This March 14-30, 2025, plus some travel days Reno-San Francisco-Taipei (Taoyen) and back again, I was in Taiwan for the Taipei Cycle Show. Like last year, I was visiting as a tourist but with the goal of helping Tomo Ichikawa with the Clever Standard booth at the trade show. Unlike last year, I arrived 11 days before the opening of the show with my Manzanita gravel touring bike to do a 10 day, 500 mile tour of Taiwan with Tomo. This was exciting, to see the country from the bike saddle at bike pace! I am by no means an expert on bicycle touring in Taiwan. I learned why Taiwan is a hot destination for bicycle tourists. Everyday I learned something new, our trip was a resounding success, and I think I can pass on some of this, as well as apply some tips to future trips.

The Manzanita Gravel Adventure Tourer equipped with bags from Nuke Sunrise Bike Bags was perfect for this tour. It attracted attention and conversation from other bike tourists.

This was an entirely on road, hotel/restaurant bike tour (Credit Card Tour). I did not carry any backcountry camping or cooking gear. I carried clothes, toiletries, and miscellaneous items – that is it.

Getting there I flew from Reno to San Francisco and on to Taipei on United Airlines. From Reno it is common to drive to Sacramento/Oakland/San Francisco to start flying but I find it so much easier to fly out of Reno. Given the time of year driving over Donner Pass is not reliable. I packed my Manzanita gravel touring bike with low profile 27.5 X 2.1 tires for versatility on this trip. Taiwan has an active gravel community so I wanted to be prepared. I used a bike box rather than a bike carrier anticipating it would be a 1-way trip to Taiwan for the box and I would find a new box for the return. The other possibility is to find a hotel for the first and last nights of the trip that is willing to keep the box or the bike carrier while you ride – but I wanted more flexibility in the start and end of my trip with Tomo. From the airline’s requirements I packed the box as my only piece of checked luggage within the 50 lbs. weight limit. To do this I removed the extra bottle cages and swapped out the suspension seatpost for my lightest seatpost and saddle combo. My riding clothes and off-the-bike clothes were pretty minimal. I had a light weight rain jacket as well as my clothes for the Taipei Cycle Show after the tour. Everything in its place was packed in the bike box.

Pre-trip bike check When it comes to bike maintenance, pre-trip, on trip, emergency or otherwise I try to keep it within the basics of A,B,C’s. A is for air, or anything related to the tire, tube(less), wheel system. Inspect your tires for wear and damage. If there is any doubt, new tires are worth a successful trip. For tubed riders, new tubes are a good idea if you see any cracking in the tube, especially around the valve stem. Remember fresh talc powder when reinstalling tubes. Inspect valve stems and cores. For tubeless riders, top off the sealant, clean or replace your valve cores. Inspect your rims for damage especially where the spoke nipple goes through the rim and the seam opposite the valve hole. B is for brakes. Inspect or replace your brake pads. Make sure your brake levers are in an ergonomic position and engage about ½ through the pull to the bar. We tend to put up with little things over time that are easy to fix. For rim brakes users, this overlaps with A, check your rim’s brake track for excessive wear. Ditto for disc brake users, check rotors for wear and trueness. If in doubt, replace. And C is for chain and cables. A chain checker is a simple device that checks “stretch” or wear in a chain. If you have high mileage on your chain replacing it before the wear indicator tells you to is not a bad idea. A new chain shifts better and you will have that peace of mind that you are rolling on the best equipment. Similarly inspect cables for wear and corrosion. Inspect cable housing for wear. Do your cables run smoothly through the housing? If in doubt, replace. A big tour, especially an international trip, is a big investment. A little prevention goes a long way to eliminating mechanicals. Make sure you are able to repair a tire and a chain as a roadside repair.

