly enough. It’s a fantastic way to explore Taipei and it’s suitable for anyone who can ride a bike – whether you ride daily or haven’t been on a bike since you were a kid or somewhere in between. You’ll get a great introduction to Taipei and you’ll have a fine time spending your day with Alex.

We booked the Full Day Tour through Taipei and were extremely satisfied. Alex was a very knowledgeable guide and showed us all important sites and explained a lot about the country and the people. Definitely recommended!!!

It was magnificent! Alex knows a lot about the city, the people, habits, food etc. and can tell this with a lot of enthusiasm! I was really lucky with a small ‘group’: in the morning together with someone else and in the afternoon alone! I will definetly recommend to do this bike tour! If you are doing it in the first day of your trip you have a lot of background information for the rest of your visit.