Bringing my roadbike on KL MRT

I drove up to KL back in November. And I found out a new novelty for my roadbike, bringing my roadbike on KL MRT!

YouTube : Roadbike MRT to Putrajaya

This blog post will share my own MRT experience, taking the train from KL to Putrajaya.

Imagine my surprise when I learned KL trains are so Bike- friendly!

Meanwhile, get the latest RapidKL bike and Ride policy on their website.

The picture above explains that Roadbikes can only use MRT during weekends. You can only use the first or last cabin.

Foldable bicycles can use the MRT any day, but both foldies and roadbikes can only use the trains during specific hours.

Step1 – Roll your road bike to an MRT station

You should already know your destination by now. I had to cycle 3km to the nearest MRT station at Chan Sow Lin.

RapidKL MRT map
Step2 -Pay for your ticket

I selected Putrajaya and paid RM4 for one-way ticket.

I have a minor complaint. The lifts are situated at the extreme corner.
This means wheelchair users and strollers have to roll extra mileage too.
(Take note bicycles must always give way to other lift and MRT users)

The train station is very new and toilet is super clean.
KL RapidKL has female-only cabin, this is COOL!

Step3 – Reach destination, enjoy your ride

Weekend definitely has lesser crowd, or maybe I was early.
Take note of train schedules, starting from 6 or 6.30am.

Bringing my roadbike on KL MRT

My train ride took me 40min.
If I drive, it would be 30km, cycling would take me 40km.

Both driving and cycling would drag me through notorious KL traffic. (I still got phobia from my 2023 cycling SG-KL experience)

I rode in Putrajaya PNR 1.0 for 50km before I packup.
Can someone tell me what does PNR means?

Strava cycling KL Putrajaya

I am amazed. The MRT convenience and ease of transit.
KL folks might take this for granted.

I am so JEALOUS!
How I wish Singapore MRT also allow roadbikes in our cabins 🙂
(Maybe SG too small, or our country too compact and population too dense)

Let me share a few more tips.

1)I mentioned earlier that “Chan Sow Lin to Putrajaya” ticket cost only RM4!
My Switzerland Luzern +bike ticket would easily cost me 30Chf!
(Do pop by my Swiss Mountain pass experience here)

2)Navigating KL traffic is a different level, compared to Singapore.

Ironically, the 3km solo cycling from hotel to MRT, is more nerve wrecking than taking the MRT. No thanks to the various Y-Junctions and round-abouts.

(Imagine multi-tasking. Navigating, looking out for traffic and potholes, and trying to identify the next turns)

The best tip for first time cyclists in KL.
Join a group to cycle together, it will really reduce a lot of anxiety.
Locals are experts in navigating KL’s alley and shortcuts, and they know the BEST cafes!

3)Maybe you can also try taking the MRT to PWTC or Putra station, before submitting Bukit Tunku (aka Mayor’s hill).
(Do confirm whether the MRT line can allow roadbikes beforehand)

Cycle up Bukit Tunku to spot KL skyline

3a)Do make a short detour (and steep climb) to capture KLCC Twin Towers at “Jalan Tunku Putra Lookout Point“. This slope is very popular with cyclists for 打卡.

YouTube: Cycle up Bukit Tunku and Carfree Sunday KL

Thank you RapidKL for showing me how I can bring my bike around KL.
If you have more tips on bicycles and trains, do share with me.

ps. The other country with friendly bicycle and train culture would be Taiwan!
Do pop by my round island experience back in 2025 April (part 2 video here).

Cycling Taiwan Round Island 9D8N

Cycling Taiwan Round Island 9D8N, this was what five of us did in April 2025. We have a support car and we went anti clockwise.

The cycling trip took us nine days, easy pace, allowing for ample time to rest and sightsee. On average, we clock 100-120km per day.

Day 1 Xindian (New Taipei) to Taoyuan (Daxi) to Hsingchu
Day 2 Hsingchu to  Miaoli to Taichung and Changhua (Lukang)
Day 3 Changhua to Yunlin and Chiayi (Budai)
Day 4 Chiayi to Tainan (Beimen), Kaohsiung (Zuoying)
Day 5 Kaohsiung to Pingtung (Checheng), and extend Kenting
Day 6 Climb to Shouka, Zhiben (Taitung)
Day 7 Zhiben, to Chisang and Ruishui (Hualian)
Day 8 Ruisui, Hualien and Jiaoxi (Yilan). (Skip Taroko, bypass Suhua highway)
Day 9 Jiaoxi, Shifen, New Taipei (Complete)

The company makes the trip memorable.

And we had the best support from our vendor.

Taiwan is a popular cycling destination, and we will definitely be visiting Taiwan again.

Do pop by my YouTube videos too. Food, weather, and scenic landscapes are key attractions for our Taiwan trip. But it is the friendly Taiwanese culture which makes tourists feel most welcomed.