Packing a bike box. Working in a bike shop gives great insight into packing a bike in a bike box for airline travel. All new bikes come in a bike box, minimally disassembled, wrapped in paper, plastic and foam, and zip-tied or strapped into a neat package. Bike shops also receive bikes that have been boxed and shipped by their owners or other bike shops. The range of packing jobs is broad. I think my packing job is minimally practical. The pedals came off and were packed in my handlebar pouch. The tires were mostly deflated and the front wheel came off. I should have made a “dummy hub” spacer out of PVC to protect my fork. Pro-Tip #1. I secured my saddle bag in the fork space for support. The handlebar was removed from the stem. The saddle and seatpost were removed from the frame. That is it. While you can take your bike to a bike shop to have it packed by pros, doing it yourself, even practicing packing and unpacking, ensures you are ready at your destination. My bike box had a few pieces of packing materials inside. I taped a cardboard disk to my front wheel to protect the spokes. There are too many stories of items left behind when packing, skewers, seat post clamps, through axels, saddle & seatpost, mini-tool and pedals all come to mind. Have a system to make sure you pack everything.

A little prep went into the bike box. The more used (and abused) a bike box is, the more hints you have as to how the box and your bike get treated in transit. Look for wear inside and out of the box. Reinforce those spots with cardboard and tape. Keep in mind total weight if you are trying to avoid excess baggage fees and keep in mind schlepping the box around the airport to baggage check. Tape and reinforce the handles in the box, not only for your comfort but baggage handlers will be quickly grabbing those handles and they often rip. Tape the bottom of the box as this is a high wear area. Tape the box closed securely. TSA opened my box and did a horrible job taping it closed. Review items that are restricted from flying in any luggage, no CO2 cartridges, no camping fuel of any kind, no e-bike batteries.  Apologies if I am just stating the obvious here but it seems there can be lots of questions about packing a bike for travel.

My bike and I arrived in Taipei unscathed. I don’t mind long international flights too much. I am tolerant of tight spaces, mediocre food and beverage, and I love in-flight magazines and video entertainment! I watched back to back movies and never put up with anything that didn’t have me thoroughly entertained. I recommend bringing your own wired headphones for the audio. I have some tiny Sony earbuds but the over ear models probably have better sound in a noisy airplane if you have room to carry them.

Day 0 Reno – San Francisco – Taoyaun Taipei International Airport – Zhongli (17 hours travel time to Taipei according to Google)

The flight out of Reno was delayed by an hour and a half due to a snow storm. I was glad not to be driving over the pass in that. I planned a significant layover in San Francisco just incase there were delays. Immigration and passport control went smoothly, I had filled out my landing card on-line. Tomo met me at baggage claim and to our surprise Cola was there too. Was it a surprise? She had a car full of Tomo’s stuff, e-bike and luggage. Tomo had arrived just hours before me. We were off! The plan was to take the bus to Taoyuan High Speed Rail Station. I was now in full “follow Tomo” mode. First pivot, the bus no longer runs to Taoyuan HSR. Ok, we will take the train! Second pivot, the bike box is too big to take on the HS train. What if we build the bike, can that go on the train? NO, no bikes on the high speed train. Ok, to the TAXI que. No problem, the bike box fit in the hatchback cab and we were off!

At the train station we met with Cola. I built my bike, Tomo got his bike, and he found a hotel for us on Booking.com (I downloaded the app since this is what Tomo recommended) and we were off! Cola had scooped up my bike box and Tomo and I rolled out in the fog and light rain. I was officially touring in Taiwan!

The four miles to the hotel through the Zhongli District of Taoyuan in the dark, in the fog and light rain was a great start. The entire trip was about learning new traffic patterns and how to bike with scooter traffic. Tomo was navigating on his phone and after a couple of calculated crossings of major boulevards we made it to The Cloud Hotel. Tomo is very good at picking hotels and I have a lot to learn. That night we ate at the 7-Eleven across the street. Little did I know that this would be the first of many convenience store (7-Eleven and FamilyMart) meals. Breakfast was at the hotel and it represented a full Taiwanese breakfast that I had come to expect.

