Happy International Women’s Day

March 7th, 2019

Tomorrow, the 8th of March, the International Women’s Day, Barcelona will be full of feminist mobilizations during the whole day, in order to protest against the inequality that women suffer today.

You can enjoy this great day in an active way and/or being respectful with people who are fighting for their rights.

 

Colors, debauchery and happiness during de 2019’s Carnival in Barcelona

February 27th, 2019

From Thursday, the 28th, with the ‘Dijous Gras’, one of the fiestas which looks better on Barcelona will be started, are you going to miss that?

Photo by BenKerckx on Pixabay

One of the favorite celebrations of the city of Barcelona is Carnival or, at least, we love the colorful of this fiesta.

On Thursday, the 28th of February, all the activities, that will continue during Friday, Saturday and Sunday, are going to start in Barcelona with the famous Catalan celebration ‘Dijous Gras’. During this Thursday is practically obligatory to taste the Catalan egg sausage sandwich and a walk through the Ramblas at the sunset, the perfect scenario for the arrival of the Carnival’s Emperors.

During Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the city and all its districts are going to be full of activities. So, take your bicycle and don’t miss anyone of them. You can check them on the official program (you can access clicking here).

And among all this mess, don’t forget your costume, because thanks to the magic of this weekend you can be who you most desire.

Barcelona is enjoying a short spring, which is perfect to experience by bicycle

February 20th, 2019

Are you taking advantage of these idyllic days in Barcelona?

Photo by Walkerssk in Pixabay.com

For some weeks now, Barcelona and, obviously, some other parts of the territory are rejoicing in some days of idyllic weather, perfect for enjoying the city by bicycle. This is something that “professionally” we call “not a very cold weather, neither a very warm weather”. You will not need a lot of cloth layers in order to feel the warmth of the bicycle exercise, but, even so you will not feel the sticky weather of the summer.

So, you should take advantage of free afternoons and weekends. Enjoy the parks and gardens of the city: Parc de la Ciutadella, Labyrinth of Horta, Montjuïc, Collserola… Practically every district of the city has a natural space. Although, if you are not looking for the refreshing green, you can take advantage of the fact that there are not so many brave swimmers, and go to ride through the Passeig Marítim. La Barceloneta is a neighborhood where, during weekends, it is difficult not to find some kind of activities. And if there are not any of them, the tapas (appetizers) that you can get there will be a marvelous consolation prize.

Even though, if you are the kind of person who prefers going shopping, our suggestion for you is taking advantage of the big network of bike lanes and visiting the nice and great markets of Barcelona. In addition to the big offer, especially talking about food, they are Modernist works of art, so you shouldn’t miss them if you are interested in the architecture of Barcelona.

This weekend you don’t have any excuse, clean the dust off your bike and go out for pedaling through Barcelona!

¿Why not?

Valentine’s Day has awakened a lot of critiques about romantic love. But, when we realises that, why not take the positive part of it?

 

Born Bike Tours Barcelona working for an inclusive celebration.

Ready for the Great Winter Fiesta in Barcelona?

February 7th, 2019

From the 8th to the 12th of February, one of the greatest fiesta of the city will be celebrated: Santa Eulàlia.

Photo by freestocks.org in Pexels.com

Castellers, correfocs, giants, sardanes, bastoners, concerts… and every kind od activities for elder and young people during the saint and the daughter of the city fiesta: Santa Eulàlia. You can consult all the activities in the official program clicking here.

The Great Winter Fiesta of the city is the perfect opportunity to get to know a great part of the popular culture and tradition of Barcelona, together with all the local people who make it possible.

In addition, most of the activities are going to be celebrated through the old and magic central streets of Barcelona: in Ciutat Vella and the Gótic -where, we can assure you, it is better to circulate by bicycle than by car or motorbike-.

As we always say, the fiestas are the best option to get to know the popular culture of a city. So, you shouldn’t miss that one!

Barcelona will welcome the Pig’s Year

February 1st, 2019

This is a wonderful city, and it is due mostly because of its interculturality. In this sense, this Saturday you shouldn’t miss the Chinese New Year’s celebration.

Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán

This year, the 2019, as the Chinese lunar calendar says, is the Pig’s Year and it is going to start on the 5th of February. Because of that, taking advantage of the weekend, the Chinese community in Barcelona has decided to celebrate it this Sunday, the 2nd of February.

This fiesta, every year, has more and more followers and that’s because it offers a lot of performances and activities to the most elderly and to the youngest people. This year, in addition, they have a honorable Catalan guest: la Porca de Sant Antoni.

It is said that the personality of the pigs is characterized by their diligence, their indulgence and their generosity. It is an animal that when it starts something, then it has to finish that. Although it’s really easy to it to let itself be fooled. So, you should try to apply these qualities in order to resolve your daily challenges and let yourself be fooled every now and then, as long as it is for taking yourself to a great party, such as this one.

In Born Bike Barcelona, we are very happy, because this fiesta will be celebrated very close to us. The opening show will start at 11.30 a.m. in the Parc de l’Estació del Nord and the fiesta will continue the whole day in the Passeig Lluís Companys.

‘Interculturalize’ yourself enjoying this great fiesta in Barcelona!

You can avoid the cold weather with the sofa, blanket and a film or… ¡with a bicycle!

January 21st, 2019

Ok, ok… We also like to take a break and collapse ourselves in the sofa. But let’s  never forget that the best way to get rid of the cold from our bodies is riding a bicycle, enjoying the city or some mountain route.

Photo by Luca, Papagnoc in Pixabay

This January has been very “refreshing” in Barcelona, but it hasn’t been serious enough to stop us from keeping pedaling. No matter how much our sofa has been calling us, thanks to the bicycle we have become the heroes of our movies. We have discovered new corners of our incredible, insatiable, traditional and intercultural city. We have pedaled up to our last breath in order to get the best views. And we have met some marvelous people.

Don’t succumb to the trap of falling into the blanket and do this by keeping yourselves active and happy. In addition, it gives to you the break that you need for facing all the daily challenges.

Don’t think more about it. You simply leave the sofa, ride your bicycle and you will suddenly realize that you are having a great time.

Remember, in Barcelona of the year 2019, the cyclists must circulate away from the sidewalks

January 15th, 2019

Some weeks ago we informed you about the new regulation which has been applied this January, month dedicated to the bicycle circulation in Barcelona, so, today, we are going to present a reminder just in case you have forgotten it.

Photo by Claudia, einszweifrei in Pixabay.com

From the very first of this month of January 2019, the cyclists must circulate away from the sidewalks in Barcelona, in order to ride through the almost 1,000km (620 miles) of the city’s bike lane. And, why do you have to circulate away from the sidewalks? Because the cost of riding a bicycle on the sidewalks could be punished with fines of up to €500, so, save yourself this fine and the annoyance following this simple cohabitation rule.

We want to remind you that the only way allowed to circulate on the sidewalk is when it measures a width of more than 5 meters and 3 meters are free (and you haven’t any other alternative or bike lane closer) or if you are younger than 12 (years old) and you are circulating with your own bicycle and accompanied by an adult.

And returning to our wise words: Even if you usually pedal through the streets of Barcelona or because you are visiting this great city, remember, share and obey this regulation. All together we are building a healthier city and a good cohabitation is one of the keys.

The January’s hill is lighter by bicycle

January 8th, 2019

The returning to the routine with some more kilos and less money could be very hard, because of that, the bicycle can be much more helpful than you think.

Photo by Kaique Rocha in pexels.com

This week a lot of people are returning to work, so it will be difficult to avoid the early mornings, the hurry and the work updates. In addition, if everything has gone as it should be these last dates, you have surely gained some weight, at the same time, our pockets and wallets have lost some volume.

So that’s our suggestion: put a bicycle in your life.

When you start to pedal to work every morning you will notice that you aren’t sleepy very quickly. You will avoid traffic jams and you will feel better physically, something that will help your mind to keep a high level during all day.

In addition, the bicycle will help you to burn these extra kilos which Christmas’ nougats have gifted you and without wasting money and saving us up the gym.

Have you been convinced? Be up for the #ToWorkByBike club, everything are benefits for you and your city.

#HappyNewYear pedaling!

December 31st, 2018

In this very especial date, we just want to wish you a happy new year 2019.

We wish you to achieve all your challenges with the same strength that we use to keep us pedaling.

In just five days we are going to finish the year, have you achieved all your challenges?

December 27th, 2018

We usually think about our objectives when we start the year, but it could be so much easier if you do that at the end of this year.

Photo by Gerd Altmann in Pixabay

Try to search in your memory, for sure that you can remember some of the challenges from last year, he ones you have not achieved yet. This week could be your last chance.

Trying to do that with a clear deadline and with the motivation of the good vibes of these dates, could be the best way to achieve these objectives once and for all.

This sprint could be, also, a warm-up exercise in order to keep you pedaling for your objectives constantly during your next year.

Try it! Close your year crossing out your objectives, this is a revitalizing way for starting the new year.

The Christmas’ holidays are closer, do you know how to take the maximum advantages of them?

13th December, 2018

Guides, blogs, social networks… They are huge sources of information which will help you to get inspired this Christmas.

Photo by StockSnap from Pixabay

If Christmas is a good time to spend with the family, we are sure that you can find some free time to relax yourselves and digest the big meals.

You can organize bicycle tours with the family and friends during the non-official vacation days, it could be a great opportunity to get to know closer places that, during our daily routine, we have no time to discover and enjoy.

In order to organize a route which adapts to you, there are thousands of resources in just over two clicks away. Blogs, guides, key #hashtags (tags) in the social networks… all of them are going to help you to discover up to the last corner of the places that, maybe, you think you already know.

This vacation you shouldn’t leave your bicycle at home. Digest the nougats pedaling, you will see how good it feels.

And if you need help planning your route… you know where to find us.

As of the 1st of January, bicycles must circulate away from the sidewalks of Barcelona

December 5th, 2018

Kara De Leos

After the extension of the bike lane in the city, almost 1,000km (620 miles) adapted to the bicycle circulation, the City Hall of Barcelona considers that the bike circulation through the road is safe enough to forbid the circulation of this vehicle on the sidewalks.

The City Hall of Barcelona is in the middle of a campaign in order to make public, to every urban cyclist, local and temporary ones, that, as of the 1st of January, the circulation on the city’s sidewalks will be punished with fines up to €500. Their motto, “When you are riding a bicycle, leave the sidewalk”, is covered by a second slogan: “You have almost 1,000km of alternatives”.

The only way allowed to circulate on the sidewalk is when it measures a width of more than 5 meters and 3 meters are free (and you haven’t any other alternative or bike lane closer) or if you are younger than 12 (years old) and you are circulating with your own bicycle and accompanied by an adult.

Even if you usually pedal through the streets of Barcelona or because you are visiting this great city, remember, share and obey this regulation. All together we are building a healthier city and a good cohabitation is one of the keys.

Enjoy your route through the ‘Ronda Verda’ of Barcelona by bicycle

November 28th, 2018

If you are visiting Barcelona or you still have no plans for this weekend, here you have a suggestion to keep you pedaling. A healthy and enjoyable activity for everyone.

Photo by Silvia (Sipa at Pixabay)

We are always talking about the improvements of the bike lane, which have achieved transforming the city into a paradise for the urban cyclist, but we cannot forget about the Ronda Verda -Green Beltway-. This road surrounds the whole city, connecting it to the neighboring cities, offering us a huge means of connection of 72km and a fantastic lane for riding a bicycle.

This lane connects Badalona, Barcelona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Esplugues de Llobregat y Montcada i Reixac. In addition, it has 6 sections, so we can decide if we prefer to ride the whole route or only enjoy one of its variated zones that we can find in this sea and mountain city. For example, we could dedicate our morning to riding through the mountain of Collserola, or spend our afternoon at the now very quiet beaches of Barcelona. In addition, we could start our route through the beach from the Front Marítim and get to the mountain through the Montjuïc route.

The options are very assorted, so take advantage of Barcelona and of every one of the marvelous options that this city offers you.

Barcelona will fill up with light

November 21st, 2018

Photo by Tim Mossholder

This 22nd of November Barcelona will release the Christmas of this 2018 by the illumination of its streets. This year, the performance will be situated in rambla de Guipúscoa with Julián Besteiro street, in the neighborhood of Sant Martí.

It is not necessary to be very observant in order to realize that the shop windows are full of Christmas’ decoration. But among all this adornment, which tries to make us shopping compulsively, in the same city, we can also find some of the tradition of this celebration. An example is the illumination of the streets, which will arrive together with an official act from the city hall and a performance by the Efímer company.

And if the last year this illumination started at the city center, in Les Rambles, as a symbolism of the solidarity with the victims of the 17th of August attack, this year it’s being situated in the neighborhood of Sant Martí, in the crossroad of rambla de Guipúscoa with Julián Besteiro street. A neighborhood where, during these last years, the city hall has been working in order to transform it in a nicest place, with more green and pedestrian zones and, of course, with more kilometers of bike lane.

Take advantage of this season and ride your bicycle through the illuminated streets of Barcelona.

You only can go ahead by bicycle

November 12th, 2018

The number of urban cyclists in Barcelona has an exponential growth thanks to the extension of the bike lane during these last years in Barcelona. The security that these lanes provide is translated in a lot of people who enjoy the advantages of moving around with this very sustainable vehicle.

Photo by Joan Cabotti

Any person who has ridden a bike any time of his/her life will be realized that when you move the pedals backwards it’s useless. The bicycle has been designed for moving forward and if you need to go backwards you will have to do facing it, being fully aware of what you are doing and where we really want to go.

And, why is so interesting this consideration nowadays? Because in our 10 years of experience pedaling through the streets of Barcelona we feel astonished (in the good sense of this word) about how the kilometers of the bike lane in Barcelona have been so extended and, especially, how a lot of urban cyclists have leaped to take advantage of even the last signalized meter of lane.

The bicycle will continue advancing in Barcelona and it is going to do that in a conscious and safe way, transforming the city in a cleaner, more tranquil and more sustainable place each time.

Some tips in order to continue pedaling against the cold weather in Barcelona

2 de noviembre de 2018

This last week, in Barcelona and in Catalonia, the temperatures have suddenly fallen and with this descent the rain has come too. But this doesn’t to be a reason for stopping pedaling in the city.

Photo by Mabel Amber

In Barcelona, as a Mediterranean city, we have a really nice temperature which allows us to pedal without any problems, and if you don’t believe us, ask our neighbors in the north of Europe, where not even the snow can stop them.

For this reason, we shouldn’t stop pedaling during the cold days, because, in addition, with the movement and the sport that we do riding a bicycle, we will again feel the warm sensation that we usually miss. That’s why our first tip is that you should wear different layers, such as an onion, because, at the same time that you are feeling warmer your body will need you to remove some of these clothes layers.

Second tip, you should prepare yourself in order not to be surprised by the rain. Use waterproof clothes (also trousers) and also suitable shoes.

Third tip, something that you always have to keep in mind, whether it’s raining, snowing or it’s a really sunny day: you should keep your bike ready. Clean and greased chain, pumped up wheels (you can deflate a little bit your wheels if it’s raining in order to achieve a better adhesion, but not too much, because you could suffer a puncture), front and back lights and, in addition, it’s interesting to use a mudguard, because we will arrive at our jobs more decently.

If we follow these tips and we keep alert, we even will enjoy the cold and rainy days!

The bicycle as a way of life

October 16th, 2018

Photo by Pere Serrat

Who usually use the bicycle for moving around the city have another point of view about it. Ride one and stir up your life.

The continuous pedaling changes many things. We can assure this because we move constantly around Barcelona by bicycle.

For us the bike is a physical revolution, but also a mental revolution.

That’s physical in the sense of the health exercise as the reward of our work, because of the reduction of the CO2 and because the completely change of the city’s view. For us, several noiseless bicycles going through the streets is a present for the eyes and for the ears, especially if we compare it with the motorized vehicles traffic.

But we cannot forget the mental revolution. The exercise and the simplicity of the bicycle release your mind and it allows you to observe around. And that’s a really good exercise to make you reflect and inspire.

If you not agree with us, ask to the people who usually meet every first Friday of the month to ride their bicycles in Barcelona. The next excursion will depart from Arc de Triomf.

Come to the healthiest movement! The pedaling through Barcelona 😉

 

For the people who keep pedaling under the rain in Barcelona and in any single city

October 9th, 2018

Autumn comes with rain in the city, but for the people who love to ride a bicycle, this is an unimportance challenge, because, finally, the rain cleans and purifies the city. What else can we ask for the people who like to breath clean air?

Photo by ORNELLA BINNI on Unsplash

Dear city cyclists,

Today, this post is for thank you for keeping pedaling this raining days in Barcelona or in any single city. For understanding the importance of this meteorological phenomenon in the city. For keeping calm and patient with the other drivers. And for being alert with the segurity, because this is very important these days.

The rain in Barcelona is not so usual than in other cities, because of that, during the week days, when the traffic jams in the city is normal, the rain could be a nuisance. For this reason, we should keep this though in our mind: the water from rain cleans and purifies the environment because it drags away the damaging particles. And for everyone who breathes the city air daily this is the key.

In addition, if we have the suitable equipment (nothing very especial) and we keep alert, the rain won’t be and impediment to pedal.

Appropriate equipment, waterproof clothes, a footwear which resists rain without problems and all the elements which make you being more visible, especially for the motor vehicles: reflective clothes, the front and the back bicycle lights. A back mudguard will avoid you to arrive at your destiny with your back full of mud.

Get your bicycle ready, you can help to improve adhesion on the road by reducing the tire pressure (a little bit! If not, you will be in danger of getting a flat tire) and be sure that the treads of your tires are well marked. It is also important to maintain the chain clean and lubricated. And, specially (with or without rain), check if your brakes respond quickly.

The rainy days are perfect to show our skills with the bicycle. We are talking about reinforcing your concentration on the road. Brake before a curve and take it slowly. Keep a safety distance with regard to the other vehicles; avoid puddles, marks painted on the road and the multicolour marks that appear on the road (they are car oil).

With these tips, the only thing that we want to repeat again is: thanks for keeping pedaling.

Don’t let the routine stops you, start pedaling also during October

October 1st, 2018

Photo by Pexels

October is right here, and with it the last remains of summer are gone. But don’t be sad, you can ride your bicycle also during the autumn, specially in a city like Barcelona.

For us, the return to the routine is an opportunity. The opportunity of carry out with all the good challenges that we have formulated when we were inspired by the calm and the good vibes of the summer holidays. And, a good challenge that could be nice for everyone? Using more the bicycle.

During your daily, the bicycle could be a key element for improving yours and everybody’s mobility, improving, at the same time, your physical and mental health.

But, using a bicycle during your daily for going to work, to shopping or for other errands is not the only interesting use of your bike. It could be also interesting to use it during weekends. The vacation time don’t need to finish yet, you could do excursions with the family, friends or alone through close places. Because, a lot of times, we leave getting to know these close places for late, when they could be so incredible as a lot of exotic destinies, which make us save money during all year.

So, now you know, this autumn, note to practice a little bit more of local tourism by bicycle down your challenge list. For sure you will be able to discover a lot of treasures in Barcelona!

Experience the culture and the tradition of Barcelona while you are pedaling through La Mercè 2018 festivity

September 20th, 2018

Photo by Feradz

From the 21st to the 24th of September, you have a very important date with Barcelona, in order to enjoy the cultural activities that the city has prepared only for you -well, and for other miles of people too-.

As we always say, the best way to get to know a city is introducing yourself in its festivities, because popular celebrations are the best show of the local’s environment, their culture, their tradition and their gastronomy. In Barcelona, the most remarked festivity -because each neighbourhood has each own festivities- is La Mercè celebration. And this year it will be celebrated from the 21st to the 24th of September.

From expositions, “cercaviles”, castellers, giants, sardanes to the night concerts and light shows.

You should be fit riding the bicycle, if you want to arrive at everything!

Take a look to the daily activities programming in https://www.barcelona.cat/lamerce/en and take the most advantage of this celebration. You only can enjoy it once a year.

 

Returning to school by bicycle

September 12th, 2018

This week a lot of kids are going to start again the school studies and that means a clear return to the routine for a lot of people. But, this time, if you haven’t tried it before, you can add a refreshing change to this routine, it consists in returning to the school by bike.

Barcelona is every time a safer city when we talk about riding a bicycle through its streets, all this thanks to the extension of the bike lane. So, why don’t take advantage of this situation and be an example for the little ones using the cleanest means of transport?

This video that we have used other times (yes, we admit it, we thrill every time we play it) shows how this situation can be absolutely normalized and a main situation, so, why don’t we try it?

For us, this is a mantra, we should work in order to Barcelona become a cleaner city by including the bicycle in our routine, being an example to the future generations.

Then, this new school year, are you going to join our club? That’s free and very healthy!

It’s still summer in Barcelona

September 1st, 2018

Although the summer holidays have finished with the August’s month for a lot of people, for other ones, who have suffered the hot weather in the work place while they saw how the work mates departed to remote countries, the good time starts now.

Photo by Katerina Zhang

Barcelona is not going to disappoint all the people who have been waiting for the arriving of their well-deserved vacations. On the contrary, the activity of the city is not going to let anyone to get bored.

From refreshing ridings through the beach by bicycle, to the challenge of getting to the top of the hill of Montjuïc, where you will be awarded with the amazing views of the city. Everything with the nicest weather and avoiding the July and August build-ups –overbooking in hotels, in restaurants and, even worst! in the streets-.

And, if it was not enough, we cannot forget that the great fiesta of La Mercè 2018 is very close. A festivity that, as always, will get you closer to the culture and tradition of the city.

Barcelona is waiting for you with open arms, take your bicycle and come to pedal!

The Great Fiestas time is here, the best way to enjoy Barcelona

August 16th, 2018

If this summer you are ridding a bicycle though the streets of Barcelona, you shouldn’t miss to get to the Great Fiestas, the best show of culture and tradition in the city.

pl-vila-festes-de-gràcia

During summer, Barcelona doesn’t stop, on the contrary, that’s really strange to find a week without any Great Fiesta. Next, a brief calendar with which you can check if your trip to Barcelona coincides with a neighborhood’s festivity.

