Biking Buenos Aires

Your Buenos Aires Concierge

bikingba — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 15:18:07 +0000

The travel itch is getting to you, the urge to book the flight and pack the bags is undeniable. Hmm, but where to? Buenos Aires crosses the mind as you remember all the interesting things you’ve heard about it, the mouth-watering meat and delicious, complementary vino.

Yeah, Argentina.. that place Evita, or was it Madonna? That place she was singing about. The urge hits a new level, it’s time to put the travel shoes on. But then what? Shoes are tied, bags are packed what will you do in your time to get the most of Argentine culture?

Fret no more people, enters yours truly, Buenos Aires Cultrual Concierge. Madi Lang is your perfect contact to make sure you get the best cultural Argentine experience at a ‘not-so-gringo’ price. Many times, tourists who come here are taken advantage in taxis and other places because their lack of Castellano equals $ to the Porteños. Bad? Not necessarily, just part of traveling. So protect your wallet, take a deep breath and let your Buenos Aires concierge reveal the finer sides of this culture. She is known as the walking encyclopedia by Sandra Bao, Author of Lonely Planet Buenos Aires. If we ever wish to become the biking encyclopedias of BA, we know that Madi is our guide.

Biking Buenos Aires has had the pleasure of spending time with the concierge herself, and the encyclopedia just continues to unfold more pages of can’t miss sporting events, yummy cuisine, affordable tango shows, trips outside of Porteño-land and much more. We are proud to recommend BA Cultural Concierge to anyone looking to get the most fulfilling experience in Buenos Aires.

It’s people like Madi who remind us what a great city we live in. The two-wheel tours with Biking BA only continue to improve with the help our great affiliates and we send a big thanks to all of them, especially our latest… BA Cultrual Concierge!

Bike Tour Photographer- Mikey Cando

bikingba — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 20:58:27 +0000

Michael Cando, photographer

The man behind the camera in so many of our great tour photos throughout Buenos Aires provides his own personal account and passion for biking and traveling. He’s also the founder of FC BAFA (Buenos Aires Futbol Amigos). His photos are incredible and we’re happy to have him be a part of Biking BA. To see more of his photography, click here.

Now enter, Señor Mikey…

In the modern world we live in, dominated by planes, trains, boats, and automobiles, we find that society has become all too “on-the-go,” hurriedly trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. I guess sometimes we forget that life isn’t a race and in the end, as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” If life is a journey, we might as well enjoy the ride, right?

As a child growing up in the suburbs of San Diego, California, my bike was my primary means of transportation. I’ll always remember that Christmas morning, many years ago waking up to find a beautiful black & red bmx bike, with training wheels of course, sitting by the tree. Everyday I would ride my bike to school, explore around town and in the canyon with my cousins, and race my friends all around the neighborhood. In my younger teenage years, my family and I moved to Japan where I upgraded to a mountain bike, The Sledgehammer. This thing was a beast! My little brother and I would often wander through the countryside and little villages near our home along the coast in the province of Yokohama. Anywhere I went, my bike went as well.

Biking for me is the ultimate mode of transportation – you can breeze through traffic when it gets too heavy, go off road when terrain is not nice for exploring on foot, and in the process of of it all, get a good workout for your body and time to clear your mind. Why not go on bike? For me, every time I get on a bike it’s like a new adventure. You never really know what’s going to happen or what you’re going to see. When on bike, it doesn’t even seem to matter where you’re going to because most of the fun is in getting there. Here in Buenos Aires, the city is filled with all sorts of different terrain, buildings, routes, events, people, and everyday is something interesting to experience. One of my passions is capturing these different moments in time around the city, be it on bike or on foot.

Photography is my way of expressing the world the way I see it. From my hometown back in San Diego, across many seas and foreign soils, to where life finds me now – in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In a city with such a rich history and scenic surrounding, the daily life of the ‘Porteno’ is best discovered on two wheels. We look forward to riding with you on one of our adventures!

Why Bike? 5 Reasons to Choose Bike over Automobile

bikingba — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 22:59:00 +0000

Pedal yourself or put the pedal to the metal?