Refer to my Strava links and Facebook photos at the end of this blog post.

Part 1 – from Taipei to Kenting

Part 2 – from Pingtung to Taipei

 

Day 0 – Bikepacking from Singapore to Taoyuan

(blog post about packing bicycle for overseas)

After landing in Taoyuan, we unload our bikes at hotel and load onto the support car (保姆車). Our boxes will stay at the hotel, until we complete our round trip on Day 9.

Last minute shopping for cycling gears and accessories.

Day 1

Got off to a wet start. Just raincoat and carry on.
Nothing will stop us from enjoying our holidays.

中庄吊橋

 

Nothing we can do about the wet weather, just Ride On!

Splendid 活鱼 “fish” lunch. Too much to go around, but every dish was spectacular. (Restoran 綠野鄉村)

After check in to hotel at Hsingchu, street food galore.

新竹市城隍廟夜市

Tip 01

Just follow the blue arrows and Taiwan route 1 signboard.
In Taiwan, vehicles move on the right side, and cyclists keep right.
There are dedicated lanes (shoulders), motorcycles and bicycles share the same lane.

Day2

Rolling to Changhua on Day 2. Spotted many windmills, love the “green corridor” near Miaoli.

竹苗單車道交界打卡處
龍鳳漁港彩虹橋

Designated resupply points. “Shun4 Ge1” ensures we are hydrated.

Stinky socks.
Always remember to have FUN! It makes the journey more memorable.

長青之森 (Miaoli)

 

白沙屯拱天宮 (Miaoli)

 

Finding every opportunity to Cheers

Touring Taiwan on two wheels is different from four wheels. We can take our own sweet time, go nearer to the coastline, or visit less touristy corners.

If time permits, we can extend or shorten our itinerary depending on our whims and fancy.

Does not matter whether you average 30kmh or roll at 25kmh, as long as we are enjoying our journey. As with all rides, we will always remember the journey, rather than the destination.

新埔 old station

Always love local delights. Every town and province has their specialty.

day 3

Literally “Touch breast” alley!
They did not mention male or female chest, so we improvised 🙂

Of course, Ethan is our 美男子.

摸乳巷
麥寮赤肉羹

It will get warmer as we cycle South. Chiayi, Taichung and Tainan up to Kaohsiung are always humid.

Famous attractions 打卡!  布袋鹽山, create more joy and memories.

Photo above, 3 fingers mean Day 3.

高跟鞋教堂

day 4

Heading to Kaohsiung, the second biggest city in Taiwan.

水晶教堂
井仔腳瓦盤鹽田

Detour to 國聖燈塔 Guosheng, this is the most “West” lighthouse on Taiwan island.

 

阿安牛肉清湯 (Tainan)

Famous beef noodles in Tainan. Our guides ensure we get the best experience along the journey.

We are in Kaohsiung! (龍虎塔)

 

After four days of cycling, we deserve some tender care.

Rest, hydration and nutrition. Always take care of our body and legs.

Day 5

After Day 5, we would have completed the “West” side of Taiwan!
Time really flies when we are enjoying ourselves.

More opportunities to pose and 搞怪 (act cute). Kaohsiung’s cultural spot Pier 2 駁二 (文創區).

Below pic, famous Church and cafe (海上教堂咖啡),大鵬灣. We are already in Pingtung.

Lovely coastal views at a 7-11 pitstop, wait till you see the three-tone seas along the East coast.

車城福安宮

We extended our itinerary and rode further South till the edge (near to Eluanbi lighthouse). We got to experience fierce cross winds along Pingtung 屏東.

Everyone would instinctively slow down to minimise the impact. Mind you, a sudden gust can whack your wheels and tilt it 30%! (not exaggerating)

鹅銮鼻

Southernmost point of Taiwan (臺灣最南點).

Eluanbi lighthouse in the background, the main entrance needs a ticket to access.

Looking forward to mealtime everyday. Surprise us!.
Every meal got big fish big meat (大鱼大肉).熊家萬巒豬腳車城店

Day 6

Day 6 would let most of us experience the first climb. For those who are regularly cycling in Malaysia, the climbs would be ok. Just roll along.

Take note the climb will be tougher after Mudan “reservoir“.

石門古戰場

Sun4 Ge1, our friendly guide (and driver and mechanic) leading the charge up the hills. He is on a motorised bike :p

The famous Shouka rest point 壽卡鐵馬驛站 at the peak. After this spot, we cross over from Pingung to Taitung.

YES, we are officially on the East side of Taiwan.

Everyone is amazed at the sea views! The East side is always more scenic and relax, compared to the “industralised” West side.

Photo below, Wang Laoshi posing infront of 9, 420.
We are on Route 9, and only 420 km from Taipei!

Subtle reminder that we have already completed more than 50% of our journey.

Sea breeze and beautiful Pacific Ocean views.

Opposite 多良觀光車站
葛的店深海鮮魚湯

Just follow “No1” Route 1 sign to round the island.