Festes de Sant Roc from the 14th-18th of August.

Festes de Gràcia from the 15th-21st of August.

Festes de Sants from the 20th-28th of August.

Festa Major de la Bordeta from the 28th of August to the 15th of September.

Festes de Vallcarca coincides with the first two weeks of September.

Festa Major del Farró from the 7th-11th of September.

Festa Major de la Barceloneta, coinciding with the Sant Miquel festivity, around the 29th of September.

Festes de la Mercè from the 21st to the 24th of September.

Try to confirm this calendar in the City Hall web site, when the date comes closer. Some variations could be possible.

And, above all, enjoy this amazing fiestas!

 

Which characteristics have Born Bike Tours Barcelona for chosing a good bicycle for the city

6th August, 2018

One of the most common questions made by those who have just started their urban cycling is: “What type of bike is the best for the city?” For us, it is important to select a model that will make the coexistence with the traffic in the city easier, so it has to be safe.

1. It should be easy to start and stop

Upon forming part of the traffic of the city, it should be easy to put the feet on the ground when you’re waiting for the traffic light to change.

2. There should be a good acceleration

This is important when you have to move the bicycle to cross and intersection or change lanes.

3. It should be easy to see

It’s important to maintain yourself visible to other users. For this objective, you should have good front and back lights.

4. It should allow you to see the traffic around you

The straighter up the cyclist rides, the easier it is for him to see what is happening around you.

5. The bicycle should be easy to control with one hand

Take into account that the hand signals are extremely important in order to maintain an adequate communication with drivers and other cyclists.

6. There should be an efficient range of speeds

The diversity of the speeds depends on the topography of your city and the distance that you have to go. More important than the number of velocities is the range you have available. If there are many slopes in your city, you need a low range of speeds. The contrary happens in a city that is relatively even.

7. It should be efficient

The back suspension and the common rims in the case of mountain bicycles are not recommended for a city bicycle. Even though this is useful for the mountains, the suspension (especially the rear one) absorbs part of the energy we apply to the pedal. If you plan to use your mountain bicycle in the city, you should make some modifications.

As we have already said, there are a great variety of bicycles. It’s important that you like the bike, that I has the right size and be according to your necessities.

Now you know some of the important things about our bicycles, so, start to pedal!

Come to the activities in Barcelona during the month of August 2018 by bicycle

July 31st, 2018

Photo by Enes on Unsplash

Here you have a list of activities in Barcelona during this August, in order you don’t miss anyone during your trip.

Music in Barcelona!

2018.07.31 – 08.31 – Mas i Mas

The Mas i Mas Festival returns to Barcelona in the summer with jazz, flamenco, classic, techno and much more.

2018.08.10 – 11 -DGTL – Festival Barcelona

The DGTL Festival will make you dance in Barcelona at the rhythm of music house and techno.

2018.026.02 – 08.30 – Music in the Parks

This season, 2018, the program includes 49 concerts and all of them free. From June to the end of August you can listen to music in the parks of Barcelona. These have been taking place for the past 15 years and include best quality music. Not only this, it is also great for sitting in a pleasant place at night with good music, friends and family.

2018.07.01 – 09.16 Brunch in the Park

Take your picnic basket, your plaid table cloth and get ready to …. Dance without stopping until the 17th of September..

Outdoor movies in Barcelona

2018.07.06 – 08.31 – Mecal Air, outdoor movies

In summer we all want to spend a lot of time outdoors -and what a better way than watching short films with friends while having a glass of wine. Mecal Air is a summer alternative to the classical cinemas, It is the one preferred by the Barcelona neighbors. The good part is that there is a combination to “short films” and a gastronomical offer. The entrance is free.

2018.06.29 – 08.03 – Outdoor movies – Sala Montjuïc

Important recent films and concerts that take place outdoors.

2018.06.28 – 08.02 – Free films t the Barcelona beach

Free movies at the beach during the summer nights.

Other events

During summer from Thursday to Sunday from 9:00p.m to 11:30p.m. – The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc

In the summer from Thursday to Sunday from 9:00p.m to 11:30p.m. the spectacles take place every half an hour.

2018.08.09 – 19 – Circuit Festival

Don’t miss the most fun gay Festival in Barcelona.

2018.08.05 – 05 – Joan Gamper Trophy from the FC Barcelona

Experience the Barcelona Football Club Joan Gamper a the Camp Nou!

Have a good time!

A new bicycle route from the sea to the mountain in Barcelona

July 26th, 2018

With the inauguration of the bike lines in the streets of Bilbao and Jonquera, which have been added to the street of Navas -look at the map and you will understand it better 😉-, the axis which will allow us to go from the Parc del Guinardó to Marbella beach is completed.

Something very especial from Barcelona that we always try to remark is that this city is a sea and mountain city, where the landscape and the environments are very varied and it allows us to enjoys its different modalities.

Up to now, a very important bicycle route was the one where you can go from the Port Olimpic to Montjuïc mountain in the Sants-Montjuïc district. In just one day you can enjoy the sea breeze and the mountain views. Now, to this amazing route, we have to add another one from Guinardó to the Marbella beach, so we have a new one for changing the views and the environment of the beach.

The most important thing of these routes is the fact that now we can do that in a safe way thanks to the extension of the bike lane in Barcelona.

This summer experience Barcelona to the maximum and discover the last of its corners by bicycle.

A bicycle as your best trip mate

Photo by Autumn Studio

July 27th, 2018

This summer you shouldn’t forget your bicycle at home. It will be your best trip mate.

If you have kept yourself fit all year getting around everywhere by bicycle, this summer you cannot waste all this effort. Moving around the cities by bicycle is the best investment that you can make.

With the bicycle, you can get to know all the cities at street level, without any problem when you decide to park, and enjoying the city environment directly.

The respect for the environment, the noise and the neighbors are synonyms of bicycle. This will make you earn points with the local people who are sharing the city with you.

Flexibility of movement, especially in Barcelona, city of sea and mountain. By bicycle, the moment you wake up, you can decide if this a mountain or a sea day. It will make you enjoy the trip and allow you to stop anywhere you want. It doesn’t matter if you want to immortalize the moment by taking a photo or if you want to have some tapas -Spanish appetizers- in a bar that you like.

All these advantages, combined with the bike lanes which the city is taking from the space of the cars, make the bicycle the best trip mate during our summer adventures.

This summer, let’s share Barcelona by bicycle

July 3rd, 2018

We have to insist that the best way to travel is by the ecotourism, achieving that our passing through the city be the most sustainable and positive possible, and generating the best memories for us and for the people who live in the city and who turn it into a marvelous place.

Photo by Sergi Larripa

The City Hall of Barcelona has initiated a new campaign this summer: ‘Compartim Barcelona’ -Let’s share Barcelona- where they gather some tips for everyone who visits and lives in the city. We feel very identified with them, because they are something that we try to transmit in many of our mails.

Sharing the public places, taking care of the urban furniture, not obstructing the life’s rhythm of the people who live in the city, not making noise after a celebration and, in general, controlling the volume… these are some basic tips from the web site. It seems very logical, isn’t it? Well, these are annoyances that the people who live in Barcelona are experiencing continuously, and which complicate their day-to-day. For this reason, we are sharing it in our blog, in order to do our part to achieve a more habitable city for everyone.

To all these tips, obviously, we want to add another one: riding a bicycle when you visit the city. This means of transport doesn’t make noise, doesn’t dirty it and, thanks to the extension of the bike lane, we can practically move around the whole city in a safe way for us and for the pedestrians. Of course, in order to make this idea a reality, we need your help by respecting all the traffic sign, the places to stop and park and this rhythm of the people who live in the city that we have talked about. Because, they are sharing their bicycle routes, so try not to obstruct the rhythm of these.

Take these tips with you and enjoy Barcelona by bicycle!

Summer has settled down in Barcelona and here you have some tips to live together with it

June 28th, 2018

Some weeks ago, the temperature increased significantly in Barcelona and, in addition, the sweltering. This, sometimes, make us feel lazy, but, keep calm, the experience has given us some tips to fight against this laziness and riding again our bicycle.

Photo by Alex Blajan

The breeze from the beach and the calm shade in the parks

If you are going to move around Barcelona in the morning, maybe it’s better if you don’t go through the sunny spot of the Eixample. There are some shades, but the accumulated hot weather, especially from the motorized vehicles, are going to make you feel tired. Going to the beach or to some of the great parks in Barcelona will be a better option. With the breeze or the fresh air that comes from the plants, you are going to feel much better. Go to the Sagrada Familiar or to the great modernist works of Passeig de Gràcia in the afternoon, when the sun has gone down a little.

Take cover in a tapas bar or restaurant

The worst hours of the heat are at midday, so, at this hour, you should look for a bar or restaurant -especially if you are at the beach- where you could find refuge from the worst sun rays and taste some of the delicious food from the gastronomy of Barcelona.

You shouldn’t stop hydrating yourself

A continuous hydration, especially if we are moving around by bicycle, is essential in order to avoid sickness. Always take a bottle of water with you and put a little bit of lemon inside it. It will make you feel great!

In addition, you will always find an ice-cream parlor and you will be able to refresh yourself with your favorite flavor.

This holidays you can practice the ecotourism in Barcelona by the best means of transport: the bicycle

June 19th, 2018

Summer is very close and we cannot avoid to remember you some tips that will help you to plan an unforgettable trip, respecting the environment and people who you are going to visit.

Born Bike Tours Barcelona are very fans of ecotourism, this combination of activities that allow us to travel respecting the environment and the people who live in this place. But, although this point of view comes from the respect, ecotourism is much more. We are going to sum it up in the 8 tips presented by the International Ecotourism Society:

  1. Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts.
  2. Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
  3. Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
  4. Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.
  5. Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry.
  6. Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climates.
  7. Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities.
  8. Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment.

You are going to see that a lot of these points are easy to resolve if you visit the place by bicycle 😉

Integrate yourself in Barcelona by bicycle

June 14th, 2018

One of the best ways to grade our trip experience is through the integration level.  In order to reach the maximum grade in Barcelona -or anywhere- we suggest you to take a map of the bike lane and to get fit with your bicycle, the best means of transport to enjoy the city at street level.

Photography by Alejandro Lopez

Photography by Alejandro Lopez

June smells summer and, with the arriving of summer, we cannot avoid to start to think about our well-deserved holidays. For this reason, today we want to remember some ideas that we have set out in the blog, because we think that they are very important for achieving the best experience in Barcelona.

Bring us close tot the city people through their culture, their history and their social habits is a basic thing and, for achieving this, to move us at street level is very important, in order to don’t miss any detail.

When we know exactly our means of transport, the next more important thing is the destination. And for this part of the planning is very important to get informed before to leap to our trip. Be informed about the greatest monuments, to explore some more specialized corners and, above all, try to coincide with some popular celebration.

If you achieve getting into the plane, bus or train – whatever it is the means of transport that you use to come to Barcelona- knowing all the lessons, your trip will be incomparable. If you don’t have enough time for that, keep calm, the city is full of services where we can help you sharing all our knowledge.

Bon dia, bon profit, gràcies, déu-n’hi-do… Do you know the vocabulary for moving around Barcelona? Because you already have the means of transport, isn’t it? 😉 🚲

June 5th, 2018

Photo by Luis Gonzalez

We can move us free around the city by bicycle, but, in order to achieve all our objectives with the cooperation of the local people, knowing some words and expression will be so useful, and we can increase them during our stay.

Here you have a very basic dictionary with some words and expressions which will help us to move around Barcelona:

Bon dia = Good morning

Bona tarda = Good afternoon

Bona nit = Good night

Si us plau = Please

Com et dius? = What is your name?

Encantat/encantada d’haver-te conegut = Nice to meet you

Bon profit! = Enjoy your meal! (You should say it with joy)

Gràcies = Thank you

Moltes gràcies = Thank you very much

De res = You are welcome

On és el lavabo? = Where is the toilette?

Esmorzar = Breakfast

Dinar = Lunch

Berenar = Have a snack

Sopar = Dinner

El compte = The bill

(Which is not…)

Compte! = Take care!

Déu-n’hi-do= (this expression can be use in a lot of situations, it depends of the tone of voice, but we will translate it as…) My goodness

 

And finally… A reveure! = See you later!

Are you looking for culture, gastronomy and tradition in Barcelona? Here you have some suggestions for this weekend, come by bicycle!

May 23rd, 2018

After some years, the Sant Antoni Market opens its doors to the public and it does that on a large scale. One unique opportunity to move beyond the center of Barcelona and surround yourself by its culture.

Photo by Enric https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Enric

In many other mails, we have insisted that, if you are getting to know the city, a visit to the markets of Barcelona is indispensable. Because of its architecture, its traditional products combined with the modern gastronomy of the city, because of the interaction with the local people… But, specially this weekend, the Sant Antoni Market is going to celebrate a great inaugural party, where all the ingredients which we have mentioned before are going to be complemented by sport, musical and dance exhibitions, workshops for kids, poetry, art and culture.

If you are visiting Barcelona and you like cultural immersions, you should not miss this opportunity. Ride a bicycle, for us the best means of transport in the city, which will transport you directly to the activities, through the bike lane of the Compte d’Urgell street -the one that goes through Ronda Sant Antoni, the location of the market, is under construction-.

Barcelona never stops, take advantage of that by bicycle!

What do you know about the best means of transport? The History & Evolution of the Bicycle

May 16, 2018

We love to talk about how useful is going around Barcelona by bicycle, but, what do de know about this incredible and, at the same time, simple means of transport? Here you will find some interesant notes about its history.

Photo by Oberholster Venita

There are many different histories of the bicycle. One source claims that it has a history that goes back about 600 years and is quite different than the bike as we know today. Another day we will speak about the source that claims the history of the bicycle began in 1815 after a large volcano, Mt. Tambora, erupted in present-day Indonesia.

Following we highlight major milestones for the bicycle that show the evolution leading up to the modern bicycle:

1418 – Giovanni Fontana builds the first human-powered land vehicle. It has four wheels and uses a rope connected by gears to the wheels.

1790 – Comte Mede de Sivrac invents the celerifere. It has two wheels and a seat, but no steering or pedals.

1817- Karl Drais invents the steerable “Laufmaschine”.

1866 – James Starley, a British engineer, invents the penny farthing.

1870’s – The unicycle is invented.

1878 – The first portable bike is made by William Grout.

1879 – Henry J. Lawson patents the bicyclette – a rear wheel, chain-driven safety bicycle.

1880’s – The adult tricycle is invented and offers a more dignified alternative to its high-wheeled counterpart.

1885 – John Kemp Starley invents the Rover safety bicycle in England.

1894 – Michael B. Ryan is granted the first patent for a folding bike.

1924- The velocar is invented by Charles Mochet.

1933 – Cruiser bikes are invented and sold by Schwinn.

1979 – Joe Breeze creates the mountain bike.

1989 – The Sanyo Encale electric bike is released with NiCd batteries – a big advancement from lead-acid batteries.

1989 – Michael Kutter develops what is considered to be the first pedelec, an electric bike where pedaling causes the motor to assist the rider.

1991 – The conference bicycle is invented.

 

I would like to share what Ernest Hemingway said about riding a bicycle.
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. ― Ernest Hemingway

Barcelona, the perfect city for going by bicycle, here we show it to you

April 4th, 2018

The 30 days biking challenge, which a lot of us achieved during the month of April, has been a great success. If you don’t believe us, look at this marvelous map which shows you the bike’s circulation in Barcelona during this last month. You are going to be amazed 😉

You can find this map in the Hall City web page, the one which is dedicated to the bicycles, and where they have done an important informative campaign about this event. The fact is that Barcelona is working hard to become a sustainable city, accompanied by the vehicles which have 0 pollution.

The alert levels usually shoot up and to improve in this aspect is a job for every one of us, although, the environment of Barcelona is transforming itself to facilitate safe and pleasant routes. Some examples are the zones of the Parc de la Ciutadella, the Fòrum zone or the bike lane and the 30km/h routes, although, we have had these for a long time. Other examples, which are being key ones, are the extension of the bike lane up to 180km or the new green zones such as the Plaça de les Glòries.

Little by little, bicycles have won their well-earned ground, improving the environment of the city and its surroundings.

 

How can you feel better with the hot weather of these days? With some tapas, fresh drinks and, of course, going by bicycle

April 26th, 2018

These last days in Barcelona, the temperature has increased, so, here you have some tips about how you can take advantage of this moment pedaling a bicycle.

Appetizers, soft-drinks and a bicycle is our recipe for the warm days in Barcelona. Spring always invites us to carry out some activities and Barcelona is full of opportunities for enjoying every minute of a day. Today’s tip is that you should concentrate on the city’s gastronomy.

One referring to the sea and the mountain. There is a great variety of tours in Barcelona, but, if you feel like it, we can start by talking about beaches. An outing by bicycle through the promenade, stopping for a quick dip (this is only for the most courageous), has to be compensated by some tapas (Spanish appetizers) in more than one of the different bars and restaurants of this zone. In addition, by pedaling only 5 minutes, you can go to the center of the city, where you will not be disappointed.

And, from enjoying some fish and shellfish to the “pa amb tomàquet” (bread with tomatoes rubbed on it) with some home-made croquettes, some cold meat, olivada (an olive pure) or whatever you prefer. In Barcelona, the combination of flavors and textures is infinite, because, besides the local gastronomy, a lot of restaurants and bars bet on incorporating products from many other cultures.

So, now you know that, after some important pedaling, you have to recover energy!
And if you need more information, we, Born Bike Tours Barcelona, are going to be glad to help you 😉

Spring activities in Barcelona for going by bicycle

April 18th, 2018

This weekend, the  21st and 22nd of April in Barcelona, you shouldn’t miss the great Earth Fair, which is celebrated at the Parc Central de Nou Barris.

Photo by Fran Priestley

In Barcelona, the Earth Day is celebrated with a great street market with handmade, ecological and proximity products and that intends to  report the bad behavior of our society with regard to nature.

A nice initiative, isn’t it?

Join it doing something good for environment, such as going to the great street market by the cleanest means of transport: the bicycle. In this way, you will add some more pedaling to the 30 days of biking, which are still active this month of April in Barcelona.

And, if after walking through this street market, you are still interested in something more, on Monday, the 23rd of April, Barcelona will be full of books and roses in order to celebrate the Sant Jordi’s tradition. Again, we insist that you don’t leave your bike at home. With the bicycle you will be able to move around in a comfortable way and you will avoid streets closed to traffic and the mass of people.

Barcelona doesn’t stop, keep its rhythm pedaling!

We repeat: we love going through Barcelona by bicycle

April 10th, 2018

The “30 Days by Bicycle” challenge is still active in Barcelona, so, here you have some reflections in order to motivate you even more after this first training week.

If you have achieved the first week of pedaling, we are sure that you have seen a lot of the advantages of the bicycle and that you have achieved some of its challenges. Sharing your experiences in the social networks is the key to motivate and help other people. So, don’t stop doing that.

For example, you can talk about how pleasant it is when you arrive at work, or at any other place, after pedaling your bicycle: how you avoid traffic jams, how you enjoy the city environment, how you greet the other cyclists and how you activate your body as soon as you are awake. The physical exercise is a key element for motivation and creativity, we are sure that you have performed even better these working days.

In addition, you can talk about annoying fumes, which come from the other motorized vehicles -not the electrical ones, of course-. Imagine how nice the city could be without all the atmospheric and acoustic pollution.

And yes, you can talk about how you have overcome other things that were not so good, such as the rain of some of these days. We bet that it wasn’t as terrible as you imagined before leaving home. If you have the equipment, you will see that going by bicycle while it is raining is not a problem. In order to reach the step of leaving home, think about the importance of rain for the purpose of dispersing the polluting particles from the air. This always encourages us.

You can achieve the “30 days of biking” challenge. Do that for you and for your city.

In love with #30daysofbiking, or #30diesAMBbiciBCN in Barcelona

March 4th, 2018

Photo by Soroush Karimi

These days, this very special hashtag for us is shared in the social networks, because the pedaling is the best social movement for us, our neighborhoods and our city.

30 days of biking is the best challenge of the year. The 30 days of April pedaling for going from one place to another one in the city, for going to work, taking kids to school, going for errands or, basically, enjoying pedaling through the city. A challenge with which the most part of the participants, who have in the bicycle world, will not be able to ever leave it again.

In addition, we shouldn’t forget to share it in the social networks in order to inspire even the the laziest people to participate. A lot of photos have already been distributed in order to awaken the envy -very healthy in this case- and the motivation of a lot of people.

The 30 days of biking comes with a lot of activities organized by entities and collectives from the city, whereby every one of these is gathered in a specific web page (you can access it right here).

If you are tired of traffic jams and pollution since quite some time ago, this is your opportunity to immerse yourself into the bicycle world and start changing things.

 

The Easter Week, some perfect days to pedal through the streets of Barcelona

March 27th, 2018

Photo by Mari Carmen Díaz

This Easter Week say goodbye to the umbrella and prepare yourself for a tour through the activities in Barcelona with your bicycle. Here are some suggestions.

Park and garden tour

Barcelona is a beautiful city because of its beaches, its architecture, but, also because of its parks and gardens distributed through different points of the city. One of our favorite parks is the Parc de la Ciutadella. By bicycle or walking, this lovely and immense park, in the center of the city, is one of the most passed through parks.

But, if you feel more courageous, you can go to the Laribal’s Gardens by bicycle, in the district of Sants-Montjuïc, away from the center, but with incredible views.

And, in order to close the triangle, in the other extreme of Barcelona, we have the Horta’s Labyrinth, the oldest park of Barcelona.

One of beaches, please.

Pedaling through the Passeig Maritim, you will enjoy the tranquility of these days at the beach. Although you could think that this is a perfect destination for summer, these days the beach is also beautiful and very, very calm. So, it is one of the best moments to enjoy its breeze.