Days 1-3 Taoyuan – Dahu – Changhua – Tainan (187 miles, 5050’ of climbing)

I have often wondered if I had what it took to tour in the rain. This was my test. I have never ridden in so much rain. I had a light weight rain jacket and old GORE-TEX pants that totally leaked. (I ordered new pants as soon as I got home. But now what do I do with leaky rain pants? Upcycle!) I was using my standard trail running shoes that are great for Nevada’s cool dry climate but I wish I was just wearing my sandals. Oh well. The key to keeping your things dry in a tropical rainstorm – have a plan, wrap things in multiple layers of plastic, and dry things out at the end of the day in your hotel room. With tropical humidity things get wet and stay wet. Most importantly I kept my electronics dry. After two days of heavy rain everything else took some time to dry out. By day 3 the rain was totally gone.

Dahu is Taiwan’s strawberry growing region. On my last trip I got to eat a regional specialty, Black Chicken (feathers, not meat). On this trip we ate another specialty, chicken roasted in a clay pot. The chicken is roasted suspended upright in a clay pot and served whole. I let Cola have the honors of carving the bird and I was challenged to gnaw on the bird’s feet. Not much there.

In Changhua we were back in Tomo’s Taiwanese hometown. We stopped by his machinist for some last minute input on Tomo’s latest quick draw tire plugger. We hit a familiar night market and stayed in his apartment. Making our way out of town we stopped at his favorite Dan Bim (stuffed crepe) breakfast place. That was a real treat. The owner was so gracious and pleased that Tomo brought more friends to her restaurant.

How clever! The coffee sleeve is perforated to become a phone stand.

Getting out of town was always an anxious endeavor. I am always happy to leave city energy behind. We were navigating between destinations using Ride with GPS which kept us on minor roads and weaving through neighborhoods at times. It was an act of faith. I didn’t know better and Tomo was familiar with Taiwan’s major bike routes (I should have started with link) but not the nuance of where RwGPS was sending us. We were both seeing fresh new places. We met with Jim from KMC bicycle chains. Jim collaborates with Tomo on projects and I hope their latest project drops soon.

Days 4-6  Tainan-Donggang-Checheng-Dawu (130.7 miles 4185’ climbing)

I love a fish market!

We made our way to the seaside. This was a familiar area as we had traveled this way last year driving to Kenting. It is a beautiful route. We made a point to visit the Huaqiao Fish Market. We had breakfast sashimi to take advantage of the freshest fish. I don’t think I could get tired of riding along the coast or in the mountains or through agricultural fields. I think I only get tired of riding through congested cities. But at least in Taiwan’s cities I was learning new traffic patterns and navigating new routes. Seeing the fish aquaculture was new to me.

At Checheng we made the mountain crossing, through Mudan Township and down to the east coast at Daren.

Days 6-9 Dawu-Taitung-Yuli-Hualien-(by train)Yilan (142.2 miles 5756’ climbing)

The Philippine Sea – it was great to see the fishermen handling their catch. Check out that drone

Tomo asked me if I wanted to take the coast route or head inland. I answered the coast route. He countered that he recommended the inland route. Ok, then the inland route it is. And what a route it was! Taiwan’s Rift Valley is a must! The southern valley is pineapple plantations and the north valley is sugar cane. The sugar cane plantation is a historic attraction from the days of Japanese occupation. For us it was a great stop for ice cream and riding on park-like paths. A critical bit of logistics that I wasn’t aware of was that the road from Hualien to Yilan is not considered safe for bike travel. The shoulder is too narrow and trucks cannot see you. So the standard plan is to take the train. Excellent! I am all for experiencing all forms of travel in a new place. We took the commuter train, you buy a ticket for yourself and your bike and you are good to go. The last car is reserved for bicycles. In Hualien we debated whether we should wait around for the night market and take a late train to Yilan or get on the next train for Yilan. We pedaled around Hualien for a while and the area for the night market looked spectacular. But in the end we decided to continue to Yilan. I really enjoyed the train ride. It was great seeing the other bike riders get on and off the train. Our hotel in Yilan was great and they were accommodating to the dirtbag bike tourists.

