Tag Archives: Bicivida

gap year, Launch, overland, travel, Vehicles

Mountain Biking Stories

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WHAT MOUNTAIN BIKE?

Prepping for a year out of the country, Sarah and I considered what is most dear to us, recreationally. Sarah readily embraces her stand-up paddleboard (SUP), an inflatable model that can support two adults and a mid-sized dog. Dear to me is a bicycle, of any sort, but most especially one suited for off-road terrain. A bicycle also serves as redundant transportation, in a way, if we were unwilling (or unable) to move our vehicles. Top of the list, then, were added one paddleboard and three mountain bikes.

But which bike? The knee-jerk reaction is “My favorite one!” Then, however comes the realization that your favorite steed will be subjected to the elements for close to a year, draw the eye of those looking to remove you of your bicycle, and quite possibly be damaged while it is on the vehicle (either due to a collision or bikes clacking against each other on or off-road) not to mention being subjected to the dirt and grime from driving nearly 12,000 miles. My faithful Ibis mojo 3, my absolute favorite bike to ride, was quickly dismissed, as the bike is just too nice to abuse and too attractive for theives.

After further weighing these considerations, the obvious next choice was my old Ibis tranny. The frame had been damaged in a crash (what better bike to take than one that had been previously damaged?) and I had a slew of mid-level parts for it, plus a wonderfully wide wheelset that gleefully soaks up washboard. As the immense pressure of preparing two vehicles for a year out of the country came bearing down upon us, however, the feasibility of completing another relatively complex repair and rebuild side project quickly fell to the bottom of the list. Not to mention that the lively orange paint would attract a lot of attention.

Amongst the turbulence of our imminent departure, my eye settled on my covid-era mountain bike: made by Giant, this bike was conceived to go fast, world-cup fast, by riders a lot younger than me. And as mentioned, it was my covid-era mountain bike. A bike purchased when frame repair was backlogged for months and such a crushing demand existed for new bicycles that you had to take what you could find. It was in those times that I found this Giant.

And while stupid expensive and not made for idly touring another country, this mostly black frame and components (with splashes of dark blue) and  super-subtle labels does not draw any attention. The proof of this being that, after two months driving around Argentina, I have yet to receive a single question about it. Perfect.

Bogota, Colombia, travel

Tembici: public bikes in Bogota

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A travelers guide to the Bogota Tembici system.
Tembici bikes to ride Bogota! Biking to Simon Bolivar Parque (bigger than Central Park, New York…)

The public transportation system in Bogota, Columbia has grown to include a large bike lane network and a community rental bike system. Check out a bike using the app “Tembici” and rent an hour at a time up to 4 times a day: daily, monthly or yearly. From start to finish of registration and checking out a bike took ~10 minutes.

Compared to the Medellin bike system “Encicla,” which we were never able to figure out in part because engagement depends on a confirmation email, Tembici was super-easy. Several Bogota people stopped us and asked us how it worked, it’s that new.

Example station
  1. Download Tembici: https://tembici.com.co/en/
  2. Follow the registration instructions. Some will translate to English, some not.
  3. At this point, you will need a debit or credit card.
  4. We selected to pay the 9,900 COP to allow for multiple trips in a day, up 4 times a day an hour at a time. This is approximately $2 U.S. in October, 2022. We went overtime on one ride and were charged $4,400 COP (~$1 USD).
  5. Find a nearby station on the app’s map that has bikes and walk to it. See photos below.
  6. Unlock a bike by using your phone to scan the QR code on the handlebar
  7. Lift the bike out of the magnet lock near the top of the fork.
  8. If it doesn’t unlock, try again. Each bike took a couple tries. Some bikes are not available for some reason even though they are docked in front of you.
  9. Ride your bike around and pay attention to the running time on your app, find a station along your route to return your bike or dock and release your bike again to extend your time.
  10. Check your bike back in when done and review your ride. There is a red wrench on the handlebar, if the bike is in poor repair, press to indicate that the bike needs service.
  11. Hack: there is a handle on the back of the seat that helps to lift the bike’s front magnet into the docking magnet lock.
  12. Helmets are not provided in this system, so either bring your own or do without.
Find the station with bikes close to you. Note that the stations are not throughout Bogota. The map indicates the barrios currently served by the system. I wasn’t sure if it will be expanding in the future. I bet the article attached at the bottom will illuminate.
Docked bike, ready for you!
Open app, click on the station where you are, scan QR code on the bike you want. Check brakes, seat and tires before you select your bike.
Watch for the sound and green light on right under the “✔️” showing the bike is unlocked after scanning.
This live map on the Tembici app shows open slots where you can dock your bike after your ride.

See even more detail of the Tembici system including adaptive bikes for rent in this El Espectador review of the system in Spanish: https://blogs.elespectador.com/actualidad/bike-the-way/lo-sabemos-nuevo-sistema-bicicletas-compartidas-bogota

Thanks for reading our post. We are traveling through South America in 2022-2023 with our family and dog. We are posting information on systems and places we discover to document not only for ourselves but other travellers as well. Please comment with helpful hints or updates you learn about Tembici. Ciao!