We understand that at times, it is absolute necessary to go by automobile. This blog post is referring to those who have a choice, especially in urban landscapes.

Why should you choose hopping on your bicycle instead of any other mode of transportation? Here are 5 reasons for you to contemplate…

1. The World, that’s why: This globe is becoming highly populated with not only people, but also Carbon dioxide emissions as well. In case you haven’t noticed, this planet is beautiful. Although riding one bicycle instead of a car has a very minute impact on the planet, one at a time can turn into 100, 1,000 and even 1 million people choosing bike over car. The world will thank us which is always worth it right?

2. Brings out your inner child: How do you feel when riding a bicycle? For many of the people we’ve asked, they agree that they feel like a little kid again with that gitty feeling in the tummy. The liberating feeling when on a bicycle is second to none and a feeling that many don’t get to experience when behind the wheel.

3. Better for Mental and Physical Health: Have you ever been stuck in traffic when you’re in a hurry to be somewhere. Gas, break, gas, break. Your emotions and stress reach a new level. Stress is never good mentally or physically. It’s highly difficult to feel this level of stress when pedaling the bicycle. Also, in a ‘made up study by Biking BA’ results showed that more calories were burned by those who biked 10 blocks rather than were transported in 10 blocks in automobile. Cardio workouts are always good for bloodflow, which is good for both mental and physical health. Don’t believe us? Try for yourself, drive to work everyday for a month then the next month ride your bike to work and see how you feel after each month. We’re patiently awaiting your results…

4. More Affordable: Your wallet will thank you for biking more than going by bus, taxi or driving. Why not allocate more of your costs to your loved ones or take yourself out to a nice dinner with all that money saved by biking? Pedal your way to financial freedom.

5. Inspire others to bike with you: Ever been a part of a movement? Start your own biking movement wherever you are, people will join you. Even that person who’s cursing at you from behind the wheel will soon join you because of their doctor’s recommendation. Well, maybe that’s a stretch but you get the point. In today’s ‘health-crazed, green movement society’ you’ll be hard pressed to find people who refuse to bike with you. It all starts with you though, inspire yourself to get on the bike and they will join.

Keep on pedaling people!

Happy 2011

La Masa… Biking is here to stay

bikingba — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:52:10 +0000

There were over 1,000 people on bicycles for this month’s Critical Mass

Biking BA’s first time in the critical mass was a illustrated to us how poised this city is for an urban biking culture. Over 1,000 people showed up on their bicycles of all forms ready to hit the streets and demonstrate that a person on a bike deserves the same respect on the road as to those on motorcycles and taxis alike.

The mass of people on bicycles took over every main avenue of the city in a four hour timespan to draw curious looks from those in buses, cars and their own 2 feet. It was enough to make some give applause as we rode by, in approval of the demonstration. Biking is here to stay in this city!

1 Car less

Until next time, stay classy on that bike and out of the auto.

Critical Mass Buenos Aires

bikingba — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 22:23:09 +0000

The first Sunday of every month in Buenos Aires, you may wonder what the traffic jams are about. Where did all these people on bicycles come from and what is their purpose? You’re not alone, many others are wondering the same. The mob of people on their bikes is called Critical Mass, or Masa Critica en Buenos Aires. It was designed in 1992 by George Bliss in San Francisco in an attempt to force automobiles to respect bicyclers on the city streets. Since then, it has expanded into 300 cities all over the world. The frequency and scale of Critical Mass in each city varies. In some cities it runs once a month, in the case of Buenos Aires, whereas other cities such as Budapest, Hungary do it only twice a year. The Critical Mass in Budapest is one of the larger of the world bringing hundreds of thousands every time. It has been viewed by some as a protest of sorts. Protest or not, being in 300 cities it is a movement indeed. A movement Biking BA is proud to endorse and participate in.