Day 10 Yilan-Taipei (51.2 miles 4579’ climbing)

Mountain roads, rugged riverbeds, and the Pinglin “tea pot” bridge.

The last days into Taipei made me nervous, there was a lot of climbing on this route. I could see this series of switch-backs early in the day’s route that took us away from the coast. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the trip saved the best for last but the climbs and descents into Taipei on roads that felt like bike paths, too narrow for cars, was a welcome surprise. Tomo told me his local bike shop owner leads rides like this regularly. It was a quick transition from the rural roads to the fast pace of busy Taipei. That meant quick decisions in navigating to our hotel.

Days 11-17 Taipei Cycle Show and leaving Taiwan

We had one day to set up the booth. Then we spent four days talking to everyone we could about Tomo’s tools. Close to our booth was Goblin Bikes, a steel frame builder with mountain, road and gravel options. I met Jean Christophe last year on a ride and we have stayed in touch through socials. I met Bruce Fina of Sinter Brake Pads and he gave us a lot of good feedback. The buzz of the show was tubeless valves. So many valves promising to make tire seating easier and eliminating sealant clogs. I am sure these engineers have “built a better mouse trap” but pneumatic tires are still the best and most problematic aspect to biking. Green, environmental, and sustainable aspects of cycling were still being touted. Of course the uncertainties of US tariffs was a topic of speculation. Unfortunately no one was celebrating a good year of business.

Before we knew it, the show was a wrap! Subscribe to Tomo’s Top Picks on YouTube to keep your finger on the pulse of the bike industry with Japanese insight!

After the show I had a day on my own. I moved to a hotel, Well Garden Hotel, in Taoyen closer to the airport and walked around that part of town. I was out to see what I could see, find places to eat, and wander about. I found the Taoyen Night Market, I wasn’t going to starve. Then Tomo showed up! We got to spend the last day on foot, not on bike, then shared an Uber to the airport. Until my next visit, Taiwan!

Even with my second visit to Taiwan I learn so much every time I type a topic into Google. I almost don’t want to know how much I missed. My first visit was so fortunate to have Tomo and Cola as my guides. They were very intentional at exposing me to Taiwan. We also shared meals and amazing conversations with dozens of Tomo’s friends.

Money, what to carry. Growing up with traveling the world it was common to travel with the US currency needed for a trip. It was a mix of cash and travelers checks, and fining a local exchange at a hotel or bank for local currency. For this trip I carried very little US currency, a US bank debit card, credit cards, and Tomo gave me a pre-paid EasyCard for public transit. I used my bank’s debit card to get cash from the ATM machines at 7-Eleven and FamilyMart. I used my credit card where I could but cash was sometimes the only thing accepted in rural restaurants and hotels. Fortunately the convenience stores were everywhere so finding an ATM was not a problem.

Finding snacks was not a problem! The hardware store, convenience store, hotel lobby/mini-bar had me covered. Milk tea and onigiri were my favorites.

Food, what we ate. I enjoy local food and do not find myself craving “American Food”. But with that said, the options are there. In large and medium sized cities popular familiar fast food is available. We ate a significant number of our calories at 7-Elevens and FamilyMarts. They have a huge selection of drinks beyond the soda selection in US convenient stores. My favorite snacks were onigiri (Japanese style rice balls wrapped in seaweed), dried fish, flavored potato chips, milk tea, and beer. Pro Tip #2, I should have just followed Tomo’s lead and picked whatever he did. I love soups, noodles, dumplings, steamed buns, grilled seafood. If there was anything I was craving Tomo and Cola could find it. When we were considering restaurants on Google, Cola would focus on the highlighted photos. Then at the restaurant she would order from the photos rather than the menu. Pro Tip #3 I thought that was very clever.

Night markets are a great place to eat. Takoyaki and fried squid became my go-to’s, though I was tempted by the Chicken ass. Of the 500 or so photos I have of this trip, food dominates.

