Getting Started
Cycling Routes and Commuting to Campus
Take a look at a UBC bike route map and select a route that looks like it’ll work for you. Explore different routes to and from UBC. There are plenty of different ones to choose from and some will suit your needs better than others. Into trail riding? Check out the neighbouring Pacific Spirit Park and make forest bathing part of your commute.
Ride part of the way to campus; you can start or finish your trip by bus. Put your bike on one of the racks attached to the front of the buses and grab a seat! This is handy if you have bike trouble during your ride. Riding in traffic? Ride with the direction of the traffic, use hand signals when turning or slowing down, and wear visible/reflective clothing. If you’d like to improve your skills and safety, try taking a Streetwise course offered by HUB Cycling.
Find maps from Metro Vancouver municipalities
Basic Bike Gear and Clothing
Helmets, bells and lights are mandatory in BC. Replace your helmet every few years (the materials can break down over time, or become damaged by long-term ‘wear and tear’ or a fall).
Winter – a.k.a. ‘wet season’ (November to March): Vancouver is a wet (but rarely snowy) city, and if you are properly equipped the rain is no issue. Be sure to have a warm pair of gloves, a waterproof-breathable rain jacket and pants, fenders, and booties (covers for your shoes). Take an extra pair of clothes to change into.
See below for more cycling tips and on and off campus cycling resources.
Keep Your Bike Safe
Preventing Bike Theft
Combine some of the following tips to help keep your bike safe. To reduce theft:
- Register your bike with the 529 Garage app and record unique details of your bike that is crucial to helping stolen bikes get returned.
- Choose a good (U)lock. When it comes to bike locks, you get what you pay for! They may be cheaper, but flimsy wire and cable locks are easily cut. U-locks are the best bang for your buck. Big U-locks with lots of space are easy to break open, so choose smaller ones made of hardened steel. Use multiple locks if you can – cable locks can make good secondary locks, particularly when put through both wheels.
- Pick a visible area to lock your bike in. Although bikes can be stolen in broad daylight with people around, thieves prefer to work in low profile areas.
- Choose the object you’re locking to very carefully. Trees can be sawed through, poles can be lifted, and bikes can be lifted over poles if there’s enough room at the top between the lock and the sign at the top of the pole.
- Lock your bike PROPERLY so that the lock runs through:
- either the main triangle formed by seat-tube, top-tube, and down-tube, OR the rear triangle formed by the seat-tube, chain stays, and seat stays;
- the rims of BOTH wheels; and
- the object you’re locking your bike to. Position the keyhole of the lock downwards if possible, to make it harder to drill through.
- Avoid locking only your wheel to the bike rack – especially with quick release wheels, as a thief can easily take your bike and leave the wheel behind.
- Record serial numbers. A serial number is a key piece of identifying information for the police to use when attempting to recover a stolen bike. If your bike doesn’t have one, get one engraved for free at the RCMP detachment on Wesbrook across from the Thunderbird Field. The Security Office located beside the Bookstore offers free engraving services as well. Project 529 allows for easy bike registration.
- Take photos of your bike once in a while. Record components and specs for easy identification.
- Keep your bike inside overnight. Bikes left on campus at night are easy targets for vandals and thieves.
Quick Release Levers on Wheels and Seat Tubes
Quick release levers can make removing a wheel or adjusting your saddle height easy, without the need for tools. Unfortunately, this also makes it easy for others to remove your wheels or seat! Quick releases can be replaced by nutted axles or bolts, which require tools to remove. This may be the best option if you don’t often need to remove your wheels or adjust your seat; otherwise, lock your wheels and take your saddle and seat post with you when you lock up your bike.
Secure Storage and Bicycle Lockers
Please see our page on Bicycle Lockers and Shared Bike Cages for UBC specific information.
Bicycle lockers can be found at numerous locations throughout the city. Along the skytrain route, lockers are available for rent on a monthly basis at Main Street Station, VCC-Clark, Renfrew Station, and Rupert Station. For more information, call C-Media at 604.924.1076 or click here. Lockers are also available for rent downtown at 688 Cambie and 150 Water Street. For more information on these lockers, call 604.682.6744.
The Bike Kitchen
The Bike Kitchen is a student-run organization dedicated to making UBC a better place for cyclists and their bikes. This fully-equipped bike repair and retail shop was established to help the UBC community keep their bikes maintained for a reasonable rate. Located in the UBC Life Building, the Bike Kitchen has a wide range of new and used parts, as well as lovingly refurbished bikes for sale.
Through the Do-It-Yourself stand and tool rental you can fix your own bike with the help of a mechanic! It is also a full service shop, so if you’re low on time you can drop your bike off for service. Assessments are always free, and there is a pump and chain oil for everyone to use at no cost.
The Bike Kitchen also runs programs ranging from Bici Libre (connecting migrant workers with bikes), Kids Bike Library, bi-monthly Access Nights (Pride Night, Gender Liberation Night), Volunteer evenings, and educational courses and workshops on mechanics.
Stop by the Kitchen anytime you think your bike might be in need. Hours are Monday to Friday 10am-6pm, Saturdays 11am-6pm, close long weekends & statutory holidays.
Call 604.827.7333 or visit their website.