If you’ve noticed on the homepage of our website, there is a great video produced by skateboarder Juan Poclava recording great footage of the Masa Critica de Buenos Aires. This video will allow you get a better feel for the spread of urban bike culture all over the world. We are just one tiny piece of this grand puzzle to get people on bicycles and away from unnecessarily driving an automobile. It’s for the love of biking and, on a greater scale, the love of our planet. If you’re in Buenos Aires and interested in participating in the next Critical Mass it takes place next Sunday, December 5th. For more information, check out the official Masa Critica BsAs site.

For those who are not in Buenos Aires but would still like to participate in Critical Mass, check for one near you by clicking here.

We look forward to the next mob through the streets of BsAs.

Until then, enjoy your weekend and keep pedaling!

‘Tis a Passion

bikingba — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 00:33:26 +0000

Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. We’ve all heard this saying but how many of us actually live this way? Here at Biking Buenos Aires, we are realizing that we must be following a passion because we never get tired of ‘working.’ Granted there is much work to be done for Biking Buenos Aires to be considered a ‘success.’ Yet, everything we do is with a smile and eagerness to explore more. To explore the urban biking industry, to explore the streets and history of Buenos Aires, to explore business models, to explore new ways of getting people on bicycles and out of automobiles, to explore a passion!

Bicycles taking a break with us in the forests of Buenos Aires

Last Sunday, we had a ‘day off’ from tours and we found ourselves riding through the bosques of Palermo with a group of 8 friends. As we took a break to enjoy the parks and sip some yerba mate, we realized even on our days off here we are pedaling the hours away. For once in our lives, we feel like we’re successful. Being successful is very subjective, and we’re by no means financially successful… yet! However, we are indeed doing what we love on a daily basis and slowly fulfilling our mission of spreading bicycle culture in the urban jungle of Buenos Aires.

A ride with amigos

We’ve also made it a point to ride our bicycles wherever we go in the city. Only when absolutely necessary will we take public tranportation. The advantages of always going by bicycle are saving money, getting exercise, exploring other streets of Buenos Aires and most importantly spreading the bike passion in each pedal. At times, we feel that we should take a break from ‘work.’ Ten minutes later, we’re back brainstorming ideas and researching new bikes or new interesting facts in the biking world or about Buenos Aires. This is a true sign that we’re not really working, rather doing what we love. Someday, we hope you can take a ride with us in this beautiful theater that is Buenos Aires, the next best alternative is to spread the passion and see you biking wherever you may be. One more biker is one car less on the road and our environment certainly appreciates the effort as well.

'One car less' from Bogota to Buenos Aires to the rest of the world!

Un carro menos starts with one bicycle. ’Tis what we strive for, ’tis what makes us ‘work’ everyday, ’tis a passion!

Tours de Primavera

bikingba — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:23:11 +0000

Biking Buenos Aires is excited to be back and gearing up for a hot summer of tours. We’ve added three new bikes to the fleet and are in the process of looking for a location closer to the south of the city.

The last several weeks, Biking BA has been graced by the presence of an adventurous couple from New Zealand, a hip couple from Chicago, a University recruiter from Boston, a travel agent from Australia among many others from around the globe. On every tour, we are reminded by all of you that we have the best jobs in the world, we love what we’re doing and are very passionate about making your time in Buenos Aires memorable.

A ride through Plaza Alemania on the North Tour

We’ve developed a new route for our North Tour that goes better with the flow of traffic, thus your tour is constantly improving. Biking Buenos Aires is a big believer in the kaizen management strategy. Kaizen simply means continuous improvement in all facets of an organization. Biking BA is always looking for ways to make the best biking experience possible. Many more things to come in our tours that will make for one memorable ride.

Stay tuned for more…

Discovering Bogota, Colombia with Mike & Ticor

bikingba — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:19:50 +0000

Have you ever been to Bogota, Colombia?

If not, put it on your bucket list right now.

Colombia is a country everyone should consider visiting. Bogota, the nation’s capital, sits at 8,500 feet above sea level and is becoming proactive in the urban biking culture. Ciclovia, which takes place Sundays and holidays between 7am-2pm, is just one example of Bogota’s continued efforts to go bike rather than auto. During Ciclovia, some of the main avenues are closed off in Bogota to automobile traffic to encourage people to take advantage of biking the city.