Tomo taught me what to look for in restaurants that specialize in serving large groups not individuals. They advertised with really high prices in their windows and they often were in large parking lots with room for tour bus parking. One of Tomo’s favorite styles of restaurants is a buffet of sorts where you fill your plate and the clerk at the register charges you based on what you selected. It is a great place to get your fill of veggies. Tomo gets his veggies. A favorite place in my memory was a little restaurant, only a few tables, but in the time we were there several groups of locals came in. Using my imagination, I figured they were friends meeting up after work, laughing and having a good time over a meal.

Hotels, where we staid. We were in a new hotel every night until we were in Taipei for the trade show. Mostly they were small hotels. We were looking for private bathrooms, convenient, and reasonably priced. Probably a third offered breakfast. Even the smallest room was just fine, it was a lot bigger than my tent and I appreciated having a shower every night. Some hotels were stand alone. Others were a converted villa. Tomo had told me about a common type of hotel that was used by unmarried couples for a romantic get away. We did stay in a couple of those. So funny, a private garage, hot tubs, “theme rooms”, and I will let your imagination fill in the rest. The real quirk with these hotels is the check-in, check-out hours. Make sure you are booking an overnight and not a quickie. Our hotel stays cost U$ 40-100, mostly to the lower end.

Camping would be something I would like to try in the future. I would require a little more planning but Google maps readily indicated camping sites. I know some bike tourists stealth camp but I am not a fan of trespassing, and I did not have a feel for public lands in Taiwan.

Roads, what were our travel conditions. We rode on great roads. Tomo explained that especially with so much scooter commuter traffic Taiwan does not tolerate poor roads. We were mostly in designated scooter/bike lanes dominated by scooters. There were a variety of boxes at stop lights for scooters to gather either going straight or to make left hand turns, taking advantage of the safest traffic signals. Taiwanese drivers pay close attention to traffic lights, when the light turns green everyone goes. How refreshing. Occasionally we were in protected lanes or on multi-use paths. We went through quiet neighborhoods and narrow roads through rice paddies. We crossed rugged gorges that had gravel roads under constant repair. My favorite road was a steep narrow road through a terraced hillside. Taiwan is home to some incredible mountain roads that I hope will someday test my mettle.

Getting around, when we were not on bikes. Planes, trains, busses, and automobiles. My only flying experiences in Taiwan have been arriving and departing on United flights to and from San Francisco. All aspects of getting around the Taoyuen Taipei International Airport were good. Technology is improving the airport experience in terms of passport control. I haven’t spent enough time exploring the airport to give a full report other than the duty free booze selection is heavy on Scotch Whiskey. I know Tomo and Cola make frequent trips between Taiwan and Japan so I assume that is easy. The airport is outside of Taipei but serves as a transportation hub with busses, trains and cabs to get you going. I had originally planned on biking away from the airport to my first hotel about 3 miles from the airport. But I never got to try this.

Cabs are readily available but we mostly used Uber. Considering I had a bike box as luggage I requested UberXL and that worked smoothly. Cola suggested a private car service but I used the Uber app out of familiarity.

We took the bus several times between the convention hall and our hotel. A given bus stop services many busses so one needs to be aware of the details. I found Google to be very helpful since I didn’t have the language skills to take advantage of everyone around me. I enjoyed being on the bus with folks, very proletariat.

On our last visit we took the subway train from the Nangang Exhibition center to city center. It was comfortable an a great way to take in the views when it was above ground. But this was my only experience.

We took a commuter train between Hualien and Yilan. The train station was busy but the process of buying our tickets, finding the correct track, and boarding on the last car with our bikes was easy. Following along the route to our stop was easy. I would use bike and train in the future.

People of Taiwan, who we met along the way. I didn’t have a single negative encounter on my visit. Everyone was helpful. My touring experiences in Nevada are all about solitude. In Taiwan I was surrounded by many more people and I think I need to make a shift to cultivating those interactions. We chatted with a handful of bike tourists, American, Japanese, European, and Taiwanese. Some were solo, others in pairs, and one large group in a Giant Bicycles led tour. I would encourage anyone interested in doing a tour in Taiwan to go for it and I hope you found some inspiration here and some helpful tips.