大頭目野食館

Day 7

Day 7 is one of the most scenic rides, we will cycle between valleys and across green padi fields. We will ride through Luye and Guanshan.

Tip 02

If time permits, I would recommend one night at Taitung. Enjoy the slow chill vibes of the town.

Enjoyed some famous bento lunch, before we hit 池上 Brown Boulevard.Bento 悟饕池上飯包文化故事館

Pina posing, no 金城武 today.

Happy to soak in the good weather, pose more. This corner is one of Taiwan’s rice bowls. Nearby mountains contain mineral rich spring water, to irrigate the green produce.

Gorillas stopover, 富里稻草藝術景觀區.

Near to Yuli and Ruisui, route 193 (花東縱谷) nearby offers the best scenic cycling routes. (refer rough segment here).

花東 means 花蓮台東 (aka Hualien to Taitung).
Junction of Eurasian Plate and Philippine Sea Plate

If opportunity presents, choose hotels with hot springs 泡湯.

Day 8

Wet Day 8. Friends without raincoat, don the unglam disposable plastic :p
Super cold! We were freezing, and it was 16-18 degrees, the wind made it worse.

Our legs and arms were shivering! (at Hualien’s Danongdafu 大農大富)

We gate crash a local bike event to pose on the “podium” 🙂
All for good fun!

Hot bowl of soup to warm our tummies.

Our bikes and gears are all super dirty from all the rain and debris.光復車站

This restaurant has only one item on it’s menu, and the soup is the BEST I have tasted during my 9D8N trip!單一純賣 雞湯 小卷米粉

 

Avoiding the 蘇花公路 Suhua highway stretch. This is a series of narrow tunnels, and relatively less safe for cyclists, as trucks and buses ply the same road too.

Most will recommend taking a train from Hualien to Yilan.
(I suspect the infrastructure as been upgraded and made safer, with more bypass for cyclists. Please do your own research)

南方澳觀景臺

Birthday boy 🙂

day 9

Day 9, finale! We are going to cycle back to Taipei city.
It also means our epic journey is coming to an end.

Almost 1000km, 9 days, rain and shine, plenty of laughter. Brothers and Sister.

The tunnel between Taipei and Yilan (@舊草嶺隧道).

Still have plenty of energy to fool around with the sheeps (@南方澳觀景臺)

Then we climb 15% up to 三貂角燈塔 (Sandiaojiao). This is the Eastern most lighthouse.

Victory pose. Poor calves and glutes.

福隆遊客中心
福新福隆便當

十分 Shifen “we want a Pina” lantern.

PCN towards the end point.

Congrats!  Cycling Taiwan Round Island 9D8N completed!

Milestone for many of us. We dreamt, we challenged ourselves, and we achieved our goals.

the next day, I loop back to “0 km” at 環島一號線起點 (Songshan station)

One more day to R&R, service and pack our bikes. More importantly, carbo load and enjoy all the local streetfood.

Farewell Taiwan 🙂

Facebook photos:

Day 1 https://www.facebook.com/share/1EsLJXYuTk
Day 2 https://www.facebook.com/share/1DkVWXcnh1
Day 3 https://www.facebook.com/share/1DkXsyTiQz
Day 4 https://www.facebook.com/share/151Jvk2LEL
Day 5 https://www.facebook.com/share/1XGzCaG4o3
Day 6 https://www.facebook.com/share/1BGJy1Yg3c
Day 7 https://www.facebook.com/share/1AFQyPQLCB
Day 8 https://www.facebook.com/share/1MVFnxHoe3
Day 9 https://www.facebook.com/share/12KdYXUoSib

Strava links:

Day 1 Cycle Taiwan,Xindian to Hsingchu
Day 2 Cycle Taiwan, Hsingchu to Changhua
Day 3 Cycle Taiwan, Changhua to Budai (Chiayi)
Day 4 Cycle Taiwan, Chiayi to Kaohsiung
Day 5 Cycle Taiwan, Kaohsiung to CheCheng(Pingtung)
Day 6 Cycle Taiwan, Pingtung to Zhiben(Taitung)
Day 7 DNF. Cycle Taiwan, Zhiben to Ruisui (Hualien)
Day 8 Cycle Taiwan, Ruisui to Jiaoxi (Yilan)
Day 9 Complete, Jiaoxi to Taipei!

Tip 03

If you are interested, do reach out to 樂騎台灣 for their bike package.
->https://www.facebook.com/biketour.tw

They are not the cheapest, but they can offer customised itinerary to suit our cycling styles. We were very lucky to get to know both 王老师 and 顺哥. Thanks for the guidance an taking care of us!

ps.. If Cycling Taiwan Round Island is too mainstream, do try Taiwan’s famous cycling events too. I just completed 四極點 620km in Nov 2025.

-四極燈塔 620km
-雙塔 520km or
-北高 360km