We had the opportunity of meeting the head of bike tours here in Bogota, Mike. Bogota Bike Tours has been in operation for a year and a half now and is continuing to grow. Mike is a very nice and hospitable guy and is running a great operation. We happily recommend Bogota Bike Tours when you go to Bogota. As we say with any city, exploring it on bicycle offers a new dimension that one can not experience on foot or in automobile. Check out Bogota Bike Tours at the link above for further information!

The Colombian people have been very welcoming and friendly to us and we are dearly grateful. We’ve had the pleasure of staying with BJ’s girlfriends’ (Dora) parents. Her father, Hector aka Ticor, is also an avid biker and has five bicycles in his home. Ticor has shown us the local ciclo-rutas (bike routes) and has also been a mentor to us. At the age of 73, he consistently leaves us behind whether on bicycle or running up Monserrate Mountain every Sunday morning. He has the endurance of a 23 year old training for a marathon and has schooled us immensely on biking in Bogota, human physiology and health, every president of the United States and philosophy. Yes, he truly is a maestro. The Biking Buenos Aires crew would love to have Ticor in Buenos Aires so we could do Tours with Ticor! Our gratitude for all of the hospitality we’ve been shown here in Bogota blows Thanksgiving Day gratitude out of the water. We are ready to show the same hospitality, knowledge and fun in our tours upon our return to Buenos Aires. Be excited, this is going to be one heck of a summer season for Biking Buenos Aires!

So remember, when you’re in Bogota, take your bike tour with Mike at Bogota Bike Tours. If you’re lucky enough, you may even encounter Ticor. He’ll be running past you at a steady pace up Monserrate on Sunday mornings or pedaling by you like the wind. Don’t get discouraged though, just keep pedaling…

See you in Buenos Aires!

New Biz Partner from CO… Bienvenidos Reed

bikingba — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 21:52:05 +0000

Being a frequent traveler, the first thing that I want to do when arriving to a new city is explore! There are many ways of touring a city, but none that offer the same enjoyment and personal experience as bicycles do. The ability to cruise through the city without pounding the pavement on foot or viewing the landscape through the barrier of a bus window are just a couple reasons why I love biking. Hop on one of our comfortable cruisers to experience the breeze in your hair, undeniable sounds of the street, and personal satisfaction that comes with navigating a bicycle through the city. These are just a couple reasons why I love the bicycle and why you should make the professionals at Biking Buenos Aires your guides to the city of Good Air.

Robin (Colo)

bikingba — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:59:50 +0000

Colo Ridin

The clock had just struck midnight in the Danish city of Copenhagen. My brother and I had just spent the equivalent of $1.50 USD to rent some bikes and get accustomed to our new environment, why not? Everyone was doing it, even at midnight. No exaggerations included here, bikes outnumbered cars 3:1. In all of my years growing up in the United States, I was conditioned to see biking as just one hobby of many in a world dominated by automobiles as the primary mode of transportation. A childhood in Colorado showed me that you either hop on the bike for mountain biking, bmx riding or road ‘cycling’ for long distances, a hobby, in other words. This belief remained until I crossed the pond and pedaled my way through cities such as Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Berlin and Vienna. I couldn’t believe how biking, urban style, is just a way of life. Its the primary mode of transportation. For my brother and I, it was our way to discover these cities. Consider me hooked to this new way of life.

The liberating feeling of pedaling through an unknown environment sparked my passion to discover other cities from the bicycle seat. If you wish to truly experience the heartbeat of any city, there’s no better way to start than exploring it from a bicycle. Do yourself this one favor, get on the bicycle and just go. If you feel better going with a group, even better. Biking allows you to smell, see, hear, taste and feel the novelty of your new domain more effectively. Buenos Aires is arguably the most European city in South America and is continually becoming more biker-friendly. With more opportunity now than in years past to explore the wonders of this city, I’m here to see you find the same liberation and passion in your explorations….. pedal.. explore.. live!