Gastronomic tour.

From the beach to the center is a nice pedaling experience by bicycle, without hills and full of bars and restaurants where you can rest, refresh yourself and eat some tapas –the typical Spanish appetizers-. But, if we are talking about eating during these days, above all, you shouldn’t miss the famous Easter “mona” cake. Although it is supposed that it has to be a present for our godsons and goddaughters, these cakes are delicious and this is a dessert that we should enjoy.

Haven’t you you decided yet? Come to Born Bike Barcelona Tours, we are going to help you 😉

Pedaling against cold weather in Barcelona

March 20th, 2018

Photo by Mabel Amber

The beginning of Spring has come accompanied by a cold snap and by a bit of snow. Here we are going to explain how you can manage this situation.

Today, the typical conversation about weather makes sense. From the start of the week the decrease of the temperatures has become noticeable and this Tuesday it has arrived accompanied by a snow alert at minimum levels.

This doesn’t mean that you have to leave your bicycle at home, if you usually use it as your habitual means of transport. With the correct kit, the bicycle will help you to keep yourself warm.

When you dress, you should use the onion trick, which means wearing various layers of clothes. You will start to pedal warm and at the same time that you get warmer, you will be able to remove the different layers of clothes. You should use a neck gaiter to protect your face, the wind is a bit cold.

Wearing waterproof clothes is very important, and this is not only important for protecting your torso; it is also for protecting your legs. Although at this moment it is not raining or snowing, if the streets are dirty, you will avoid mud splashing your clothes.

Finally, make you sure that your bicycle is in a good shape. A professional service is always useful. But, the most important thing is being sure that your chain is clean and lubricated, that the breaks work well and that the wheels are not deflated, because you could have a flat tire.

With these tips you will be able to arrive anywhere and you will avoid the typical traffic jams of these days when everyone takes car.

Come to the Pi’s Fiesta in Barcelona by bicycle

March 14th, 2018

Photo by Rang Oza

We never stop in Barcelona. This weekend the Pi’s Fiesta, also called Sant Josep Oriol’s fiesta, are going to start. We offer you some information in order to whet your appetite…

This Saturday, the 17th of March, the starting stroke, in this case, to the popular Pi’s Fiesta will take place at the center of Barcelona with a proclamation, sardanes -the traditional Catalan dance- and the popular four original Pi’s Giants dance. You shouldn’t miss that since it is only repeated once a year. Although the celebration beginning will not stop here. During the afternoon it will continue with the castellers and the theatre. And on Sunday, you shouldn’t miss the “Bestieses” event, a very original dance.

This fiesta is celebrated every year around the 23rd of March, with the arrival of the Spring. For this reason, the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th of March are going to be days full of activities for every one and for every age.

The fiesta is a tribute to Sant Josep Oriol, who was born and who lived in the district of Ciutat Vella of Barcelona, during the second half of the XVII century.

If you want to get to know things about this saint, his popular celebration and its traditions, don’t doubt about coming by bicycle and experiencing that personally.

The international Working Women’s Day in Barcelona

March 7th, 2018

Susan B. Anthony North American suffragist, (1898)

This Thursday, 8th of March in Barcelona we are going to celebrate the International Working Women’s Day and, in the whole of Spain, it is going to be a great feminist strike, which will coincide with a lot of activities in favor of the women’s rights.

If you are in Barcelona this week you should be aware of the fact that it’s not just any week. For the 8th of March of this year 2018 a big women’s strike is planned in the whole State with the claim: “If women stop, the world stops”. The intention is that every working woman, remunerated or not, takes part in the strike to make her work visible, as well as giving importance to the incidence of her work in the society.

The strike will take place in an ambient of celebration. For this reason, a lot of activities will be carried out in the different districts of Barcelona: from breakfast to vermouths, popular lunches, etc. And at 6:30 p.m. the great demonstration, which will start at the crossing of Passeig de Gràcia with Diagonal, and will finish at Plaça Catalunya, where women will read the manifest and where various performances will take place until 10 p.m.

In addition, during this week, various expositions are available at different places of the city.

Get more information and cooperate with this great popular movement in order to enjoy it!

Get to know Born Bike Tours Barcelona from inside and bring yourself to go for a stroll by bike with the best guides

February 27th, 2018

Look at this cool video which has been made by the Born Bike Tours Barcelona Team for you:

In Born Bike Tours Barcelona, we love our job and for this reason we love to share these good vibes with everyone. But we not only make videos 😉 we offer marvelous tours through Barcelona by bicycle.

Do you want to know the secret of our happiness? You shouldn’t miss to visit us next time you come to the Born neighborhood in Barcelona. Either you are a local or a tourist, we are going to surprise you!

 

‘Bicia’t’, a promotional program for going to work by bicycle thanks to the City Hall of Barcelona

February 20th, 2018

‘Bicia’t’ certifies the ‘bicycle friends’ buildings, which favor the bicycle use among their workers and prepares a recommendation guide.

As we have talked about since quite some time ago, Barcelona is working a lot on the sustainable means of transport matter. And, which is one of its preferences? The bicycle, a means of transport without contaminant emissions, which keeps you fit, which adapts itself to your life and gets you into harmony with the environment of your city.

One of the ways that the City Hall has found to promote this means of transport is through rewarding everyone who works in its same line, with the creation of various grants and promotional programs. In this case, we are going to focus on the Bicia’t program of the City Hall of Barcelona in collaboration with BACC -Bicicleta Club de Catalunya-. If you are used to going to go to work by bicycle, find out about the activities of this program, because it could help to add more work mates to your cause.

With Bicia’t, the City Hall certifies the “bicycle friends” buildings and it recommends a necessary remodeling for achieving the highest emblem. In addition, it promotes the bicycle use with free bicycles for hiring, circulation and mechanical training, organized excursions, parking installations and so on.

¿How many reasons do you need to join this movement? The healthy movement of cycling.

Those of us who use a bicycle in Barcelona love the rain

February 13th, 2018

Photo by Di Zhang

There are a lot of reasons for using bicycle as the usual means of transport, but one of the most important ones is the reduction of pollution. And which is the other element that helps to clean the city? The rain.

If we usually take the bicycle to move around Barcelona, it is possible that when you wake up in the morning and you see that it is raining you feel a bit irritated. For this reason, we suggest you to focus on this idea: rain is an indispensable factor to reduce pollution in the city, so don’t consider it your enemy, consider it your ally.

The water from rain cleans and purifies the environment because it drags away the damaging particles. And for everyone who breathes the city air daily this is the key.

The World Health Organization (WHO), in its report WHO, GBoD 2016, estimates that “some 3 million deaths a year are linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution”. This profound exposition to a high level of pollution could cause: an increase of allergy among the population; a development of cardiac illnesses; respiratory diseases, etc.

So, take advantage of every rainy day wearing the suitable bicycle equipment for these days and enjoy this phenomenon, which is very necessary for life.

In Barcelona and do not you know what to do? Come to Santa Eulàlia’s festivity and to the activities of Carnival by bike

6th February, 2018

This week from 9th to 12th of February in Barcelona, we are going to celebrate the Great Fiesta of winter, Santa Eulàlia, coinciding with Carnival!

Photo by Ylanite

The streets of the Gòtic neighborhood, in the center of Barcelona, are a monument by themselves that you shouldn’t miss. But, in addition, during the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th of February the popular festivity of Santa Eulàlia is going to be celebrated, an opportunity which is only repeated once a year. This festivity mixes all the years of history of these streets with a show of popular Catalan culture.

Giants, cabezudos, colles de castellers, sardanes, correfoc… Are the ingredients of this festivity. If you are closer, you don’t have any excuse. This is your chance for blending yourself into the people of Barcelona and share their traditions.

But that’s not all! The 8th of February, also in the center of Barcelona, the Carnival’s king will proclaim the start of his festivity. During a week Barcelona will be full of Catalan egg sausage, parades and sardine’s burial.

The best you can do is forgetting the car or the motorbike for arriving at the activities, this only will cause you a headache, specially if you want to park closer. The best is to bet for the best means of transport: the bicycle.

The best week to take advantage of every one of its days in Barcelona.

31 days pedaling through Barcelona

30th January 2018

Photo by Zhivko Dimitrov

Ok, no, the European City Challenge is not here yet, this great event is in May but, we have spent 31 days since New Year Eve’s. Have you achieved all your proposals? If your answer is yes, congratulations! And if your answer is no, don’t worry, you still have 11 months for achieving them. We suggest some ideas to you.

For starting, we only want to remind you of the three main questions that you have to raise again: Are your intentions specific enough? Do you have a deadline? And, are these realistic?

We insist on these questions because, for us, they are the key when you want to achieve solid intentions.

We are going to give a random example: “Doing more exercise for keeping us fit and healthy”. It is a great initiative, but is a bit generic and you can achieve it in a lot of different ways. With the first question and basing ourselves on our routines, we can develop different task. For example, going to work by bike, shopping healthier proximity products, and practicing ecotourism pedaling during this summer… easy, right?

Now, consider the next question: do you have a deadline? In this case we have task that we want to apply to our routines so, talking about time, the most important thing is getting us firm doing that during a month. We are sure that if you spend 31 days pedaling through a city like Barcelona for going to work, you will not be able to leave it.

And, finally, are they realistic? If you imagined, when you decided to do more exercise, that you could spend 2 hours in the gym everyday… Well, maybe you will achieve that, or probably, after one week you will miss too many things that you have given up for spending more time in the gym.

We hope that all these tips will help you for achieving your goals or for following them, because reaching the target, in these cases, is a big pleasure.

Barcelona makes its way through the bike lane

January 24th, 2018

In 2015, the City Hall of Barcelona promised us 308km of bike lane, nowadays the city has 184km and, although the final goal for the end of the year is lower than the first one -233 of 308km-, the 89% of the citizens of Barcelona already have a bike lane at a maximum of 300 meters from their homes.

The City Hall of Barcelona can already boast that in the last two years they have extended the cyclist infrastructure of the city, also improving the security. And this is something very important to promote the use of ecological and alternative means of transport such as the bicycle.

We have already noted this promotion because, according to the information of the City Hall, between 2015 and 2016 the average of urban cyclists increased by 14%.

The fact that the City Hall continues betting on bicycles is something we all have to work for. Going to work by bike means a healthy routine, getting fit and an ecological benefit for the whole environment of the city.

We cannot feel happiest seeing that every day Barcelona is closer of being a big net for bikes 🙂

Blogs and guidebooks, windows which show us the cities that we want to get to know

January 16th, 2018

This week, we have wake up with this marvelous mail’s blog from Silver Stories, by Caroline, where she explains its riding by bike through Barcelona together with Born Bike Tours Barcelona.

Photo by Judit Aranda

Before start a trip, long or short, it is essential to inform us about which kind of things are we going to find in our destination. This information that we used to find in guidebooks, now, we can also find it in an unlimited number of blogs, where people show their own experiences while they were traveling.

Just as when you visit a specialized bookstore looking for the guidebook which show you all the things in the littlest possible space, which has been actualized during the last year and which allows you to move as a local when you arrive at the city, more and more, people look for this specialization in a blog. Recently blog entries, updates and the experience of the person who has written it are the elements which give us the confidence to accept their tips and write it down in our trip’s notebook.

This is something that we find in blogs, as Silver Stories, where you quickly see that Caroline has a great experience traveling and, in addition, she loves it.

Always is a pleasure to meet people like she, for this reason we love our job.

Returning to the routine of Barcelona, but by bicycle and with a smile

January 10th, 2018

Photo by Engin Akyurt

If, some days ago, we were elaborating a never-ending good intentions list for the new year, surely, with the return to the routine, this list becomes a hill. But don’t give up hope, here you have some tips, in order to don’t throw in the towel.

Achieve our good intentions list is not an easy work. We want to formulate 3 questions, which will help you to reach your goals.

Are your intentions specific enough?

Preparing another sublist with the specific and definite tasks, which we have to achieve in order to reach our goals, will help us to see our way easily.

Do you have deadline?

365 days are a too many days. If we delimit a clear date to every one of our task in our new calendar, we will be able to review all our progresses.

Are these intentions realistic?

The goals, the task and the deadline. Only us are conscious about our limits, but sometimes we err being too much optimistic. If you demand too much of yourself, it is possible that you feel overwhelmed, so, if you have too many intentions, leave some of them for the next year, you have all life for doing that!

Some of the intentions that we think you cannot miss in your list for this new year are:

  1. Going by bicycle to work, in order to improve your environment.
  2. Practicing the ecotourism during your next trips.
  3. Getting fit without wasting money or time (ok, this intention is the same that the first one…) ;P

For this new year, we wish that you achieve all the goals that you have decided.

Dear Three Wise Men…

January 3rd, 2018

After Christmas Day and the New Year’s Eve, there is another important moment of these days: the arriving of the Three Wise Men. What are you going to wish for? We will explain how to contact with them here.

If you are one of the persons who has been doing things in an unlimited way these last days –eating non stop, visiting your family and playing games with the kids-, surely, the first thing you will wish for is some outdoor activities.

These days Barcelona is full of activities referring to the Three Wise Men, because the people can walk through its streets and enjoy the last days of Christmas. The Three Kings’ toy factory will be active until the 4th of January at the “Fabra i Coats – Fàbrica de Creació” facilities. Do you know anything about this place? It is a spectacular industrial building in the district of Sant Andreu, which has been remodeled to become a place full of activities, where different businesses and projects live together. Take advantage of this event to leave the center and discover a bit more of this city. In addition, you will enjoy a tour full of magic and you will see how the letters to the Three Wise Men are transformed into presents.

You can also deliver your wish list to the helpers of the Three Wise Men, Estel and Omar, who are at Plaça Catalunya from Tuesday to Thursday, in order to assist the Three Wise Men with their work.

And, certainly, you shouldn’t miss the Three Wise Men’s parade of the 5th o January, which will start at 6 p.m. You can follow the planned trajectory or you can wait for their arrival at one of these points:

6 p.m. Av. Marquès de l’Argentera

6.10 p.m. Pla de Palau

6.25 p.m. Via Laietana

7 p.m.  Pl. Urquinaona

7.05 p.m. Fontanella

7.10 p.m. Pl. Catalunya

7.25 p.m. Pl. Universitat

7.35 p.m. Rda. Sant Antoni

7.45 p.m. Sepúlveda

8.25 p.m. Paral·lel

8.35 p.m Pl. Espanya

8.45 p.m Av. Reina Maria Cristina

Remember to include non-sexist presents in your list, for example… a bicycle 😉

The future of Christmas is already present in Barcelona

20 de desembre de 2017

The end of the year is closer and with that our reflections about Christmas in Barcelona, pedaling our bicycles, increase.

You can contact with the Three Wise Man by email. Girls can order race cars and boys can order kids’ play kitchens. An original present is the one which is related to sustainability, education… There are a lot of examples about what we can find nowadays at Christmas, which shows that we are making progresses for a more equal and sustainable future.

In Barcelona, we are maintaining the tradition, but we also make aware about that, because this is not based on consumerism nor discrimination. So, in order to don’t miss this tradition, it is important to maintain the basic values, either at Christmas, at Carnival or Halloween.

So, we couldn’t avoid to do that, we have related a good Christmas with a bicycle.

The bicycle is for everyone, without regard gender or economic level, because we can find it with a very affordable price. It can be adapted to any situation easily. It is completely sustainable, it doesn’t contaminate or waste. And the energy that moves it is ourselves.

If you are agreed with these values, make the exercise of comparing your Christmas with your bicycle, what else do you want for your celebrations?

Are you worried about the best present for this Christmas? Look for it at the Christmas streets markets of Barcelona

December 14th, 2017

As every year, during these days, Barcelona is full of Christmas activities for everybody. One of the most important ones is the Christmas streets markets for their tradition, culture, proximity and sustainability. Discover the most popular ones and the alternatives too.

Photo by Gerhard Gellinger

If during these days you are in Barcelona, you shouldn’t miss these Christmas streets markets:

Santa Llúcia Market

One of the most important markets. Situated at the Catedral Avenue, this market, with a religious tradition, is where you will find all kinds of Christmas products, in addition to the Christmas trees and different gastronomic products.

Sagrada Família Christmas’s Market

With an enviable view towards the Sagrada Família, this market has all the traditional products of Christmas. So, you shouldn’t miss it!

III Market of Responsible Consumption and Social and Solidary Economy

Younger than the other two markets, this one has the innovative element of responsible consumption and social and solidary economy. If during Christmas we feel the solidary spirit, it doesn’t necessarily wake up every time we buy our presents. So, you know, go to the Plaça Catalunya and get new ideas and enjoy the other activities organized at this place.

Lost & Found Market

And within our selection of alternative markets, we want to highlight this second hand one. Situated at the Estació de França, this is one of the shortest lasting ones, because it is only celebrated the 16th and the 17th of December. You shouldn’t miss this opportunity because it’s absolutely certain that you will find a good and original present here.

Winning the stress of these days with exercise and a balanced diet

December 6th, 2017

Photo by Karen Arnold

Cities like Barcelona allow us to experience a very active life but, sometimes, all this activity could be absorbing. Don’t stay on the sofa when it happens. What is the best you can do? Take care of your body and your mind.

Some weeks can be complicated and the rhythm can be wild. If, with this situation, we add other realities, which are out of our control, and the fact that Christmas is very close… The sensation of being about to explode and give up could seem the best option.

Instead of doing that, we advise you to redistribute your time and find some spare time to take care of yourself. As we always say, taking the bicycle to your work gives you some peaceful minutes. No traffic jams, no bad news… only the morning breeze in your faces and the natural warmth of your bodies.

The exercise will be amazing for your mental health, but for getting the most out of it, a balanced diet and a good hydration is also very important. Almost everybody abuses in the case of coffee and the restaurant menus during the stressful days. Controlling what we eat preparing our lunch box or ordering the healthiest menu give us control over ourselves, something very necessary, which make us feel better. This is a gesture that we make for ourselves and for no one else and, in addition, it will give us the energy for finishing all the daily challenges, which will make us feel better at the end of the day.

Don’t allow the stress to dominate you, make it succumb by taking care of yourself!

Come to go through the beaches of Barcelona, a place of rest also during November and December

November 28th, 2017

Shahariar Lenin

It is normal that, during these dates, we relate the bike routes with the forests and mountains. Although, we love to remember that, during November and December, beaches, less visited than during summer, are the perfect option to ride our bike and find a bit of calm.

Barcelona, as we like to remember, is a sea and mountain city. Just riding your bicycle, you can go from Montjuïc -and its amazing views- to the beach in an easy way.

Why don’t do that during winter?

If during summer the beaches of Barcelona are the meeting point of millions of tourists who visit the city, during November and December months, this coming and going of people becomes calm and tranquility for all the people who dare to go there. The bike lane, parallel to the promenade, goes through all the beaches of the city, a fact that become itself in a perfect route to enjoy the landscape and the sea breeze. We can pedal during a long time since we decide to stop and rest. Then, we can lie down on the sand -of course, remember to take something to wrap you up warm- and focus yourself in the swell sound.

¿Haven’t you feel like to experience something like this? For us, who are very close to the beaches, this is the best you can do for relaxing yourself and disconnect from the frenetic rhythm of these days.

Christmas lights for paying tribute to the victims of the attack in Barcelona

November 21st, 2017

This year, 2017, the Christmas lights take on a new meaning. The City Hall of Barcelona has decided that this illumination will start on the 23rd of November at 7 p.m. in a very specific place, La Rambla de Santa Mònica.

Photo by Rang Oza

If, until now, the Christmas lights disguised the beginning of the campaign of these dates, this time, they will be used in order to pay tribute to the victims of the 17th of August attack. In addition, they pretend to pay homage to the Rambla’s shopkeepers in gratitude for their responses and for their generosity.

For this reason, this year, the illumination will include the dove of peace, symbolizing what represents the day of the attack and the next days, when the people of Barcelona and a lot of other people return to open the Ramblas with the motto of “No tenim por” -We are not afraid-.

Remember, if you want to participate in this act of solidarity, go to the Rambla Santa Mònica on the 23rd of November at 7 p.m.

Tips for tolerating the cold weather when we go through the city by bicycle

November 14th, 2017

This week the cold weather of Barcelona has inspired us to remember some tips for keeping on pedaling also during the winter.

Photo by Ben Kerckx

From one week ago, in Barcelona, we have observed a significant descend of the temperatures, although the weather of this city uses to be between comfortable limits.

In any case, if we want to keep us pedaling during winter, to focus us in our clothes in order to avoid unnecessary colds is very important. In spite of the fact that when we do exercise we use to warm up quickly, so as to avoid the drastic changes, it is important to use tight clothes which could be made of cotton or some other material which should be breathable and comfortable. Over these clothes, in order to avoid the wind and, if it is necessary, the rain, we suggest you to use a coat made of nylon. If we wear various clothe layers, we can adapt our clothing to the corporal temperature during our trip.

Other important part of the body, which we should keep in mind, are the hands. A pair of gloves will be perfect for avoiding that the cold chaps our skin.  It is also important to keep our feet warm, so the best we can do is to use warm and comfortable socks.

For your head, if you use to wear a helmet, which is the most recommendable, you will not suffer for it.

In spite of been winter, you should remember that being hydrated by drinking water is very important.

And, at last but not least, remember the front and the back lights. In Barcelona, they are obligatory, specially, during winter, because it gets dark early and they are essentials for your security.

Don’t be stopped by anything ¡Keep on pedaling!

Nature for achieving a bit of tranquility

November 10th, 2017

Photo by Iris von Lienen

Barcelona, in spite of being a big city and for this reason extremely edified, it also has some important natural places which allow us to disconnect from the frenetic madness of the city during some hours. Discover which these zones are and go to there by bicycle.

The parks and the gardens

There are for everyone’s tastes. For us, the best park is the Parc de la Ciutadella, where you can pedal on your bike or take a walk. Although this is a very frequented track, due to the fact that is a centric place and within it you can find the Parlament de Catalunya.

