Bicycles in Paris

Bicycling is an important national sport, and not only do bikes get fair road treatment out in Tour de France country, but Paris is getting better by leaps and bounds at accommodating heavier traffic from cyclists. This dates back to the transport strike in 1995, when two-wheelers held the advantage, and it has been developed since, with the incorporation of the riverside berges, and the proliferation of separate bike/bus lanes. 

The coronavirus pandemic has exploded the use of bicycles in cities, in Paris, as around the world. Bike paths around the city are increasing, see Freeweheeling France's map here. Also, for a period of time, the French government is offering a 50 euro subsidy for bike repairs, and 500 euro subsidy for the purchase of an electric bike. 

There are lots of possibilities for pleasure cycling: head to the Bois de Vincennes, take a train out to Rambouillet forest or trek 40 kilometers up the bike path to Melun.

Note: Cyclists follow the same rules of the road as motorists. This means that traffic coming from the right has priority, and you can get a hefty fine for running red lights or for not being equipped with head and tail lights. As in any big city, make sure to use a U-lock to secure your bike or it will be gone.

Here are four bike routes published by the Paris Tourist Office: https://en.parisinfo.com/what-to-see-in-paris/info/guides/paris-cycling-exploring 

 
The public bicycle system Velib kicked off with smashing success in 2007, but when they switched services in 2018, Parisians were less than impressed. One improvement is that electric bikes are available (blue) along with the manual (green) bikes, parked at roughly 1,400 stands around town supplying 19,400 bikes. A number of short-term and long-term options are available.

 
Weekly bicycle randonnées: Every Friday night, a bicycle ride through Paris starting at 22h from Place d'Italie, with a different itinerary each week, posted at website ParisRandoVelo, email: parisrandovelo@yahoo.fr or tel: 06.60.64.20.20.

Paris à Vélo, c’est sympa! Bike tours by theme, bikes available for rent, English spoken. 37, bd Bourdon, 75004, Mº Bastille, tel: 01.48.87. 60.01. 

Fat Tire Bike Tours has become a ubiquitous cycling tourism biz (also in Barcelona and Berlin), thanks to their friendly, fun and knowledgeable guides, tel: 01.56.58.10.54. Oh, yes, and they organise the Segway tours, too. In Paris at 24, rue Edgar Faure, 75015.

Tour de France: Not only can you watch the final laps around the Champs-Elysées, but ambitious cyclists can assault the same mountain route the professionals are taking that year. There are festivities in the Champs de mars the weekend of the finale, with a mass ride around the city. In 2020, the Tour has been pushed back, kicking off on 29 August, ending 20 September.

Bicycle taxis (vélo-taxi), tel: 01.42.72.70.12. Provides short or all-day service.

 
Renting/repairing mountain/dirt bikes, or VTTs:

Paris Velos, 2 rue du Fer a Moulin, 5th arrondissement, tel: 01.43.37.59.22,  https://parisbiketour.net/en/ , 

Pharma Cycle, 31 bis rue Madame, 15eme, tel:  01.48.42.38.78, my go-to place, English-speaking, friendly and helpful, open Tues through Saturday, see  http://pharmacycle.fr. 

Bike 'n' Roller, 6 rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, 5th arrondissement, tel: 01.44.07.35.89.

Cycl'Art by Bicloune, 93, blvd de Beaumarchais, 10e, tel: 01.42.77.58.06.

Décathlon, 26 av de Wagram, 8th, tel: 01.45.72.66.88. Décathlon is the sports department store where you can buy or repair your bicycle, and buy any other type of sports equipment you may be looking for. Another location: 17 blvd de la Madeleine, Mº Madeleine, tel: 01.55.35.97.55

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