For this reason, if you are interested in some more tranquility, you can go pedaling to other proposals: the Laribal’s Gardens. These gardens are situated in the district of Sants-Munjuïc, further away from center, but with a perfect access by bicycle. The park is composed of various terraces that communicate through pathways and stairs, which are flooded over by the vegetation which will allow us to breathe in a little bit of peace. If you go there, please don’t miss the famous Font del Gat and discover its legend if you haven’t done it yet.

In practically the other extreme of Barcelona, we have the Horta’s Labyrinth. If the stress doesn’t allow you to think, lose yourself within the knowledge of the oldest park of Barcelona. Sometimes, disconnecting is the best way of looking for answers.

The Natural Park of Collserola

For the most courageous cyclists, the natural park of Collserola, which protects Barcelona, could be the best option. Take the whole day to pedal through this mountain. In order to take a break. You can use its picnic zones to eat something and, in general, enjoy this jewel so close to your home.

*Remember: please take care of the environment and ride the bicycle only within the indicated zones. We are not the only ones who need these places to disconnect. We hope the next person finds the park in the same or in a better condition.

¿Have you paid attention to the activities of these days in Barcelona? This week, we are preparing ourselves for the “Castanyada”

October 24th, 2017

Although the popular party is going to be celebrated at All Saints’ Day, the 1st of November, during this week, we will be able to enjoy some of the activities which will be celebrated on the occasion of this festivity. And the most important, we can stuff ourselves with chestnuts and “panellets”.

Maybe some people don’t know it yet, but the chestnuts, the fruit of the chestnut tree, are very typical in Catalonia, in special during their harvest season, which coincides with October and the beginnings of November. For this reason, in the middle of some streets, we can find the typical stand with the “castanyera” (the person who sells chestnuts), roasting chestnuts and selling them in a cone, made by a sheet of newspaper, and accompanied by roasted sweet potatoes. And, as far as we are concerned, at home, we have never achieved ones as good as the ones we bought in these stands.

On the other hand, these days, the “panellets” are also very typical. They are little cakes, make by a sweet dough, which contains: sugar, ground raw almond, egg and potato or sweet potato. There are the chocolate ones, the coconut, the candied fruit and, for us the best ones: the pine nut ones.

If these days you are in Barcelona, you can enjoy all the organized activities and taste some of these culinary delicacies. And, then? Going to pedal in order to burn all these sweets and being able to repeat 😉

Finally, it will rain in Barcelona, are you ready for continue pedaling?

October 17th, 2017

These autumn months haven’t been so wet as always and, although some people appreciate the convenience that this means when you have to take the bike, we need to be aware about the importance of the rain in the city.

Photo by Liv Bruce

Rain is an indispensable element for life and, specially, in the city, this is a key element for cleaning the accumulated pollution. If you are a person who pedals through the streets of Barcelona daily, breathing a clean atmosphere is very important for you. So, when the autumn rain will arrive, the best we can do is waiting for them with excitement and ready.

Remember wearing the appropriate equipment, waterproof clothes, a footwear which resists rain without problems and all the elements which make you being more visible, especially for the motor vehicles: reflective clothes, the front and the back bicycle lights. A back mudguard will avoid you to arrive at your destiny with your back full of mud.

Get your bicycle ready, you can help to improve adhesion on the road by reducing the tire pressure (a little bit! If not, you will be in danger of getting a flat tire) and be sure that the treads of your tires are well marked. It is also important to maintain the chain clean and lubricated. And, specially (with or without rain), check if your brakes respond quickly.

The rainy days are perfect to show our skills with the bicycle. We are talking about reinforcing your concentration on the road. Brake before a curve and take it slowly. Keep a safety distance with regard to the other vehicles; avoid puddles, marks painted on the road and the multicolour marks that appear on the road (they are car oil).

With these preventive measures you will arrive dry and happy to your destination 😉

The bicycle: good vibes for the atmosphere in Barcelona

October 10th, 2017

Fotografia de David Marcu – Fuente: Unsplash

Wake up, have a quick breakfast, take the car, wait in the traffic jam, sit in your chair and work, take the car, wait in the traffic jam… go to sleep.  Wake up, have a quick breakfast, take the car, wait in the traffic jam, sit in your chair and work, take the car, wait in the traffic jam… go to sleep. 

Every now and then, we like to remind you that sometimes our society pushes us towards an unhealthy routine, which is not good for our physical, mental and atmospheric health.

If you break with just one of the elements of this routine, and, of course, it cannot be one of the basic needs, you can achieve great changes in your life. For example, what could we change if we took the bicycle instead of the car?

“You wake up, you dress, you have breakfast and… you take your bicycle; you enjoy the fresh air of the morning and the first sleepy faces; your muscles become more active in the same way that your mind does. And when you get to work you park just in the entrance. You sit in your chair at your desk, but this time you are ready for the next 8 hours”.

We wrote this 2 years ago, and since then, things have changed. Maybe you are one of the nice people who has changed his routine, improving your life and the life of the other people. Or, maybe, you are one of the indecisive person who has seen the creation of a new bike line near your house and now you are contemplating whether or not to go to your work pedaling.

Try it. We are sure that with one week of going to work by bike, you will not be able to return to the old routine.

Rueda, the international film festival about cycling in Barcelona returns one more year

October 5th, 2017

Among all the events which are taking place these last days in the city, we shouldn’t forget the importance of the bicycle and all the mobilization that goes with it. For this reason, we shouldn’t miss this festival.

Have you thought about disconnecting these next days? The best cultural suggestion that we have found is this festival about cyclist cinema in Barcelona, which will be celebrated from the 5th to the 8th of October.

This is not only an exposition and a competition of films, this is also a variety of activities for adults and children, which will induce us much more in this cultural space dedicated to the bicycle.

Discover unique cinematographic works with one common element: the bicycle. Connects with this style of life on another level. It will be one of the best trips that you will take with this vehicle.

We love going through Barcelona by bicycle

September 27th, 2017

The new season has been a cause of reflection, because we love riding a bike in Barcelona and here you have some of the reasons

Every season is good

We love summer. Tourism, vacation, beach, tapas… During autumn the sweat is finished, the mountain is really beautiful and we again start with renovated energies. Winter, Christmas holidays, weekend breaks with a bike, the opportunity of getting to know closer places, the warm food after a nice day pedaling… And again spring, discovering gardens and tracks which are blooming, with a scented air that fill our lungs when we are doing exercise.

We improve the good vibes in our city

Mark physical challenges, although they can so easy as going to work by bike, will improve our creativity and productivity when we were working. “Mens sana in corpore sano” -healthy mind in a healthy body-. How couldn’t we feel better, with ourselves and with the other people, after this personal growth?

We improve the environment in Barcelona

For each person added to the pedaling, one exhaust pipe less.

If you are not already decided to pedal through Barcelona, try it, you will not be able to leave it! 😊

An important week for Barcelona: The great fiesta of ‘La Mercè’ combined with a sustainable mobility

September 19th, 2017

This week is the #MobilityWeek in terms of sustainability. If we combine that with the beginning of the celebration of “La Mercè”, this Friday, the 22nd, coinciding with the Day Without Cars in Barcelona, the plan cannot be better.

Photo by Feradz

Are you ready to pedal? This week you don’t have any excuse. Keep yourself fit these days, because on Friday you will not be able to avoid enjoying this great city breathing the clean air, which is not going to be contaminated by the private vehicles.

The 22nd of September of 2017 will be a great day, because it will coincide with the day without cars and the beginning of the great fiesta of “La Mercè”. So, you will be able to enjoy all the organized activities during the day and the macro-concerts at night, riding around with your bike.

And the rest of the day? Pay attention to us… don’t stop riding a bike. The streets of the center, narrow and busy enough in themselves, can be worse during the fiesta. In order to move around, the best vehicle will be the bicycle, it will give you flexibility when you are pedaling through the streets and when you need to park it. Because, although there will be activities all around the city, the streets of the center are the place where the big cultural events will be concentrated: castellers, giants, trabucaires and so on.

Enjoy the fiesta, pedaling!

12 Tips for Better Cycling, specially with the weather change

September 12th, 2017

Next week we are going to embark on many activities and events, before we would like to remind you of some basic safety tips when using a bicycle

Photography by Alejandro Lopez

Photography by Alejandro Lopez

Wear a Helmet

Only in the U.S. more than 6,000 cyclists need emergency care for head injuries each year. Choose a well-fitting helmet.

Start Slowly

A good training could be only to pedal about 30 minutes on flat terrain during the first three or four weeks.

Dress for Comfort

Choose comfortable clothes.

Go Bright When there is only Low Light 😉

Try not to ride at night, but if necessary, make use of the lights.

Always Use Good Road Sense

Respect all traffic signs and norms. It’s well worth while for everyone.

Be Traffic-Aware

If there is heavy traffic, ride in the lane with the cars, not to the side.

Use your Brakes Adequately

For optimal pressure, put your hands at the ends of the levers. Apply firm pressure to the brakes.

Get In Gear

Try not to pedal in high gear during long periods to avoid pressure on your knees.

Taking these simple tips into account, you’ll get more enjoyment out of biking!

 

Has anyone missed the fresh air of his/her city? Welcome to the Barcelona of September

September 04th, 2017

Holidays are finished but, for sure, more than one person feels like having a rest, returning to his/her routine with recharged batteries and with the fresh air of September. In addition, we always have the weekend plans!

Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash

During September, the tourism period becomes more relaxed. Although the warm weather continues during this month, it is not that intense anymore. And the routine, sometimes, results in a relaxing time after having had intense trips. So, September, welcome to our life.

With the return to work, you can also return to the weekend plans, more relaxed and nearer by. And if you have followed our tips and you have taken advantage of bike as a means of transport, you cannot miss all you have achieved and learned. Enjoy your city and #GoToWorkByBike –with this hashtag you will find a lot of motivation in the social networks- and during the weekend look for the places that you have yet not gotten to know in your city and organize a bike tour with your friends.

Sport activates the mind and the motivation, new challenges and objectives, such as the ones we have recommended, will avoid your thinking about any post-vacation depression 😉

We are not afraid in Barcelona

August 26th, 2017

A week has already passed since the terrible acts in the Rambla of Barcelona, although we only needed a few hours to recover this place and show that we are not afraid in any sense.

Tomorrow, Saturday, the 26th of August, the streets of Barcelona are going to be full of people from different places in order to show the whole world that we are not afraid. This is something that we have done all week through the different intercultural events, which honor all victims of the entire terrorist attacks.

We love Barcelona for always being open to the world, something that will not change thanks to all the people who live here and who make it a welcome place for everyone.

Tomorrow we will give support, as many other people in the world, to the call of “We are not afraid”, because by getting all these people together, we feel more empowered to share our culture of peace.

Traveling, moving around, discovering, pedaling, Barcelona… We love our job and TripAdvisor knows it very well

August 15th, 2017

Another year, TripAdvisor has awarded us with the Certificate of Excellence in its social network thanks to the score and the flattering comments that you have given us.

Ernest, the Gaudí of the guides

Revolutionary, genius and fantastic are the adjectives which we use to make reference to the master Gaudí.

The paradox arrives when the very one guide seems an incarnation of the character. A man out of the boring rationalism which other guides use to offer, without falling into the lack of precision with the datum and showing a great passion for the profession.

An artisan of his work.

This has been the best way of discovering this curious city.

Thanks Ernest.

Signed by Los cuatro Gallegos

Although it could seem that we have had looked for the best comment in a very long list, this is the last comment that we received in our Spanish page of TripAdvisor. The poet is Alejandro and we cannot stop thanking him and all the other people who have participated in our project during this last year, because, although it sounds typical, they are the ones who have achieved that we enjoyed this last year so much.

With this kind of presents, we feel like keeping pedaling more than ever!

The best great fiesta of summer is comming, the great fiesta of Gràcia

August 8th, 2017

If you like getting to know the popular culture of the places where you travel, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity of enjoying the great fiesta of the district of Gràcia, which will be celebrated from the 15th to the 21st of August.

Every year we dedicate a mail about this very special fiesta and this year we cannot fail because it is going to celebrate its 200 anniversary and nobody looks better at this age. Although, the fiesta starts some days away, you can see some neighbors preparing the details which will dress the streets of different themes for the annual competition. You can feel the festivity in the ambient.

If you are in Barcelona from the 15th to the 21st you shouldn’t miss the activities which will be celebrated during the day nor the concerts of the night. You will enjoy the popular culture very near: sardanes, castellers, giants…

For sure, you will find all the streets closed to the traffic, so the best you can do is get there by bike, you will arrive more away and you will not find problems to park 😉.

If you are not here during these dates, don’t worry, you will have another opportunity the next week with the great fiesta of Sants.

Don’t forget the keys of the ecotourism at home during these holidays

August 1st, 2017

Among the notes of the trip, remember the keys of the ecotourism is nice in order to achieve that our footprint is always positive in the different places of the world.

Summarized in the 8 points presented by the International Ecotourism Society, these are the keys which we should follow during our holidays:

  1. Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts:

Obviously, at this point we cannot stop insisting on the kind of means of transport that we use. We, of course, prefer the quick, efficient and non-contamination bicycle, always knowing and respecting (the) each city‘s regulations.

  1. Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect:

And an interesting way to do that is moving around the city to the maximum in order to get to know its history, its art and its culture, in addition to its surroundings, especially if they are a source of nature and always leaving a minimum physical trace of our visit.

  1. Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts:

Knowing local people and sharing experiences with them will always make our trip so much richer. In order to do that, it is usually enough to be respectful and friendly.

  1. Provide direct financial benefits for conservation:

Collaborating, as far as possible, with these places which we love to visit.

  1. Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry:

To go and use local shops and services will get us closer to the people of the place and to the way that they live together. So, why do we have to go to the same shops, which, surely, are also in our city?

  1. Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climates:

The present context will indicate much about the place and the people that we are getting to know.

  1. Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities:

Something so basic that we surely will always intend to comply with it in our daily life.

  1. Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment:

Something so basic that we surely will always intend to comply with it in our daily life.

These holidays, experience Barcelona like a local person

July 25th, 2017

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Fiestas, gastronomy and architecture are the three keys that will help you to enjoy Barcelona as though you had lived here all your life.

Barcelona keeps its high level of activities during the whole year, but, during summer, coinciding with the fiestas of some of its districts is much easier.

During these fiestas, all families in the neighborhood work in the organization and in the celebration. For this reason, if you are looking for typical elements of the popular Catalan culture -sardanes, grallers, giants, music…-, in these fiestas, you will find them.

During the next weeks we will announce them.

Gastronomy is another one of the essentials keys, in order to get to know the culture and, in addition, this is one of the best pleasures which we can access easily. In Barcelona, walking through the narrow streets in the center, at the Gòtic or the Born, at the port or, even, in other neighborhoods like Gracia or Sants-full of pedestrian streets and squares- we will be surrounded by restaurants and bars, where we will be able to eat some tapas -Spanish appetizers.

Finally, architecture, the one which we can find walking at the street level, is the key that has converted Barcelona into the most important modernist city. You shouldn’t miss that.

The best of all of this is that you can achieve all these key points while you are riding your bike placidly around the city.

When the warmth weather of summer arrives in Barcelona the best you can do is a tour through its beaches by bicycle

July 11th, 2017

Barcelona is a city with a Mediterranean weather, which means that its temperatures are not extreme, on the contrary, are perfect for moving around pedaling. Even so, during summer, the best we can do is ride the bike close to its beaches, just in cas the warm weather gets too hot and we need a swim.

During summer, in Barcelona, the temperatures can exceed 30ºC. For this reason, our tip is to keep yourselves hydrated at every moment and to look for fresh places. And, which is the best way of refreshing ourselves than with the fresh water of the beaches?

The different beaches of Barcelona are perfectly connected, and to ride from one to another by bicycle is very easy and safe. With a tour through the beaches you will be able to enjoy the sea breeze and stop to cool yourselves off whenever you want, because you will be able to park your bike easily.

In addition, this zone is full of bars and restaurants, where you can stop for drinking a beer -remember that a bicycle is also a means of transport, so it is better to drink in a moderate and responsible way- with its corresponding tapa -Spanish appetizers-. For making the best choice, let yourself be guided through the different aromas.

Without a doubt, for us, this is the best way to enjoy the summer holidays.

Pedaling through the parks and gardens in Barcelona, the green zones that you shouldn’t miss!

July 4th, 2017

Barcelona, sea and mountain city, takes care of its green lungs and turns them into a perfect places where take a walk and refresh yourself during summer.

In our opinion, this is the number 1: Parc de la Ciutadella. Why? Because it has a perfect access for bicycles and converts it into one of our favorites places in Barcelona. More than 17 hectares where you can walk, ride, look it over, stop to rest and, even do some rowing, because the park has a little lake.

Although, if you really want to get away from the city, there are two parks, which are very special for us. On the one hand, we have the Laribal’s Gardens, situated in the district of Sants-Montjuïc. We can get there on bicycle, even though, we will have to park it at the entrance. There, we will be able to enjoy the great vegetation and the different ponds and waterfalls. In addition, we shouldn’t miss the famous Font del Gat (The Cat Fountain) and getting to know its legend. And, on the other hand, we have the Horta’s Labyrinth in the district of Horta-Guinardó. This is the oldest park of the city, but it preserves a great beauty in its vegetation, streams and statues of mythological characters.

Soon, the city will have a new green lung in Glòries. The City Hall of Barcelona has already presented the project of a great park which will give life to this end, which, until now, has been a grey point in the city.

The bicycle is the best trip mate, you should not give it up at home during this summer

June 27th, 2017

Haystack-bike-springSports, the reduction of the pollution in our city or the simple and marvelous fresh air on our faces are the reasons that push us to take the bicycle during our daily life. Why are we going to leave it at home during the holidays?

The daily pedaling is one of the best habits that we can achieve, something that the grumpiest people, with regard to the bicycle, cannot deny. Giving it up during the summer months is one of the worst errors that we can commit, especially, because, in the new cities, it is also very beneficial.

Getting to know new corners at the street-level, pedaling together with local people, parking anywhere we prefer, these are the pleasures that we can only achieve by one special means of transport: the bike.

Haven’t you tried it yet?

So, write down in capital letters in your good intentions’ notebook: TURNING THE BICYCLE INTO THE BEST MEANS OF SUMMER TRANSPORT. If you achieve this challenge, you will not be able to stop pedaling during the whole year!

This summer bet on the sustainable tourism

June 6th, 2017

This 2017 has been declared International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations.

Photo by Homestage Multimedia

Although in Barcelona we have noticed the warm weather of summer, this season hasn’t arrived officially until this week and with it the holidays of some people are going to start.

The United Nations has declared this 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. So if we are planning a trip it will be nice to be on the ecotourism plan, following the guidelines which have been reminded by this international institution: “The declaration by the UN of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development is a unique opportunity to advance the contribution of the tourism sector to the three pillars of sustainability – economic, social and environmental -, while raising awareness of the true dimensions of a sector which is often undervalued” said World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

Generate wealth during our trips and don’t destroy a place where people welcome us is a responsibility of every one of us. The best experiences are experienced through the streets join with the local people who share their culture.

Catch up on the bike lane of Barcelona with a simple look

June 13th, 2017

The City Hall of Barcelona puts a new and updated bike lane map at your service.

Such as we have previously announced, Barcelona has decided to bet on the bicycle as the future vehicle. For this reason, there is an effort to improve the traffic safety that is relative to this means of transport. One of the improvements is the one related to the extension and the updating of the bike lane in Barcelona.

If you are thinking about spending a few days in the city, obviously, we advise you to use the bicycle. It is quick, easy for parking and it allows you to enjoy the city at the same time you are moving around. In addition, you will help to improve the pollution levels in the city, a very nice touch for people who live in the city and welcome you to it.

You can prepare different routes for all the days. In order to do it in a safe way, have a look at the updated bike lane map. You will quickly realize that almost no corner is out of range of being visited by bike.

¡Barcelona is almost ready to welcome, in a safe way, all the urban cyclists of the whole world!

Join the Bicycle Fiesta of this year 2017 in Barcelona, pedaling!

June 6th, 2017

This Sunday, the 11th of June, the Bicycle Fiesta will be celebrated in Barcelona with a pedaling from the center of Barcelona, crossing Sants-Montjuïc and the port, to Poble Nou.

If you want to ride a bike through Barcelona with the local people, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity this Sunday, the 11th of June, offers. With the bicycle fiesta in Barcelona, streets will be closed for cars, but opened to this excellent means of transport for enjoying this spring day together with the most enthusiastic fans of the bicycle.

If you would like participating in this event, at 9.30 a.m. you should be all ready at Aragó with Roger de Flor street. From this point, you will circulate to the Tarragona Street. From there you will go down to the Espanya Square, and then from Avinguda Paral·lel to Floridablanca Street, until arriving at the center. Although the route won’t finish there, but rather, it  will continue to Marina, at this point , you will go down to the sea and then up for going to ride through some streets of Poble Nou. The tour will be finished at the Passeig Lluís Companys, to end up where the great Bicycle Fiesta will take place.

Totally, 12km of enjoyment. So, take a bike and don’t miss this opportunity!

The bike lane in Catalonia continues progressing towards a safer circulation

May 25th, 2017

The Catalan institutions are continuously more aware about the importance of this means of transport for the future, for this reason, they continuously invest more funds for improving the safety of every one of the cyclists.

Before 2020, the Catalan government will have invested between 20 and 40 millions of euros to improve and increase the bike lane in Catalonia, it was announced in this way by Josep Rull, minister of Territory and Sustainability of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Next October, the local help call will be opened for City Halls, regional councils, etc.

These investments are within the growth of the habitual cycle users who have exceeded all expectations. According to the Institut Opinòmetre’s survey, requested by the Department of Territory and Sustainability of the Generalitat, a total of 190,000 people have changed the car or motorbike for the bicycle.

A series of numbers which don’t stop indicating that the bicycle is here to stay. Citizens are already making the first effort of the change and, it seems that institutions are also getting moving in order to achieve that this transition becomes safer for all the users.

We cannot stop imagining a future where the streets of Barcelona, including the Eixample, are clean and tranquil passages where we can circulate with our favorite means of transport. And it seems that this idea is getting closer!

What should you eat if you are visiting Barcelona? The most popular gastronomy

May 16th, 2017

Photo by Javier Lastras

Barcelona gathers the most traditional food of the Catalan cuisine. The major part of the bars of Barcelona have menu which combines sea and mountain foods perfectly.

In order to get familiar with a city, its people and its culture, getting close to the bars and restaurants which offer us the popular gastronomy of the place is essential.

Barcelona is not different in this aspect, and all its tapas (Spanish appetizers) and menus are characterized by their perfect mixture of sea and mountain. So, in this case, bars, restaurants and markets are an obligatory visit.

You cannot only eat the “pa amb tomàquet” (tomato rubbed on bread). In spite of being one of the best inventions of our gastronomy, you shouldn’t miss combining it with some cold meat (fuet, llonganissa, cheese, ham…) or with fried squid or with some “seitons” (anchovies) in vinegar.

When you choose the menu, you should be guided by the seasonal food. During winter, you will be grateful for a good stew, a Catalan “escudella” or a fricassee. At the beginning of spring it should be some “calçots” with romesco sauce. During summer the “coca catalana” (Catalan tart) or the “escalivada” with cheese will help you renew energy. For autumn, a soupy rice with mushrooms. And the jack of all trades during the whole year is the Catalan sausage with beans.

Obviously, to base the typical Catalan gastronomy only on these dishes is miscalculate the Catalan food, but a list with all the typical Catalan dishes won’t fit into only one blog post. So, you should get a good gastronomic guide which will help you not to miss any of the delicious morsels that Barcelona offers.

Barcelona in the European Cycling Challenge 2017

May 9th, 2017

Again, we have the opportunity to participate in this great international event, where cities compete for the best one prize: cleaner and healthier cities.

The European City Challenge, although being an international great championship, is not only for elite athletes. Here the winner city is the one who gathers more people as you to pedal for a city free of pollution.

It is not about being the faster, it is about being the most constant one. The winner city will be the one where people have done more kilometers during their daily trips: going to work, to the school, etc. The idea is about replacing the motor vehicles, which we are using daily to move around, and transforming all the smoke in good vibes and healthy exercise.

This is very simple, you only have to sign up and you can do that through the application Naviki.

You can find all the information in the official web: http://www.cyclingchallenge.eu/

You shouldn’t miss it! We are already pedaling in Barcelona.

Do not be held up by the rain in Barcelona, continue pedaling thanks to our tips

May 2nd, 2017

During April and May the rain is unavoidable and, although for some people this can embitter his/her walking, we want to recall its profits for the city and some of the tips, which will allow us to ride the bicycle without worries.

Fotografía de Lauren Ellis

Cities like Barcelona usually have problems regulating the pollution levels. A key element for this regulation is the rainwater, because it reduces the air’s polluting particles and it levels the temperature.

In addition, if the city is sensitive to the benefices of rain, it can take profit from other characteristics. With rain it is possible to generate electric energy to illuminate the city. We can irrigate our plants and crops and facilitate the life of the nearby fauna. And as far as the level of the domestic consumption is concerned, we can take advantage of this water to fill tanks and cisterns.

If all these advantages are not be able to raise your spirit during rainy days, you can try going out and pedaling. Adequate equipment: waterproof and flashy clothes and shoes which facilitate the visibility for the rest of the other vehicle drivers; a ready bike with branded wheels, a clean and lubricated chain and good brakes plus; and all your senses on the road. These three key elements will allow you to enjoy your trips on rainy days, while the others stress themselves with the unavoidable traffic jams of these days.

In the end, you will miss these rainy days.

Why we love our job? Because we enjoy our tours by bike in Barcelona like you

April 25th, 2017

We know that bragging is not nice, but we are as happy with the bike tours as our clients, and one of the best ways to show you this satisfaction is sharing some of the comments that people have given us in the social networks. Some of them are true poets 😊

Beautiful, beautiful is the perfect word to define the tour we had.

Eli was the guide that took us with a map throughout the area of the viewpoint of Barcelona, we visited Montjuic the part where the Olympic games of the year 92′ were made and it was incredible.

I recommend visiting the Miramar Restaurant with a spectacular view towards the sea.

The best tour I had in many years.

Aimad Brown (Facebook)

With only three available hours to visit the city and wishing to see everything possible, we ask at BornBike Tours Barcelona, if organizing a private tour for three people in Italian was possible.

It was a great experience!

A perfect organization, disposition and patience which adapted to our necessities and requests.

An absolutely honest and affordable price for all the pockets.

To a great extent, the merit is for Jordi, our guide. Grazie Giorgio!

It could seem a promotional message, but we enjoyed it very much!

Mille Mille (Facebook)

I rent a bicycle for some days and I received an excellence service, personally from Ernest. This man is a poet and a philosopher from the streets, a troubadour of the history, with a warm and personal service, he never let you go without knowing, in an excellent way, all the things that you can do and where you can go by bike in Barcelona, it is like a personal instruction at every place, with stories of the near and far history of the beautiful Barcelona.

10 points!

Gustavo (TripAdvisor)

This is only a little show of all the flattering comments that people gift us since we start the business. We hope that the translation does justice to what they wanted to express.

We only can say that the thanks are for you, because without these great clients we couldn’t work at easy.

Do you already have the Sant Jordi’s book and rose? Get close to the culture by bike, pedaling through the streets of Barcelona

April 19th, 2017

This Sunday, 23rd of April, Barcelona is going to relive the Sant Jordi’s legend with hundreds of books, roses and activities distributed through the whole city.

Bookshops, florists and, also, all kinds of entities are going to take the stands out to the streets this 23rd of April, adorning the sidewalks of Barcelona with their decorated roses and the best sellers of the year. So, if you are nearby, you won’t be able to resist the temptation of stopping there and buying some of the literary wonders which are hidden among the piles of books, and you will leave taking away roses for all your loved ones.

On the other hand, remember that the Sant Jordi’s tradition has progressed. Now, it isn’t a rose for the lady and a book for the gentleman. Luckily, these differences have been left behind, but not the spirit. Culture and beauty are now joined together, in order to create one of the best presents of the year among the people who really want to participate.

If you want to enjoy this day 100%, you also need to leave the car behind. The streets of the center in Barcelona, with a complex access for motor vehicles, are going to be fuller of people this day. Our tip? Take a bike and also enjoy the pedaling to the center.

Which are your plans for this long weekend during Easter?

April 11th, 2017

In Barcelona, you have a lot of offers related or not to this festivity that you shouldn’t miss.

From the Easter workshops for all ages in community centers and museums, to the long pedals through the beach and the mountain by bicycle. In Barcelona you can do almost everything during this weekend.

Are you the whole the family? Go to some of the workshops, such as the CosmoCaixa, or the Chocolate Museum, or the Fundació Suñol.

Maybe you are thinking about something for couples. A pedaling by bike from the beach to the Montjuïc Mountain, enjoying nature and landscape, could be the best plan for you.

And for the other ones that prefer going out with friends, the best you can do is enjoy some tapas (Spanish appetizers) in the center of the city.

With this kind of plans it is unavoidable to love Barcelona, but the part that we really love is that you can do every one of these three routes by bicycle. In this way we contribute to a more healthy tourism, in harmony with the city and the people who live here.

Experience Barcelona in the same way that we do!

Pedal during the 30 days of the month of April and better yourself with regard to one of the most healthy and fun challenges of your city

March 29th, 2017

Photo by Soroush Karimi

If last year you didn’t pay attention, this April, you again have the opportunity of participating in the ’30 days of biking’, a challenge which can define a before and an after in the way you move around.

Every year, during the month of April, the “30 days of biking” are celebrated, an event in which, practically, everybody can participate and share. You only need a bike, motivation and a bit of love for your city.

And the thing is that, for us, you only need a pair of days pedaling to work, or to any one of your daily destinations, to understand the advantages of going by bicycle. If you try it during 30 days, you will not want to take any motor vehicle any longer.

If you don’t believe us, you can convince yourself through other people’s experiences, because this event is shared in the social networks with hashtag: #30daysofbiking. With this simple tag, you will be able to follow the progress of thousands of people around the world.

Thanks to your bike, connect with all these people who believe in a healthy and less contaminated world.

Spring has arrived, and it is the best season to move around through Barcelona by bicycle

March 20th, 2017

This Monday, the 2017’s spring has started and, in addition to the activities and the good mood which accompanies these days, the perfect temperature to pedal through the streets of Barcelona has also arrived.

It’s the 20th of March, the first day of spring and, an inevitable coincidence, the International Happiness’s Day. It seems that seeing how the streets flower, the new smells and the good weather without scorchers can raise spirits even in the case of the grumpiest people.

And, what is directly related to happiness? The movement and the energy. It’s not a matter of chance that the good mood and sports walk hand in hand. The more we move around, the better we feel, and the better we feel, the more we want to do things. It is a feedback which, during this season, make us to get up from the sofa and propel us to get to know new and old places in different ways.

So, we have specialized ourselves in this sector, the sector of the good vibes which make us feel lively. For this reason, we cannot stop recommending you that it’s so important to take advantage of this shove from the spring and rediscover Barcelona pedaling your bike through its streets. For us, this is the best therapy for mind and body.

Bike tours through the popular fiestas in Barcelona

March 14th, 2017

From the 16th to the 26th of March, the fiesta of Sant Josep Oriol will be celebrated in the center of Barcelona. Catalan tradition and culture.

Photo by Chris Lawton

This week, the streets around the Basílica de Santa Maria del Pi are preparing themselves to celebrate the famous Father’s Day, a fiesta which is going to be concentrated between the 18th and the 23rd of March.

Giants, grallers, cercavida, popular music and a lot of activities offer the opportunity of enjoying this great fiesta of the Barri del Pi in Barcelona as an authentic local. Couples, young and elderly people, families… everybody can find the most suitable activity and enjoy them with everybody.

Again, remember that the streets of the center, in addition to be closed to the motor vehicles, are narrow streets due to their historic structure. So, the best means of transport for these days is the bicycle, with which you will be able to move around with complete freedom, going to places very fast and avoiding yourselves the parking problems.

Enjoy the fiestas of Sant Josep Oriol with the people from Barcelona!

Women are unstoppable, even more so if they ride a bicycle

March 8th, 2017

The 8th of March, the International Women’s Day, of this year, has coincided with this spring week in Barcelona. And in this day of historic fight, we want to remember how women are still progressing by bicycle.

Photo by Manfred Antranias Zimmer

Bicycle has been a revolutionary symbol for women, breaking taboos, such as the female’s strength and her resistance capacity through a simple outdoor activity. Women have been empowered by this sport up to the point that a lot of brands have already detected a market niche which is specialized in this gender.

However, it is clear that the fight has to continue.

The image of a woman riding a bicycle in her quotidian life is something that we have interiorized, but as the result of many years working on it. Now, we need to interiorize this image in the competitive world, where they are also achieving great results.

Again, we want to remember the historic quote that Susan B. Anthony, North American suffragist, said in 1898: “Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.”

How to avoid the mobility problems during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona? Riding your bike, of course

February 28th, 2017

Photo by Mari Carmen Díaz

This week, the City Hall of Barcelona is working very hard to avoid the mobility and access problems to the giant congress of mobile technology. We, riding our bicycle, haven’t noticed it.

Barcelona is the headquarter of the Mobile World Congress since 2006 and, since this year, the mobility and the access to the city have been the greatest. Speaking of public transport, the underground and the bus lines are completely packed. Speaking of taxis, we find a frenetic movement. But, speaking of bicycles, a luxury.

In counterpoint to the frenetic rhythm which seems that Barcelona is experiencing Barcelona as the headquarter of the newest technologies, we are there, and we are enjoying the city through the streets without stress nor masses. A nice image that we want to share with everybody who hasn’t yet planned a rest, such as we have, during this week.

Our tip for this week:  relax yourselves with a great stroll by bike through our parallel world in Barcelona.

Barcelona is going to be dressed up by the Carnival this week

February 21st, 2017

From the 23rd of February to the 1st of March, this fiesta of the popular culture is going to be present in the city, with a great number of performances and activities for all ages.

Carnival is a great date for going to visit other cities, because it is a fiesta which is enjoyed and, at the same time organized, by a lot of entities of the local society. A fact that turns that into a unique piece of popular culture.

From costumes, your Most Gracious Highness the King of the Carnival, to the Catalan sausage -made with egg, which is typical of the “fatty Thursday”, because gastronomy also enjoys this fiesta. All in all, it’s a combination that you will not be able to resist.

Take your bike and take a ride through the different activities of the neighborhoods. Go into the markets and taste the diverse varieties of the Catalan sausages. And, specially, go to one of the two great events of this Thursday: at 6 p.m. at the Palau de la Virreina, the Seven Ambassadors. At the same time, at the Plaça Sant Jaume, the arrival of the King of the Carnival with animation will take place.

Take your bike and pedal through the dressed-up streets of Barcelona!

A new example about sustainability associated with the bicycle in Barcelona

February 14th, 2017

We are not tired to repeat that the bicycle is the best means of transport in the city. And here we have the news that confirms this premise, but this time we are not only talking about moving ourselves, we are talking about moving products.

The City Hall of Barcelona, together with the Rezero organization, has promoted the Comerç Verd, Comerç + Sostenible initiative –Green Business, Business + Sustainable. With this initiative, the City Hall pretends to make public and spread a great number of testimonies, who work producing 0 pollution.

The bicycle couldn’t be out of this project. For this reason, we find a couple, Marina and David, who are the owners of Freefood, an alimentary products shop. They base their contribution for improving the environment, in the distribution of these ecologic products with their bicycle. In addition, they make discounts to the clients who go to their shop by this means of transport.

We encourage you to look at the video, where the protagonists of this story tell you the advantages and the importance of the bicycle in the city.

(We are sorry, it is only in Catalan, if you have any doubts, contact us by our social networks).

¿Have you been convinced? Tomorrow, you can be who contribute for a better city.

Why you should visit Barcelona by bike this weekend? Because it is going to celebrate Santa Eulàlia’s fiesta

February 7th, 2017

Photo by José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro (CC BY-SA 3.0)

This Friday, the narrow streets of the city center are going to be full of life with the co-patron of Barcelona, Santa Eulàlia. This is the second great fiesta of Barcelona and it will light up its streets in the middle of the winter.

If you are thinking about visiting Barcelona, again, it brings you a great opportunity during this weekend. With Santa Eulalia’s fiesta, from kids to the most elderly will find activities which are adapted to them and which are spread out in the city center.

Giants, cabezudos, colles de castellers, sardanes, correfoc… a little of everything to taste Catalan culture in its entirety.

All the information and the map of the activities are in the event web page. You can visit that clicking here.

Now, of course, although it is not emphasized in the web, we advise you to go to the fiesta with the best means of transport: the bicycle. The streets in the center of Barcelona are very beautiful and full of history, but, they are also very narrow. Forget the car or the motorbike for going to the activities, they will only cause you a headache, especially if you want to park close by.

As we always say, fiestas are the best way to get to know the popular culture of a city; so, you shouldn’t miss that!

A perfect week for a tour by bicycle through the activities in Barcelona

January 31st, 2017

The meteorological prediction advises us that this week are going to have a great opportunity to enjoy the city pedaling through all its streets

born bike tours - Barcelona - Ciutadella

Maximum temperatures of 16ºC and minimum temperatures of 7ºC will allow us to go from one side of the city to the other one with our bikes without getting cold or sweating at all.

From the Agbar Tower, going to Sagrada Família and the great modernist works at the Eixample -such as the Casa Batlló and La Pedrera-, stopping to shop and discover the most typical products in the markets of the city, for example, in the symbolic Boqueria, up to arriving at the relaxing parks and gardens, either in the Parc de la Ciutadella, closer to the sea, or in the Laberint d’Horta, close to Collserola. And you cannot forget to stop at some of the innumerable restaurants and/or bars where you will taste a piece of Catalan gastronomy.

You can experience all these things pedaling through the streets and don’t miss any detail. You can leave your bike close to the place where you want to relax -always assured with a good chain-. The bike lane connects the streets of Barcelona and is getting continuously longer, allowing us to enjoy this experience in a safe way.

Therefore, you cannot miss that! Come to pedal through Barcelona.

Pedaling through the activities in Barcelona during this weekend with the fiesta of Sant Antoni

January 24th, 2017

On the evening of this Saturday, the 28th of January, you will have work if you want to celebrate this fiesta of Sant Antoni with the best traditions.

On one hand, the streets of the lovely neighborhood of Gràcia will be full of life with this Majorcan fiesta: els Foguerons, which is reaching the 25 years of celebration in Barcelona. A tradition which comes directly from Sa Pobla and gathers its community with the people of this neighborhood around a bonfire.

Don’t arrive late. Music, gastronomy and dancing will start at 9.30 p.m.

On the other hand -and unfortunately, at a very similar hour-, the neighborhood of Clot will celebrate Sant Antoni too.

In this case, the theme will be focused on a very special pork: the capgròs del Pork del Clot, a large-figure of the head of a Pork- This fiesta, which has been celebrated during the last 3 years, doesn’t leave you hungry. Its main course? A degustation of delicious tapas -appetizers-, every one of them prepared, obviously, with pork meat.

This fiesta starts at 6 p.m. and finishes at 10 p.m. -and it only costs 5€-, so, if you are still hungry, at 9 p.m. you can go directly to Gràcia. The communication between these two neighborhoods is very simple. Go to Plaça de les Glòries, start to pedal there through Avinguda Diagonal until you arrive at Passeig Sant Joan, and there burn some fat with its ascent for arriving at Gràcia. All this journey is connected by a comfortable and safe bike line.

Which is the best way to get over this cold wave? Pedaling your bike through Barcelona

January 17th, 2017

Since last week, the meteorology services have been announcing the great cold wave that we are experiencing these days. Don’t be afraid and take your bicycle, in a few minutes your body will feel warm.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo

Cold weather is used as the best excuse to get sleepy under the sofa’s blanket, but this luxury is not allowed on working days, so we have to manage this situation to reactivate our body and keep it warm.

Sport is the key to achieve that. If, in the morning, instead of walking to the underground and becoming squashed among people, or going to the garage to take the iced car (or, still worse, taking the motorbike to suffer a slow freezing while, impotent, we give it more speed), if, instead of all that, we take the bicycle, for sure, we are going to start the day better.

The bicycle gives us life. We will start a bit cold (although, at your own home’s entrance door), but after some pedaling we will need to unbutton the coat. Little by little, we will enjoy the air, the same which bothers the rest of the people, and when we arrive at work we will feel fresh and awake, with our muscles and articulations more active and stronger to stand all the work’s day.

Present and future of the bicycle in Barcelona

January 11th, 2017

At the beginning of last month, in 30 minuts, a weekly program from the autonomic television of Catalonia, TV3, released a report entitled Torna la bicicleta -The bicycle returns- which talked about the development and the future of this vehicle in the city of Barcelona.

“It is: learn the new rules of the game”, comments  Enric Batlle, an architect in Barcelona, who talks about the interaction between bicycle, pedestrians and motor vehicles. This interaction, such as the report shows us, results in a real conflict in Barcelona, especially when a new bike lane is opened.

This piece of informative -which we can find in the Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals web- results in the key for anticipating the importance that the bicycle is obtaining in Barcelona. In addition, they present Copenhagen as an example, a city which, nowadays, could be a reflection of our city -Barcelona- in a few years from now, if we are capable of doing a good transition from motor vehicles to bicycles.

If this city, from Denmark, spent around 30 years to change the citizens’ habits, in order for them to start using the bicycle, nowadays, according to the experts, this transition can be done in 4 years. This number attracts the attention of politicians, who can see one of their electoral points during their government’s period complied with.

Something very interesting about this transition, which is also emphasized in the report, is the fact that around the year 1910, when there was a transition in the streets of Barcelona for incorporating the cars, the discussions were very similar to the debates about bicycles that we have nowadays. Cars also had to make way in the streets and the news about accidents was incessant -numbers much more disproportionate in comparison to the present victims related to bikes-.

Surely, from our point of view, which is not objective, we cannot stop seeing a great number of positive points which are explained about the bicycle. For this reason, we want to encourage everyone to have a look and make their own conclusions.

The bicycle is here to stay, so, the best thing we can do is for everyone to be in agreement.

The final stages: pedaling through Barcelona with the Three Wise Men

January 3rd, 2017

The 5th of January the Three Wise Men arrive in Barcelona and with them the Christmas days will finalize, so, take advantage of the last activities of the city.

The 5th of January at 6 p.m. the Three Wise Men’s parade will start out from the Avinguda Marquès de l’Argentera and will go up through Via Laietana. It will cross the center of Barcelona and will continue through Sepúlveda street to Plaça Espanya, and it will finish at the Avinguda Maria Cristina at 8:45 p.m. If you want to get yourself ahead to one of these points, remember that the best means of transport to avoid the crowds of this day is the bicycle.

Although, if you are a foresighted person and you want to deliver your letter to the Three Wise Men before anyone else, from the 2nd to the 4th of January at the Plaça Catalunya, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m, the page Estel, and from 4 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. the page Omar, are the ones in charge of collecting the letters of kids and adults, advancing the work of the Three Wise Men.

Before writing your letter, remember some of the intentions for this New Year and ask for sustainable and non-sexist presents. In Barcelona, there are a lot of sustainable consumption fairs with original and proximity products.

And, if you don’t know what you could ask for, remember that the bicycle is a great present for now and for the future.

New Year and a healthy life: our list of intentions for this 2017 with which you will not be able to stop pedaling

December 28th, 2016

If you still don’t have your list of intentions for this New Year, from BornBike Tours we are going to suggest some key points to improve your health and your environment.

  1. Go to work by bicycle in order to improve the environment

We know that. This point has appeared in our blog a lot of times. But, the daily bike displacements in Barcelona continue being a 2% in comparison with the other modalities (car, motorbike or walking) and, although during the last 10 years these displacements have been multiplied 4 times, there is still a long way to go with regard to pedaling.

Moving around by bike with intern displacements through the city, as well as when we go to work, is the key to improve our health and reduce the pollution and the bad mood.

  1. Responsible and sustainable trips, the best ecotourism

Ok, yes, again nothing new. But, did you achieve this intention last year? Because if you have done it, forgetting it now is not right. Share your experience this year and you’ll be sure to go on your trip accompanied.

Remember, the best tourism is the one you do together with locals.

  1. Keeping fit without losing money or time

This is for when you have finished the Christmas holidays. Although the gym is always a basic point in our lists, when we return to the daily reality, we forget it due all the expenses and the little free time. So, we can always take advantage of our daily displacements and take our bike, not only for going to work, we can use it for taking the kids to school or for going shopping and so on. You will enjoy the fresh air, which you cannot breathe in the public transport or in the car. You will share the public space with your neighbors, something very important for feeling integrated in the city. And, at the same time, you will lose the extra kilos gained on Christmas.

Now you know that, if you don’t have a bike for starting the new year, don’t forget to ask the Three Wise Men for one!

Merry Christmas from BornBike Tours Barcelona

December 24th, 2016

If you are going to travel during Christmas, remember some of the main points of ecotourism

December 12th, 2016


During Christmas, there are a lot of people that bet on knowing these dates from other cultural perspectives. For achieving this purpose, it’s essential to keep some main points in mind in order to leave a positive mark at the place  

  1. Minimize the negative impacts on the environment and on the community

Get a bicycle and enjoy the city from the best perspective, helping to not increase pollution and noise.

  1. Respect the environment and the culture

With your bicycle, you will be able to enjoy a lot of places at a street level, something essential for experiencing the culture of a country. If you have never been there, you should look for some information about its traditions in order to avoid slip-ups.

  1. Positive experiences for visitors and hosts

If you are respectful with the environment and culture, you will achieve a better atmosphere with the local people. If the people of a country are happy with you, you will achieve a unique experience and, what are we looking for when we travel, if it’s not this?

  1. Direct financial benefits for the local people

Being Christmas, probably, you will not be able to avoid buying some souvenirs. Try to keep away from the big chain stores, which you can find everywhere. The local commerce is unique. In this way, you will be able to buy the most original presents.

Enjoy your trips during Christmas or during any other time of the year following these basic tips.

Christmas in Barcelona arrives in November

November 22nd, 2016

Photo by Maria Rosa Ferre

A lot of activities and expositions with a Christmas theme is already available in the main squares of the city. If you feel like enjoying these dates, in Barcelona this is possible.

Street markets and great mangers are already set up as of the 25th of November.

From the traditional Santa Lucia fair around the Cathedral, to the curious poetic manger in the Sant Jaume Square are some of the activities which are already available to enjoy while taking a walk through streets of the center of the city. In addition, streets are already filled of Christmas lights.

Although for the most critical people, this can be a call to start with the consumerism before time, we have to mention that in addition to these events, the City Hall has also started its campaign to promote the sustainable consumption, purchases in little stores, and the purchase of non-sexist toys. An initiative that, for us, is basic.

Enjoy Christmas walking through the most beautiful streets of Barcelona and having fun in its street markets and mangers. And (in order to give you an idea) if we are looking for a non-sexist and sustainable present, which respects the environment… ¿what about pedaling through Barcelona?

The bicycle as an educative tool

November 22nd, 2016

Improving the environment of the place where we live by reducing the pollution, the noise and the stress is important. But, for maintaining it, educating the youngsters with good habits is a basic thing.

This post has been inspired by the initiative of the neighborhood of La Sagrera in Barcelona. From the 17th of November, this neighborhood is celebrating its great fiesta. And, among performances and activities, we have wanted to emphasize the children’s bicycle race, which will be celebrated on the same day of the closure, this Sunday, the 27th.

In this race, which will take place in the Pegaso Promenade, the participants will be between 5 and 14 years old. And, so that none of them lose the will to participate, in addition to the common race, the “snails” race, where the winner is going to be the last one, will also be celebrated.

This great initiative will motivate children to enjoy their streets, as well as to introduce themselves into some healthier habits, with which to enjoy the journey and the everyday life a bit more.

Take part in this solidary action through the bicycle in Barcelona

November 15th, 2016

Do you have any plans for this weekend? If you have a Brompton folding bicycle and 15 euros saved, take a look at this initiative to collect money for the Movember Foundation at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit. 

Some months ago, we talked about the curious Brompton World Championship, which will again be celebrated on the 22nd of April this coming year within the BiCircuit Festival frame. In the same line, this Saturday, the 19th of November, the Solidary Vermouth with Brompton will be celebrated.

At 12.30 p.m. participants, with their Brompton being ready, will meet at the Circuit and at 13 p.m. the lap around the circuit will start. After enjoying the pedaling over the asphalt track, all the participants will be able to recharge batteries with a luxury vermouth at the Privilege Corner building.

Photo by Geoff Peters

So, now you know that, if you don’t have any plans for this weekend yet and you are close to Barcelona, don’t doubt about signing up for this solidary action and training for the next Brompton World Championship.

Wind gusts in Barcelona represent a challenge for cyclists

November 9th, 2016

This week the wind has the leading role in the meteorology of the Barcelona city. Although it doesn’t seem like it, this phenomenon represents a big challenge for the cyclists on a psychological and physical level. So, here you have some tips to get pass this gust.

Photo by Everton Vila

Pedaling in a group

You can organize pedaling in a group with your working mates or other friends and thus protect each other from the wind. Sharing a burden allows us to endure it better.

Up gears in the same way as when we are on a slope

When the wind blows against us the sensation is the same as though we were going up a slope. So, you have to act in the same way, up gears, and, although we will have to pedal more, our knees will be grateful to us.

Tight clothes

We should try to as aerodynamic as possible. For this reason, our clothing should be suitable. Specially, we have to be sure that our coat doesn’t flap in the wind. For these kinds of days, choose comfortable but tight fitting clothes.

Anticipate yourselves to dangers

When we cross a bridge or we are being passed by a heavy vehicle, we know that the wind could be dangerous, so we have to be alert and emphasize the caution in this kind of situations. Don’t stop of pedaling, the bicycle is more stable while the back wheel is in movement.

The daily training, the best remedy for keeping up the spirit

This principle can be applicable to practically every daily challenge. It is also very important during our daily pedaling. The more trained our body and mind are, the easier it will be to advance with our bike on windy days.

Which is the evolution of the bike lane in Barcelona?

November 2nd, 2016

Photo by Sergi Larripa

Almost one year ago, we published ‘If we were already enjoying Barcelona, we will do it even more in 2018 with the 308km of finished bike lanes’ and, after these 345 days, the issue of the bike lane in Barcelona is still in the spotlight.

These days, the City Hall is working on the bike lanes of the following streets: Marina, Travessera de Gràcia, Cartagena, Eduard Maristany, Taquígraf Serra and Gelabert and on the connection of Barcelona with Esplugues del Llobregat.

On the other hand, with regard to the streets of Joan Güell, Can Bruixa, Marquès de Sentmenat, La Jota, Múrcia and Numància, the bike lane is working at full capacity.

The Numància street bike lane connects, in both directions, the Plaça de Països Catalans with the Avinguda Diagonal, one axis more than necessary. But since its first use, some weeks ago, there has been a polemic between shop-keepers, drivers of motor vehicles and cyclists. The shop-keepers criticize the lack of space for loading and unloading products; the drivers, basically of cars, complain about lacking the parking lots; and finally, the cyclists are sick of vans and taxis which park on the bike lane itself.

Another point that has also been conflictive these last weeks, is the delay referring to putting the prohibition of the bike circulation on the sidewalks into practice. This month of November this prohibition, which doesn’t allow bicycles to circulate on the sidewalks with a width of less than 4,75 meters, and with a minimum of 3 meters of free terraces for bars -although this does not affect children younger than 12 and people who ride the bike between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.-  had to become effective. For the moment, this regulation will not become effective until next year, because the City Hall considers that we are still lacking infrastructures which make the bike lanes safer for the bike circulation.

All these changes have again opened up the discussion between cyclists and drivers. The first ones ask for more safety, the other ones are reticent to losing space. But, in our opinion, if we want a city with less pollution and at the service of people and not of cars, it is essential to improve the condition of those who work for this better future.

Bicycle theft is still a problem in Barcelona

October 26th, 2016

Barcelona is working on a safer road circulation -which is the most important- but, on the other hand, it’s necessary to make a bigger effort in order to reduce the number of the stolen bicycles, and this is a problem which discourages a lot of people to continue taking this means of transport every day.

BACC -Bicycle Club of Catalonia- has denounced the great number of bicycles which have been stolen in Barcelona repeatedly. They have calculated that around the half of the users, who use bicycle, have suffered a theft. We can, even, find users who have been theft victims several times in a row.

If we used to be in love with using this means of transport to circulate in Barcelona, we cannot avoid this general problem: the theft, because a lot of users decide to give up the bicycle for this reason.

The only action that we have found in order to solve this problem is Vadebike

This is a company that has provided a service to the citizens with this bike parking lot, which allow us to park our private bicycles in a safety way. We can even leave the helmet. But this solution has a cost for people who use it: €15 per year year and you have to add an extra price per hour of parking.

Other associations and organizations have launched themselves to denounce this problem. An example which deserves to be mentioned comes from these students of the Pompeu Fabra University.

After they hung a bicycle from a height of 5 meters, in order to make their denunciation visible, they have started campaign with signatures so as to ask the City Hall for some measures about these robberies.

We, the same as we advise you to follow all the safety and maintaining tips about your bicycle, in addition, we advise you to lock it the best you can. You should keep in mind to lock the front wheel to the place where you park and to the bicycle frame, and using a second padlock you should assure the back wheel and the seat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t let them take away your means of transport!

‘Som Meridiana’ -We are Meridiana-, an example of a fight for a better Barcelona through the bicycle

Photo by MarisaLR

October 18th, 2016

This next Saturday, the 22nd of October, a pedaling through Avinguda Meridiana will be celebrated. It will be organized by the platform Som Meridiana with the support of the Catalonia Bicycle Club (BACC) and they will claim for a space, which is now completely invaded by the motor vehicles. 

Som Meridiana is a platform formed by different neighborhood associations, that are from some of the neighborhoods which involve this avenue and who, this weekend, riding their bicycles, will claim for a Meridiana:

Which is not a highway.

Which prioritizes (the) public transport and, of course, the bicycle.

Which is a more human place, with green zones and more facilities for the neighborhood shops.

Which is not a wall.

In general, they claim for stopping to be a “forgotten city” and they will do that with a day of reflection, which will be initiated at 9.30 a.m. with a popular bicycle tour called “pedaling the Meridiana”, organized by the BACC. The meeting point will the Plaça de les Glòries and the final point the Jardins d’Elx. At this point, a parade with Batukadas, Giants and Devils will take place and the celebration will continue with activities for the kids and hot chocolate. In addition, from 11.15 a.m. to 1 p.m. there will be a lot of talks about environment and alternative means of transport.

Don’t miss it and give your support on your bicycle!

Autumn is back again and we don’t want you to stop pedaling around the city

October 11th, 2016

Photo by Lauren Ellis

Although the rain can be a bit annoying, the autumn’s temperature is perfect for circulating around the city by bicycle and for taking advantage of the weekends for doing excursions. The only thing that you need to keep in mind is to follow some safety tips which we want to remind you about.

You always have to be a prepared person

You should always take a comfortable raincoat with you (there are some of them that you can use that over your trousers) and a good footwear for circulating on bicycle, especially, and for any other occasion where you could be surprised by a rainstorm. So, keep it in a comfortable backpack and take it everywhere.

Pay more attention to the safety rules

When it is raining, inside cars people use to lose vision, for this reason it is even more important for you to have front and back bike lights, put emphasis on your safety signs and be sure that the other drivers pay attention to your next maneuver. Even though all these things seem a lot of bother, but if you drive a car or another vehicle, surely, you will have the same problems.

And, of course, don’t forget your helmet at home!

Photo by Briana Blum

Improve your adhesion to the road to the maximum, avoid slipping!

When it is raining, it is the only occasion where we can reduce the pressure of our wheels (only a little bit, because you could get a flat tire). It is also important to keep in mind that the zebra crossings and the other painted signs on the road could be very slippery, so try to avoid crossing them directly or if you can’t avoid it, cross them very slowly. Sometimes the cars lose oil on the road and this is very dangerous too. When it is raining, you can identify the oil stains easily, they are multicolor marks that appear on the road.

As you can imagine, neither is it advisable to go through zones with mud, unless you want to arrive at the first meeting of the morning with your whole back decorated.

If you keep these three tips in mind, you will enjoy one of the best seasons for doing sport or for going from one place to another avoiding sweating.

Enjoy the autumn in Barcelona or any other city!

The International Cyclist Cinema Festival of Barcelona is nearing

October 4th, 2016

The 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th of this month of October, at the Texas Cinema in Barcelona (Bailén street, 205), Rueda, an international film festival that revolves around bikes, will take place.

If you are a lover of this two wheel vehicle, you shouldn’t miss this ode to the bicycle, with which you will enjoy films, short films and other activities which will be celebrated in the city during these dates.

For these four days, the Texas Cinema has prepared a selection of 10 films and 15 short films. In addition to the projection of the Rueda Kids, during Sunday morning, there will be a selection of short films for the smallest ones of our homes, in order for them to “start to dream with cyclist adventures”.

But not only the cinema will be the meeting point during this event. The Nautical Base at the Playa de la Marbella in Barcelona will be another place with a lot of different activities such as cycling races bike polo and street markets.

We are sure that you will not be able to find a better excuse for leaving home to go pedaling this weekend.

‘La Mercè’, the great fiesta in Barcelona, is coming

September 20th, 2016

Tradition, culture, music, gastronomy… everything you want to know about Barcelona is summed up from the 22nd to the 25th of September.

Photo by: Feradz

One more year, Barcelona will celebrate its great fiesta, La Mercè, which, this year, is going to be celebrated from the 22nd to the 25th of September. And we will never get tired of repeating that: if you really want to experience the city the same as an authentic local person, a celebration like this one is the best opportunity for achieving this. So, if you are visiting Barcelona this days, you shouldn’t miss this.

During the day, you will enjoy all the activities that you can imagine for all the family in the streets of the city. During the night, you will have the best local and international music concerts. A lot of people are going to come these days in order to enjoy and keep this amazing fiesta alive, are you going to be one of them?

Remember, the 22nd is going to be celebrated as the Day Without Cars in Barcelona and the bicycle will take over all the importance in this city, maintaining it clean of fumes during this first day of the festivity.

Are you going to come with us to pedal during the fiestas?

Warming up the pedals for the Mobility Week in Barcelona

September 15th, 2016

During this week and the next week, coinciding with the great fiesta of La Mercè in Barcelona, we will celebrate the Mobility Week. It will be accompanied by a lot of activities for the awareness which we should have about our vehicles in order to maintain the city’s environment.

The Sustainable and Safety Mobility Week in Barcelona, from the 16th to 22nd of September, is directly related to the European Mobility Week, in which almost 2,000 registered cities from different countries are participating. The goal is that all these cities organize different activities in order to awaken the awareness about a sustainable mobility model for everyone.

In Barcelona, the bicycle, together with the going on foot and the public transport, will be the protagonist of this campaign.

The week will culminate with the Day without Cars, during which the motor vehicles will remain parked, in order to allow civic centers, schools, etc. to occupy the road with their activities. This day is already a tradition in our city, but this year it will be more special. Instead of fitting it into a weekend, the Day without Cars will be celebrated during a working day Thursday. A risky bet of the City Hall, but surely that it will encourage a lot of people for taking the bicycle to go to work, reducing pollution and increasing the quality of life.

Barcelona, a city which is continuously better for circulating by bicycle

September 6th, 2016

The City Hall of Barcelona is continuously working to obtain easier and safer the journeys through the streets of this city by bicycle. And it seems that they are achieving it!

Barcelona thinks that the bicycle is the best means of transport for circulating through the city. For this reason, as we indicated in other mails of this blog, it is working in order for the circulation to become easier and safer, something that the very neighbors of the city are perceiving.

During the year 2015, the journeys through Barcelona increased a 2.7%, which has turned into 4.9 MILIONS of internal journeys, of which more than 96% have been carried out by the people who live in the city. For us, these figures are an irrefutable evidence that bicycles are going to be the means of transport of the future in these streets, improving, in this way, the traffic, the pollution levels and, in general, the good mood of all the people who are moving through the streets of Barcelona.

In order to guarantee this result, Barcelona has created a new manual about the bike lanes’ signposting. With this manual, it pretends, among other goals, to improve the cyclists’ security, reducing the conflicts with the pedestrian and also improving the routes’ connectivity. You can find this manual in the Bicycle section of the Barcelona’s City Hall web, together with other audiovisual resources which completes it.

If you are not already circulating through the city by bicycle, it seems that you will run out of any excuses to avoid trying it.

The end of August is arriving, but not the end of vacation on bicycle

August 30th, 2016

Photo by Alex Blăjan

With the ending of August we also say goodbye to the summer, but we shouldn’t forget that September is a perfect month for planning long weekends on bicycle. At least in Barcelona.

More pleasant temperatures

If in August the most recommended routes were the ones around the beach so that we could have a necessary swim, in September the degrees decrease so that we can get lost on our bicycle in any place.

Looking for routes on the weekends, be this in order to increase our culture or to the mountain to disconnect from the hustle and bustle, it’s the best way to get rid of the post vacation depression.

Less is more

Sadly, fewer people in the more touristic cities will allow you to move around easier and with much more economical prices. Something inevitable also has its positive part that we should take advantage of.

Take advantage of the increase in energy that we get travelling during vacation in order to continue enjoying different places during different weekend escapades.

More Catalan tradition and culture in the fiestas of the neighborhood of Sants in Barcelona

August 23rd, 2016

Photo by Pere Prlpz

Sants, another one of the neighborhoods with the best atmosphere among the neighbors in Barcelona, replaces the fiestas of the la Vila de Gràcia and adorns its streets from the 20th to the 28th of August.

If your holidays haven’t coincided with the fiestas of Gràcia that we announced last week, there’s no reason to worry. In August Barcelona keeps active and this week it’s the turn of the neighborhood of Sants.

Sants, within the district of Sants-Montjuïc, has been acknowledged during its entire history for its solidarity and the organization capacity of the people who live in it. This element is definitely not forgotten during these days of fiesta.

Activities for Young and elderly people, for families and friends, concerts, alternative fiestas, etc. The possibilities to enjoy these celebrations are practically infinite. You’ll surely find the ones that best fit your taste in order to enjoy the local people.

The neighborhood of Sants can be easily reached by bicycle from different parts of the city. For this reason, as always, and in order to avoid traffic jams, we advise you to get there by pedaling.

Enjoy your stay in Barcelona at one of its fiestas full of popular culture!

Have you taken a stroll around the surroundings of the streets of Gràcia in Barcelona?

August 17th, 2016

One more year the streets of the neighborhood of Gràcia dress themselves up thanks to the impetus and imagination of the neighbors.

Photo by Amaianos

If you haven’t yet taken a walk around the surroundings of the Villa of Gràcia, you have time until this Sunday, the 21st of August.

This year the winning street has been Fraternitat, enlivened within fishing and dressed up with naval details. It’s a refreshing point of the city that you should definitely not miss these days.

If you know the villa of Gràcia, this is a great opportunity to explore it. It’s a neighborhood that is practically pedestrian, full of squares, bars and restaurants. The good environment that is enjoyed is created by the neighbors who are an example of coexistence, cooperation and integration. There’s a clear reason why it has such an important role in the Catalan rumba.

If you’re in Barcelona this weekend, you have the perfect opportunity to discover Gràcia and its history. Of course, we advise you to go by bicycle since the streets are closed to car traffic.

Don’t miss this fiesta and go there by pedalling!

Tips about how to enjoy Barcelona as a local person

August 9th, 2016

There are three key elements to guarantee that your visit to the city will be worth while

The fiestas
As we already explained some weeks ago, summer is the time when the major fiestas of Barcelona’s neighborhoods find place (you can consult the dates and places a few articles further down). The fiestas are a concentration of tradition and culture that gathers the local people and is even organized by them. Human towers, fok musicians, giants, Catalan music and sardanas are elements that are usually always present.

The food
Barcelona is full of restaurants and bars, from the busiest zones with a lot of people, as well as the harbor and the beach, passing through the neighborhoods with squares and the best atmosphere, like Gràcia and Sants, to the most residential ones or full of offices, such as Poble Nou or les Corts (the list, in reality, is interminable, because we have found good places to have appetizers or a good daily menu in all parts).

The architecture
Right on the street and totally free, you have real modernist jewels spread through the entire city. From buildings you can enter (and here you do have to pay) to markets full of local products, that you definitely shouldn’t miss if you like to go shopping.
Everything is perfectly connected through the bicycle lane so that you don’t miss anything and take maximum advantage of your time in the city using the best transport – the bicycle.

Here you have three bicycle routes for deciding what you don’t want to miss in Barcelona

August 2nd, 2016
Do you only have a few hours to enjoy the city? Choose what most interests you.
Appetizers:
Gastronomy is a basic element of the Mediterranean culture. Passing through Barcelona and not stopping at one of the bars to have a drink and an appetizer is almost a sin.
A route by bicycle near the harbor and the beach will open our appetite in order to enjoy the traditional Catalan cuisine.
It’s one of the best mementos of the city that you can take with you.
From the sea to the mountain:
If what most interests you are the visits to Barcelona, a perfect route for you is the one that takes you from the beach through the harbor and to the heights of Montjuïc.
Barcelona is one of the few cities that allows you to enjoy these two types of landscapes at the same time. Therefore, take advantage of it!

Modernist style route
:
If what you like is getting lost in the streets of the city and discovering its architectural jewels, this is your route.
A great part of the activity of the city is carried out in these buildings, so you will find the majority of them in the most centric zones.
Have you decided which route best fits your tastes?

Is playing Pokémon Go on bicycle a good idea?

July 16th, 2016

Whenever we have a necessary safety measures as the principal norm of the game. After some weeks since the inauguration of this videogame, our attentions is attracted by the number of accidents it has protagonized.

Pokémon Go has meant the revolution of the videogames linking our reality with the virtual one. Among its merits we can find the one referring to achieving that people go much longer distances (kilometers) so as to get the strongest types.

It’s not strange that many have considered the bicycle as the opportunity to convert itself into much quicker and efficient hunters.

In fact, in previous versions of the game, we have seen the protagonist circulating by bicycle, but there is one difference: they were not alive nor did suffer after an accident.

So, this week we ask ourselves if playing Pokémon Go on bicycle is the best idea that we can have… If we don’t consult the mobile phone while we are pedaling, perfect. If we take advantage of the traffic light and other stops to consult it there is any Pokémon nearby, perfect. If we don’t abandon our bicycle without a chain in order to run after our objective, even better, because when we come back it will be there in order to move around and look for more species.

As in the majority of our existential questions, if we apply logic we will end up winning. Be careful so that the emotion of the game doesn’t make you lose your head… If you have an accident during the hunting you will not achieve more pokémons.

Experience Barcelona from one celebration to another

July 18th, 2016

As we always say from BornBike, there isn’t a better way to enjoy the city than introducing yourself directly into the traditions and the culture, and, where is a major concentration of these two ingredients? In the festivities. Summer is the season of the different celebrations in the neighborhoods of Barcelona per excellence.

Photo by: Feradz

The 16th of July the Festa Major of Poble Sec, in the district of Sants-Montjuïc, was inaugurated, but if you haven’t had time to enjoy the activities, you have the opportunity to do it until the 24th of this month of July. Coinciding with these dates, the Clota’s fiesta is also going to be celebrated, in the district of Horta-Guinardó, a place a bit further away from the center of the city.

From the 22nd to the 16th of August, Sant Roc, the Festa Major of the Gótic neighborhood in Ciutat Vella, is the most ancient celebration of Barcelona with more than four centuries of history. You can find it easily, because it is centered mainly in the Nova square.

And we love the Gracia fiesta, this year it will be celebrated from the 15th to the 21st of August. We love it for its activities, but, especially, because of its neighbors making works of art in every one of its streets. Although, if you want to avoid masses of people, the best for you is to wait for the Sants celebration, from the 20th to the 28th of August, it also is a great example of a good team work between neighbors.

If you are the kind of people who prefer to travel during September, you also have the opportunity to enjoy the celebrations of Vallcarca, Horta, Poblenou and the great fiesta per excellence: La Mercè.

What should you keep in mind before doing a tour through Barcelona by bike during these summer’ holidays?

July 12th, 2016

During the summer, you can visit Barcelona in a thousand different ways. We want to give you some options, riding your bicycle, with which you will enjoy the hot weather.

30ºC of temperature (86ºF) can be a bit suffocating, especially if we are riding a bicycle. For this reason, there are two very interesting tours for these summer days, with which we can enjoy the landscapes and the culture of Barcelona (especially the gastronomic one) in a refreshing way.

Tour through the beaches of Barcelona

Barcelona has a long coast and with it a great diversity of beaches, which have been transformed throughout the years. Going through them by bicycle, discovering their history and breathing the sea breeze is something unique during the summer.

¡Now, of course! You should not forget a good sun-cream and wearing cool clothes.

Tapas Tour through the most symbolic neighborhoods

Close to the beaches, we can also find the most antique neighborhoods of Barcelona and they have a notable gastronomic variety, so you should not conform yourself with only one of them. The bicycle will allow us to go through these streets and stop at every one of the different terraces, in order to enjoy of a fresh drink with its respective tapa. You will get to know from the most traditional tastes to the most experimental ones. You or your stomach set the limit.

The best experiences for a refreshing Barcelona!

4 reasons for visiting Barcelona on bicycle this summer

July 05th, 2016

If you are someone of last minute planning and you don’t know where do you want to go these holidays, here you have 4 good reasons for coming to Barcelona and enjoying it by bicycle.

barcelona-838716_1920

Mediterranean city

Weather, gastronomy, tradition… Barcelona doesn’t let determinants to chance. Whatever makes you travel, here you have a lot of everything. If you don’t want to ride your bicycle under the rain or under extreme weather conditions, this is your city. If you want an unlimited number of restaurants and bars where you can go to fill up on energy with a good price and a good taste, this is your city. If you want to get to know something different every time you go through a street, this is your city.

Sea and mountain

You can go through beaches and port by bicycle, but if you keep yourself pedaling you can go to the mountain. Everything in a day, from the Parc del Fòrum to Montjuïc and if it is not enough, you can lose yourself in Collserola. Every one of the views are amazing.

Almost 200km of bike lane

In order to make your visit as comfortable as possible, you can access practically every corner in the city easily. In order not to miss anything at street level, because, according to our philosophy, this is the best way to get to know a place from within.

Events, concerts and parties, almost every day

If your holidays don’t coincide with one of the neighborhood celebrations, you can enjoy, in a live way, the culture of the city in many other centers, theaters, museums and bars. Barcelona always has a good plan.

Moving around by bicycle, a way of life

June 28th, 2016

Everyone who uses a bicycle in his daily life to go to work, to shop, to take the children to school… They cannot leave it during the holidays.

Some people start to use a bicycle to avoid the sedentary life in which we live; some others use it because they have become sensitive about the problem of the high levels of pollution in the cities; others because of both reasons or, simply, because they love moving around without traffic jams, with a bit of fresh air and enjoying the views.

Whichever is the reason that pushes us to start pedaling in our daily life, it finally accompanies us everywhere. For this reason, leaving the bicycle during vacation is very difficult and, actually, there are no motives for doing that. Getting to know other places at street level, close to the people, stopping everywhere we want, moving fast through every corner… Practically, everyone who tries it, finally, transforms it into a way of life.

If you don’t yet see it clearly, take advantage at this beginning of summer to discover new and old places and, surely, without realizing, you will transform that into your best habit.

Dances around a bonfire and quick nightly swims on the ‘Sant Joan’ night in Barcelona

June 23rd, 2016

Sant Joan

One more year, we have the opportunity of celebrating this tradition during the shortest night of the year.

At BornBike, we love summer: riding our bicycle through the city, through its green zones and through its beaches. So, we couldn’t miss its welcome.

Photo by Tamorlan

Photo by Tamorlan

From the tour of the flame which never extinguishes, the Canigo’s flame; making a pause for dinner and the “coca de llardons” (a sort of flatbread with pork rind) which we love eating with chocolate; to enjoying dancing around a bonfire with the rhythm of a live concert. And, if it is possible, we should do all of this close to the beach so that we can take a swim which will dispel the bad spirits and refresh us before the coming warm months.

It sounds good, doesn’t it?

And the best thing is that this traditional celebration, as almost all of them, comes with some stories of our culture.

Do you want to get to know them? Don’t miss it. We, if you wish so, can accompany you by bicycle, of course.

Getting to know the Catalan culture, dancing ‘Sardanes’

June 14th, 2016

From the 15th of June to the 3rd of July, every Friday (except the 24th of June) you can enjoy one of the most typical things of the Catalan Culture: Sardanes, with the people dancing to the rhythm of the ‘Les Cobles Rambles” and ‘Baix Llobregat’.

As we always say, one of the best things for getting to know a country’s culture is introducing ourselves in its history, its traditions and its festivities, because we will be able to talk easily with its people and we will feel like a citizen more of this land. So, following this premise, you should not miss the opportunity of experiencing the Sardanes’ dance and music.

sardana-1313942This is a tradition with an unknown origin, danced and played around all Catalonia (it is its national dance) and, practically everyone who wants to dance it, can try it. Your age doesn’t matter, it is for elder and young people.

So if you would like to know more about it, you should take your bicycle and go to Vapor Vell Passage (number 2) in the district of Sants-Monjuïc any Friday (remember: there are no events on the 24th of June) from now to the 3rd of July at 7.30 p.m.

Enjoy it!

Popular Pedaling at the 2016 Bicycle Festivity of Barcelona

June 8th , 2016

Another initiative which has been added to the promotion of the bicycle as the common means of transport in the city.

Bicicletada2015This Sunday, 12th of June, the Bicycle Festivity in Barcelona, a popular celebration open to everyone, and perfect for every member of the family, will take place.

This Popular Pedaling will suppose 10km through the district of the Eixample, with the starting point at 9.30 a.m. in the Aragó Street, at the crossing with Balmes Street, and it will go through key points of the city as: Plaça Espanya, Avinguda Paral·lel, Ronda Sant Pau, Plaça Catalunya, Passeig Lluis Companys (Arc de Triomf), etc. ending at the Plaça de les Glòries with a great fiesta full of activities for everyone.

In addition, this event pretends to be totally accessible to everyone. For this reason it will be a service of adaptable bicycles for people with reduced mobility.

The only thing which is required, in order to get an easier organization, is that each person who wants to participate, sign up through the application form published at the City Hall web.

If you are near Barcelona, you should not miss this year’s event!

 

TripAdvisor, the best traveler critic community, has updated the excellence certificate to us one more year

May 31st , 2016

We have received this amazing news again thanks to the good and continuous reviews from everyone who has shared this marvelous experience through Barcelona with us.

We didn’t want to do the typical gratitude discourse, but… we want to start thanking everyone who has spent a bit of time sharing the reviews about the different experiences with us. We have read all of them carefully, the good ones and the not-so-good ones, to continue working in order to improve our service a bit more every day.

Something very special that we have seen in the reviews is the fact that a lot of them point out the passion we feel for our city, Barcelona. We are sure that this is the key of our success, because we love to share its culture, its history and its gastronomy with everyone interested in them and we want to do it in the most unique and special way.

So, maintaining the words of last year, we want to continue enjoying and doing our work while we guide you through Barcelona with our tours, riding the best vehicle: the bicycle.

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The markets of Barcelona, gastronomic culture and tradition

May 23th , 2016

Last days for “Love your market” in the International Week of Markets, which has been held since the 15th of May and which is going to finish next Thursday, the 31st.

Under the motto “Choose the market, choose health”, from the 15th, the 3rd edition of this initiative, the International Week of Markets, has been held and which has been joined by municipal markets of Barcelona and other ones of the province.

As we have insisted in other blog entrances, a perfect way to get to know Barcelona in a gastronomic manner and to go to shopping is visiting the incredible markets of Barcelona, which, at the same time, are architectonic jewels. But, these days, in addition, we have the incentive of the activities which are being held in these places for everyone in the family: workshops, talks, gourmet samplings and gastronomic competitions.

barcelona-market-1319601All of these activities pretend to foment the promotion of responsible, safe and healthy nutrition. At the same time, they also aim to promote the market products, fresh and high-quality products.

If you are from Barcelona or you are spending some days here, you don’t have any excuse not to take your bicycle and come to take a stroll through one of these city markets.

 

Live music in ‘The spring in the neighborhoods’ in Barcelona

Oscar-Keys-concert

Photo by Oscar Keys

May 16th, 2016

A musical initiative from Barcelona city to energize the cultural life in some of its districts which has been celebrated from the 5th to the 26th of May, each Thursday of the month.

In the second edition of this festival: “The Spring in the neighborhoods” 12 concerts have been prepared along the different districts of the city, emphasizing some of them, where don’t usually have a lot of this kind of activities, such as Marina de Port, Parc and Llacuna of Poblenou or the Turo de la Peira.

These concerts are in the line of the Primavera Sound Festival (which will be held from the 1st to the 5th of June in Barcelona) and they are an introduction for the new musical groups of the city. In resume, a perfect opportunity to get to know the city in a musical way.

The performances are free and they start at 7.30 p.m. every Thursday in different municipal centers, such as youth or civic centers.

If you haven’t attended any one yet, you will have the opportunity to do this Thursday the 16th of May at 7.30 p.m in the Parc Sandaru (a civic center in Poble Nou) or the next and the last one (Thursday the 26th) in the Tomasa Cuevas (youth center of Les Corts).

Don’t miss them!

Barcelona needs you in the ‘European Cycling Challenge’

May 9th, 2016

Barcelona has again taken part in this competition at a European level in the fifth edition and it needs all the support of the city’s cyclists.

European Cycling ChallengeThe European Cycling Challenge is a competition which has been held for the past five years where the urban cyclists are organized in teams (each city is a team) and they have the whole month of May to do the maximum number of kilometers through the city.

Whenever we do any trip through the city (go to work, to buy, to take the children to school or, simply, go for a stroll) riding our bicycle, this will be useful. The most important thing is signing in, we can do that by completing the information manually in the cycling365.eu or (for us the best choice) downloading the Cycling365 free app, signing in as a user, at first, and in the second place within a team.

At the time, Gdansk (Poland) is winning with 259,597km, the same city which was proclaimed winner in the last edition, and Barcelona is in the 34th position (of 52) with almost 5,000km.

Although, for the moment, victory is 254,600km away, we have time to win some positions and show that, in Barcelona, the best means of transport is the bicycle.

The importance of traveling on bicycle for the future of Barcelona

bike, cityMay 2nd, 2016

A big city with more than 1,600,000 of people sharing streets with a big number of tourists, a fact that makes Barcelona a very complex space from different perspectives, among others, the mobility and the environment.

Barcelona is a big city in continuous movement, which adapts itself to the new times. Every day, people talk more about the importance of improving the streets’ mobility for a better coexistence among pedestrians, motorized vehicles and bicycles. They are working from municipal politics, such as the extension of the bike lane net, or from the citizens’ debates, where all the uncomfortable issues about security in the road system are put on the table.

Little by little, this work has been transformed into a bigger sensibility, especially, from the population, who continuously trusts the bicycle more for being the faster, cheaper and, very important, non-polluting means of transport.

The ecology involves the whole bicycle world and it is the key for the future of cities, and for this reason, there are a lot of initiatives such as the Muzzicycles, bicycles with a frame fabricated from recycled PET materials (the same materials used for making plastic bottles), an innovation which is 100% ecologic and has a very comfortable design.

It is very important, if we are already moving pedaling, that we educate and make ourselves aware of the culture of the good coexistence at the road circulation spaces. And if we are not yet moving by bicycle, we should depart from this very point.

Brompton World Championship in Barcelona, for everyone who likes to pedal well-dressed

BiCircuit Festival Barcelona has organized this foldable bicycle world competition, where the only conditions to participate are to be older than 16 and to wear a suit and a tie.

This 30th of April at 10.30 a.m. the Montmeló circuit is going to be invaded, not by the quickest cars of the world, but by the best dressed cyclists. After various editions, the participants of the Brompton World Championship will come back to ride these handmade foldable bicycles, which are fabricated in London.

Photo by Duncan Hull

Photo by Duncan Hull

Why you should participate? The award will be a trip for pedaling in the final of London, where the participants are going to ride 8 laps around the Buckingham Palace this 30th of July.

If you are not yet registered, you have time until the day before the competition (29th of April). In order to train, you only need to ride your bicycle to your work during some days, because the three laps to the circuit are only 14.1km.

This is a good activity for this Saturday (although you will have to get up early, because the distribution of the numbers will start at 8 a.m.) and a good way to encourage yourself to keep pedaling through the urban zones.

Sant Jordi in Barcelona

The story is about a tyrant dragon who threatened the population of the Montblanc village and a courageous knight, who riding his white bicycle… was it not like this?

Photo by Alfred Comin

Photo by Alfred Comin

This 23rd of April, coinciding with the weekend, in Barcelona and everywhere in Catalonia everybody will celebrate one of the most emblematic traditional festivities, the Sant Jordi’s Day, patron of Catalonia. This Day is focused on two different key elements: love and culture. We will find both represented in the thousands of street market stands with roses and books which are going to be present at the main streets in the city, whereby Passeig de Gràcia and Rambles are the protagonists.

In addition to the obligatory walk through the Rambles, each neighborhood of the city will be celebrating all kinds of activities for every age. Not only books will be the protagonists of the culture, at Tiquet Rambles (Palau de la Virreina, La Rambla, 99), from the 14th of April, the tickets of a great diversity of performances (theater, dance, museums…) are being sold at reduced prices.

A perfect celebration for the promotion of the small businesses, such as bookshops and other kinds of social organizations which will sell their roses in the street.

Take your bicycle, ride it through Barcelona and discover the famous legend of Sant Jordi, the real one, being guided by the people from Barcelona.

A heat wave has come to Barcelona and we have to take care of ourselves

Every time we notice a warm temperature in Barcelona city, although the bicycle is a healthy sport, we have to keep in mind other elements, such as the hydration to avoid heat strokes.

pexels-photo-13915-largeAlthough temperatures have not yet reached the summer’s maximum temperatures and it is good weather for riding the bicycle, if we are in a hurry, it is better to have a drink on hand which allows to keep ourselves hydrated.

Remember that with the physical exercise our body loses a lot of water, either through sweat or through forced breathing, so we should not forget (yes, forget, because a lot of times, as a result of the daily stress, we forget to hydrate ourselves completely and if you are doing exercise you should drink water even though you are not thirsty) then, we should not forget to drink water or other kinds of isotonic soft-drink.

Nowadays, in a lot of shops you can find bottles (the lifelong canteens) which will keep your soft-drink at an adequate temperature and which you will be able to reuse during a long time, helping the environment and your pocket.

Taking water with you is essential, but if you want to enjoy some added benefits, you can add a bit of lemon. Lemon is a diuretic, blood tonic and antioxidant citric fruit that will provide our drink with a touch of freshness, which will be very welcome at the end of good ascent.

Now you can see that taking care of ourselves is easy, so if you are doing exercise to keep in good health, you should not forget the importance of a well balanced diet and a good hydration.

30 days on bike, a citizen initiative for the pollution reduction and everyone’s wellbeing

Last Friday, 1st of April, all over the world the agreement of pedaling during 30 days when we go through the city was started, a step which reduces fumes and pollution, makes us feel better and, surely, will get more than one person hooked.

Since some days ago, the hashtag #30DaysonBike started to move around the social networks, with which a lot of people explain their experiences, stories or, simply share some images about what this great challenge is supposing.

Because, going on bicycle means improving in a lot of senses: in an individual way, pedaling is a cardiovascular exercise with which you can tone up your legs’ muscles, bettering your back position and strengthening your knees. In addition, as we always back up from BornBike, we are sure that the relaxation caused by this exercise, directly affects a stress shortage and an improvement of our inspiration.

At a community level, in addition to being an activity which you can practice with more people and share the experience, with time, it is one of best ways to reduce high levels of pollution which our cities can reach. In this way, we improve the daily traffic and the air that we breathe.

If you have not joined this initiative yet, you still have some days to to take advantage of it. In addition, we are sure that, if you achieve going on bicycle non-stop during 30 days, you will not be able to stop!

The greatest historical celebrities like (or liked) to ride a bicycle

A bike is the best means of transport for almost everyone, so, it is not strange that the greatest historical celebrities consider the bicycle as something else than a simple way of travelling.

If you worried about falling off the bike, you’d never get on”, Lance Armstrong –professional cyclist-.

A tip which can help us during many moments of our life and, in addition, it is really illustrative: the person who gives us the advice has spent a half of his life on a bicycle surpassing challenges and almost every one of us, at a certain time, have taken the risk of riding a bicycle in our lives.

If in case of doubt we feel scared, the best thing we can do is remember the day we launched ourselves down the street on two wheels.

Those who wish to control their own lives and move beyond the existence as mere clients and consumers, those people ride a bike”, Wolfgang Sachs – researcher, writer and teacher of environment, development and globalization.

If someone, who has dedicated his career and his life to theorize a more sustainable development, has said that, maybe it is true that the bicycle transforms us and make us freer from the consumption system in which we live.

Only the people who pedal to work daily can feel the sensation of well-being with the environment and with oneself, a sensation that is accentuated when you see what you save on petrol and the gym.

Albert Einstein riding his bicycle.  Santa Barbara, 1933

Albert Einstein riding his bicycle.
Santa Barbara, 1933

It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them”, Ernest Hemingway –journalist, writer and traveller-.

The contours and all the cities’ corners of the country. From BornBike we confirm this fact every day of our work. With the bicycle you will live an experience which is impossible to appreciate through another kind of vehicle.

And in order to keep up the level, here you have the last famous quotation which, we think, doesn’t need an explanation:

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving”, Albert Einstein –the most acknowledged scientist of the 20th century-.

What is the best way to enjoy spring’s arrival in Barcelona? Pedaling your bicycle

Haystack-bike-springAlthough the winter has come and passed unnoticed and it has given us nice trips through the city, spring continues being the favorite season for traveling on a bike.

Sunny days without being scorching ones

Hot weather can be an enemy, even worse than cold weather, for everyone who likes to travel on bicycle. Enjoying spring temperature will avoid the tiredness caused by other seasons of the year and, even more, it can give us a short break stretched out on the green of a park.

Colors that make the trip more pleasant

We are talking about the colors of spring, not only the colors from plants and trees which start to flower everywhere, but also the warm color tones of the sun over the buildings. If you like to take good photos of your trips, spring light, without burning landscapes as happens in the summer, will give life to your mementos.

The beginning of the festivities

Even though every season has its festivities and they are always reflected on the big city, during spring, the celebrations in streets with all the community are more common, taking advantage of the warm weather. If you are interested in getting to know new cultures during your trips, these kinds of celebrations are the best chance.

You should not forget that spring comes marked by rain. So, when you are preparing your trip, make sure of taking the correct clothes for possible changes in the weather. Warm and under a raincoat, a rainy city also has its charms.

The bicycle, an instrument capable of inspiring works of art with the size of a city

Stephen Lund's work on Strava art

Stephen Lund’s work on Strava art

Cyclists from all over the world draw amazing figures through their GPS for sharing them later. It is called Strava art.

Other times, we have talked about mobile applications such as Strava or Endomondo which, in addition to being good tools for keeping us fit with our bicycle, are new social networks where we can share routes, record times which make us feel pride, among other impressions. But the thing that their inventors maybe never imagined when they programmed them is the fact that the users are taking an artistic advantage of them when they use the routes marked on the streets where they move around.

Such as the expression “mente sana in corpore sano” predicts, there is a very narrow relationship between the wealth of our minds and the training of our bodies.

In this sense, we want to make reference to this (we think that it can be already called like this) “movement” which, taking advantage of the digital applications, has transformed the cities into a big canvas.

Stephen Lund's work on Strava art

Stephen Lund’s work on Strava art

Cyclists of everywhere in the world plan and prepare a route which ends up in images (some of them really complex figures), which will finally be shared with friends and, even, with the rest of the world.

If you are thinking about a new challenge, this is the best way to combine sport, art and new technologies.

The women also use the bicycle

“Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.”

Susan B. Anthony North American suffragist, (1898)

 

JGKlein-Women_on_bicycles,_late_19th_Century_USASuch as was declared in the 19th century, by the North American suffragist, Susan B. Anthony, who had also traveled on bicycle, this vehicle had been one of the symbols of the women empowerment during this age.

This fact had not only taken place in the United States, it also happened in a lot of other places around the world. A similar case is Great Britain, which has been thoroughly documented by Dr. Sheila Hanlon.

Because it is during this century when the bicycle became a bold element which started a lot of debates: a woman could go from one place to another without the necessity of being accompanied by a man; the image of a physically weak woman was demolished; some clothes became uncomfortable for being used on the bicycle… some little changes which revolutionized a lot of aspects and won against the ridiculous theories, such as some of them the emerged from the medical sector, from where they alerted physical damage such as the sterilization or the abortion. A useless attempt for trying to control women.

Although the evolution is obvious in a lot of countries, nowadays we still have a lot of work and tours to do. On this International Woman’s Day, we want to keep going this way with all the women on this historical symbol, the bicycle.

The neighborhoods which bring Barcelona to life

If nothing is written about taste, Barcelona is a city which gathers the major part of it with its parks, museums, markets, monuments… even its streets are different from district to district and in each one we can find a piece of history.

Ten are the districts of Barcelona and in each one we find the neighborhoods and the communities which bring them to life. Starting with Ciutat Vella, where we can imagine ourselves through its narrow streets through the same corners where the first city’s activities were originated. Markets, cathedrals, restaurants, the port, the beach, its passages and its people are the elements which configure the landscape and the neighborhood.

Bordering the sea, on the right of Ciutat Vella, we will find Sant Martí, one of the biggest districts. Here, apart from the conglomerate of offices which form the 22@ zone led by the Agbar Tower, we can find the major part of the beaches of Barcelona; the calm neighborhoods of Poble Nou and Clot; in addition to the impressive Fòrum.

barcelona-984035_1280On the other side, we have the left hand of Ciutat Vella, where we can go from the sea to the mountain of Montjuïc. But, of course, to do this route we have to go through the streets of Sants, where it is always a good plan stopping there and having something to eat and drink. And which is the street separating Ciutat Vella from Sants-Montjuïc? The Paral·lel Avenue, the center of performances par excellence. A fame which has cost a lot of years of work for all the theaters situated on this street.

Over Ciutat Vella we will find the Eixample, where, far from its squared appearance, we will find the figures of the Casa Batlló and La Pedrera with their exuberant shapes; in addition to the Casa de les Punxes, the Palau Baró de Quadras, la Casa Ametller, la Fundació Antoni Tàpies and, of course, the endless Sagrada Familia.

And if we continue ahead we will find, from the left to the right, Les Corts, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, the bohemian and, at the same time, gipsy Gràcia, Horta-Guinardó, Nou Barris and Sant Andreu, districts which, as residential zones, contain the soul of the communities that live there. Each one does this in its own way, especially with their celebrations and activities, that are a sample of the people which build Barcelona.

So, remember that in order to experience Barcelona on your trips, you should not forget any one of the details that bring the neighborhoods, and finally the city, to life.

Four bicycles from movies to motivate ourselves before going out to pedal

Photo-by-Andreas-Winter

Photo by Andreas Winter

The bicycle has been the protagonist on the big screen a lot of times, and we can find films for everybody’s tastes which, if we are tired of taking the bicycle, will again make us feel like going out again.

For the most classical people, Bicycle Thieves

Set at the terrible crisis which Italy suffered after World War II, the protagonists, a billsticker and his son, show us this reality while they try to recover the bicycle which was stolen during work. Because if nowadays going to work by bicycle can be a pleasure, for the protagonist it is indispensable.

A bit of absurd humor with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure

Also related to a stolen bicycle and the adventures that this fact unchains. Pee-wee, the outlandish protagonist, will gain a lot of challenges in order to recover his most precious jewel and at the same time, if we are fans of this kind of humor, he will make us laugh.

For everybody who goes against conventionalism, Wadjda

The first film directed by a woman in Saudi-Arabian, protagonized by a girl with a clear conviction: with a bicycle she could arrive at the school faster and win races with her friend Abudllah. Until here everything could seem very normal, but in the Wadjda reality these kinds of freedom are not allowed for the women and the conventionalism which she questions is the law that governs the country.

And for everybody who prefer the persecutions, Premium Rush

Who needs a motorized vehicle to move around the big city at full speed? This film achieves all the requirements of an action film: persecutions, attempted murder, inconceivable escapes, love plots, a lack of dialogs… The only difference: most part of the story takes place on a bicycle.

Do you have clear ideas about which bicycle you prefer?

Reflecting on the bicycle

Photo by Matthew Wiebe

Last weekend, we were overwhelmed by the news about the death of Muriel Casals, ex-president of the Omnium Cultural organization and member of the Catalan Parliament in Junts pel Sí party, who was run over accidentally by a bicycle in the center of Barcelona.

A terrible piece of news, the cause of which we don’t want to be a reason for decreasing the spirit of everybody who works to achieve that the bicycle will get to be one of the more used means of transport (even the most used one) in the cities. This is due to the fact that we think this kind of accident can be reduced to 0, because the bicycle is a healthy means of transport and can also be safe. But this can be only achieved if we work together.

Far from repeating, as we have done other times, the advantages of the bicycle’s daily use or the safety tips again, we want to share this fragment from the note written by the Assamblea Catalana d’Entitats de la Bicicleta (Catalan Assembly of the Bicycle Entities), “Dels ciclistes en memòria de Muriel Casals” (“From the cyclists in memory of Muriel Casals”), with which we feel very identified.

“And it is because we love life, actively, involving ourselves in it every day with our personal habits of mobility, that when this ingenious and simple machine, which is the bicycle, our tool to fight for a better life, ends up causing a shortening of a life by a wretched and unfortunate circumstance, it is inevitable for us to intensely and deeply feel the sorrow and the mourning”.

In Catalan:

“I és perquè estimem la vida, activament, involucrant-nos-hi cada dia amb els nostres hàbits personals de mobilitat, que quan aquesta màquina enginyosa i senzilla que és la bicicleta, la nostra eina per lluitar per una vida millor, acaba propiciant l’escapçament d’una vida per una malaurada i desafortunada circumstància, se’ns fa inevitable sentir intensament i profundament la tristesa i el dol”.

Only through everyone’s solidarity and sense of responsibility will we achieve a better city.

A Popular Catalan Culture Show at this Santa Eulàlia Celebration of Barcelona

Photo by José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro

Photo by José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro

In order to meet a community in a close and local way, there is nothing better than participating in their festivities. This week, from the 11th to the 14th of February, Barcelona celebrates its Santa Eulàlia Festival, in the district of Ciutat Vella, a celebration full of performances which are characterized by the Catalan culture in a scene which has been the testimony of the city’s history.

Castellers, giants and cabezudos, dancers, correfocs, light performances, grallers, bastoners, fairs and more activities concentrated in these four days of fiesta in the heart of the Condal City. This results in a master class about the history of these streets through the popular culture of the territory.

Not only the most emblematic characters, such as the Eagle, go out to the streets, all the residents also participate in this fiesta. Being able to enter and camouflage yourself among people is, without any doubt, the best way to enjoy the city like a local person, leaving a positive mark of your visit and taking with you the best experience. After all, why do we travel, if this is not the reason?

If you are near Barcelona these days, this has to be an obligatory stop.

Come pedaling!

The Carnival arrives in Barcelona

carnival festivitieIf you are thinking about taking advantage of some days and coming to visit Barcelona, you cannot miss the opportunity of meeting the Reina Belluga (Belluga Queen).

From the 4th to the 10th of February, Barcelona dresses up its streets with activities and popular parties, starting with L’Arribo, a tour through different streets of the city, which will start at the Sant Cugat Square at 6 p.m. on the 4th day, in order to receive the Reina Belluga with music, giants and fireworks. With this welcoming, the Queen of this Carnival will initiate all the events which will take place in a lot of centres, associations and institutions of the city.

Three other important activities which you cannot miss (and which will be held very close to our BornBike premises are El Ball del Molinet (The Little Mill Dance) on the 5th at 7 p.m. at the Born Cultural Centre; the Taronjada on the 7th at 4.30 p.m., which will start at the Comercial Square, it will be perfect for all the family members; and the carnival streets, there will be 30 of them distributed through the different districts of the city. You will need to pedal strongly if you want to see more than one.

Start looking now for the best costume in your wardrobe for this festivity, because the level will be very high.

¿Why #BarcelonaInspire?

Photography by Joaquin Aranoa

#BarcelonaInspire is one of the most popular hashtags used in the social networks by everyone who experience and visit this incredible city.

If we are planning a trip, taking a look at the social networks could be a great way to find all the happenings which we want to experience. With a simple hashtag we will achieve an infinite number of comments, videos and a lot of photos about the places that we want to visit.

Something similar happens with #RTW (Round The World), this is used for everywhere in the world, or #TTOT (Travel Talk On Twitter). Although if we are interested on the opinions about places for eating, the best is: #FoodTravelChat.

But, what does usually happen in the social networks…? Between the retouches and the happy faces, a lot of times we are far away from the reality which we finally find. If you want to avoid this, #NoFilter is your best hashtag. Here, no matter how good the photography is, there is no trick.

So, now you know, for your next trip to Barcelona, apart from being sure that you have a bicycle to pedal, take a look at the social networks to see why Barcelona inspires so many people.

¿How could you win a good vacation by pedaling your bicycle every day?

Photography by Javier Calvo

JAE Ingeniería y Desarrollo, a company from Logroño, La Rioja (Spain), clearly knows how to take care of the workers who make themselves responsible for the environment: even one week of vacation can be earned by them for riding the bicycle to their work every day.

The importance of the workers’ motivation has been heard by a lot of companies and, each one looks for the best way to award the employees. This week we have found the company who, in our point of view, has won the first place: JAE Ingeniería y Desarrollo has thought up a system in which, for every day that you go to work with a non-motorized vehicle you accumulate 10 minutes of vacation and in this way until you have reached one week.

In conclusion, a great system to thank all the people who are concerned about the environment, about the city and about the tranquility of a lot of people, because, in the end, what is more tranquil, quick and less polluting than a bicycle?

This initiative is similar to the other one that the French government announced last October, which has not yet been put into practice, but which is planning to pay 0,25 cents for each kilometer ridden to work.

It seems that the bicycle is going to continuously win more allies and maybe we, using it, will be able to earn some paid vacation, but, of course, on bicycle.

2 free applications which will accompany you in all of your journeys on the bicycle

Photography by Paul Green

Photography by Paul Green

If you are thinking of a good plan to ride your bicycle or if you are just using it normally and you want to measure all its physical benefits, it will be very useful for you take one of these two applications in your mobile phone.

Strava

This application will save all your records of time and distance. You will control the frequency of your sport practice and this will make it more difficult for you to distract yourself. You can mark all the routes that you will do and share them later; or the other way around, you can consult the routes done by the other users. In addition, you can access the Challenges section, a good way to surpass yourself. And the most interesting thing, you can follow and be followed, so you will always be connected with your friends, be able to follow their improvements and, at times, provoke them.

Endomondo

In the same line, we have this other (one) application. This is perfect if you like to practice more than one sport. It is very easy to use, you only need to choose your sport and push the play, the pause or the stop whenever you are practicing it. You will be able to see your route on a map and measure the time, the distance, the calories and the heart rate. You can mark your challenges, join a shared challenges with your friends or with the rest of the community. In addition, you can combine this application with “Try MyFitnessPal”, another application about nutrition.

So, now you don’t have any excuses, ask your friends about which application they are already using and go to pedal your bicycle!

Returning to a healthy life through our bicycle after a Christmas’ overindulge.

Photography by Alejandro Lopez

Photography by Alejandro Lopez

Surely more than one of us cannot look at a nougat candy or other typical delicatessen, because during Christmas the food excesses are something normal and widely extended. Here you have some tips for returning to a healthy life, of course, riding our bicycle.

With the holidays at their end, it could result difficult for us to find time to take us care of ourselves. But, if we take advantage of our daily journeys, we can benefit ourselves with the bicycle exercise. You can try starting with short distances, otherwise, on the second day you will be totally exhausted. Mark yourself a realistic training and increase it as you go.

You will see that, little by little, you will gain resistance, something very important for the bicycle, because it is an aerobic exercise, which uses the subcutaneous fat from the muscles as fuel. This exercise will help you to recover your health and improve your cholesterol levels, your breathing (something that you will adapt as you train) and your blood circulation.

Combine it with a healthy diet

The Christmas food is not characterized for being light, for this reason it is important to return to our daily food habits, with less fat and grilled or cooked in the oven, without sauces, but with a lot of love.

Some of the intentions which cannot lack in your 2016 New Year list

new-year-s-eve-ceremony-champagne-sparkling-wineIn a few days we will start the new year and, as usually happens, we cannot avoid looking back, reviewing everything that we have achieved this year and prepare a new list of intentions for this next year.

Surely all of the intentions that you have thought of are good and laudable, but, please, ask yourself these three questions:

  1. Are these intentions specific enough? Setting up great goals without some specific steps which we need to achieve in order to arrive at the finish line is a typical error which distances us from our objective.
  2. (¿)Have you deadline dates? Using a deadline date in each one of the steps is also a key tool.
  3. Are these intentions realistic? No one knows us better than we ourselves, so, on the base of this, review your intentions again and convert them into something realistic.

Based on our principles, we want to suggest three intentions to everyone, which cannot be lacking in any list:

  1. Go to work by bicycle… You have a lot of tips about how and why you can do this in our blog. Following the previous questions, you can start achieving some steps, such as: the first weeks I will go by bicycle one day, the next ones two days and, in this manner, increase the number progressively. It’s important for you to mark you the dates of the advances on a calendar so that you can see the quick progress.
  2. During the next holidays put the tips about ecotourism into practice: look for new activities which you haven’t experienced yet, in some place of the world that you don’t know and share them with the people of the place.
  3. Get to know more about your city: How many corners of your city don’t you know? Start with local tourism which brings you closer to your roots. It’s cheap, easy and gratifying.

With these three intentions, which each one has to adapt it to his expectations, we will achieve a lot of other intentions that appear on our list: more exercise, more savings, reducing the pollution, reducing the consumption…

And if you have achieved some of them already, plan on a way to improve them and share them with us 😉 We are in contact through the social networks.

Some suggestions so as not to get so fed up with Christmas

Photo by Nikola Jelenkovic

Photo by Nikola Jelenkovic

After weeks of suffering talking about how close the Christmas days are, with the advertisement, with all the nougat candy which won’t arrive on the night of the 24thnight, with the indiscriminate present shopping, with the surprising number of invisible Santas that we have…finally we definitively arrive at the point of being two weeks away from the Christmas festivity with a significant overindulge.

In order to avoid this overindulge, from BornBike, we want to present you with some different suggestions for enjoying this Christmas. And, with this winter of short sleeves in Barcelona, all the suggestions will be related to the outdoors.

Take a walk through the activities of the city

As we have explained during the last weeks, this year Barcelona is betting on a series of supportive and fair trade activities, which look for an alternative Christmas. If you are looking for getting away from consumption these days, you can enjoy the fairs, activities and performances distributed throughout all the districts of the city. This week: International Chess Tourney in Horta-Guinardó, a photographic and interactive Manger in Sant Andreu Nord, dynamic and educational activities at different schools of the city as of the 24th and the Christmas Fairground at the Joanic Square, in addition to all the performances and activities which are being carried out at the different fairs of the districts.

Ride your bicycle through the gardens and parks

Take the bike and take a ride that, apart from avoiding the boring Christmas films of all the afternoons, will help you to digest the big meals and to enjoy the fresh air. In addition, in a lot of parks you will also find fairs and activities. Even though, if you are trying to avoid that, you can always go to enjoy the roads of Collserola. We have told you about them many times.

Get down to the beach with your bicycle

Inaugurating winter, what is more original than riding your bike around the beach? Furthermore, this year’s temperatures and physical exercise will allow us to almost wear short sleeves. Of course, this is a great way to escape from Christmas, if this is what we really need.

So, there are no excuses! So, whether or not the Christmas spirit is accompanying you, don’t stay at home and take advantage of these holidays days!

A different Christmas in Barcelona

As we have announced last week, we will inform you about the different activities which will be carried out in the city during the next Christmas’ weeks. This week it’s the turn for the Fira de Consum Responsable (Responsible Consumption Fair) at Catalunya Square.I Fira de Consum Responsable Nadal Barcelona

This year, the center of the city has become a place of reflection and change, but, of course, enjoying games, activities and performances related to Christmas to the maximum.

The Responsible Consumption Fair, which will start this Saturday, 19th of December, and which will be prolonged to the next 4th of January, is the best example. With the objective of making public a lot of companies and associations which work within a supportive and social economy, everyone who gets there will be invited to participate in their activities (in the mornings and in the afternoons) and to buy a Christmas present, because, which is a better present than the one that collaborates with a fairer society?

Again, we want to remind you, that from BornBike we want to strengthen this kind of local market and work in favor of citizens and visitors living together and getting acquainted at places like that, promoting, at the same time, a kind of ecotourism which favors everyone.

We are convinced that we will take our bike and we will go and see what is going on at the Catalunya Square. Will you come with us?

With Christmas days so close, Barcelona bets on supportive and responsible consumption activities

Let’s have a look at the coming activities to be celebrated in the centre of the city, such as the Altaveu per a la Cohesió Social (the Loudspeaker for the Social Cohesion) at the underground lobby at the Universitat Square.

Photography by Kate Zaidova

Photography by Kate Zaidova

If, during these last years, Christmas has been the reflection of a society who lives a model of consumption and excess, this year it seems that Barcelona wants to make the population aware of the necessity of a more supportive and sustainable model through the activities organized during this festivity.

As bicycle lovers, because of this being an example of sustainability, ecotourism and effort and self-improvement capacity, we want to do our bit to help this initiative add efforts to promote this kind of activities and talking about them these next weeks.

So we will start emphasizing that this Friday, 11th of December, La Fàbrica del Sol and Eduxarxa has organized a number of activities at the lobby of the Universitat Square underground, all of them aimed at promoting the good neighbourliness, under the name of the Altaveu per a la Cohesió Social (the Loudspeaker for the Social Cohesion).

If you are from Barcelona, you should take your bicycle and go there to participate in the great Scrabble with supportive words and enjoy the Planet Impro performance. And if you are not from Barcelona, but you are around here these days, also come by bicycle to get some ideas for your city.

Let’s all together achieve a more supportive and sustainable Christmas.

December, a great month to visit Barcelona by bicycle

The weather, the city’s activities and, of course, the holiday and relaxed days are the best ingredients for going through the city by bicycle.

Photography by Maria Rosa Ferre

Photography by Maria Rosa Ferre

One might think that during the winter the best choice is the sofa with a blanket and a film, but we have a better recipe to fight against cold and boredom, taking advantage of Barcelona and getting to know it to the maximum.

The cold can be a great ally (or the cold air, because in Barcelona, being a Mediterranean city, the coldest temperatures during December vary with the maximum around 5/6º C); we will start pedalling with a coat, a scarf and a cap and in a few minutes, we will have enough with wearing a sweater or a jumper. We will be more than warm.

With the long weekend of the Constitución festivity and Christmas’ holidays so close, the city, usually full of activities, extends its number of proposals with new expositions, stage plays, street markets, etc. Wherever you go on your bicycle, you will find one or another activity adapted to your tastes.

In conclusion, if you are living in Barcelona or you have the opportunity of visiting it, you already know which is the best form of arriving everywhere, enjoying the city to the maximum.

 

If we were already enjoying Barcelona, we will do it even more in 2018 with the 308km of finished bike lanes

Photograpy by Jennifer Boyle

November 24th, 2015

Last Friday, the 20th of October the City Hall of Barcelona announced this extension of the bike lane which will make us more unstoppable.

The City Hall of Barcelona has marked a great challenge: in less than two years we will enjoy a bike lane extension of 308km, so that 90% of the citizens of Barcelona have a lane at a maximum of 300 metres from their homes.

Its action plan includes a budget of 32 million of euros and an extension of the lane in streets as necessary as: Casanova, Pau Claris and the following street Via Laietana, Travessera de Gràcia, Sant Antoni Maria Claret, Cartagena, Ronda de Ciutat Vella and an extension of Marina Street. And in order to get us closer to the most peripheral zones they will make another lane at the Maragall Promenade and in the Zona Franca.

We cannot forget the 23% increase of parking lots in the city, which will make us feel relaxed when we leave the bike with its lock during the time we need.

The final goal of the City Hall, as they have expressed, is no other one than the citizens’ health improvement through the environmental improvement, a goal with which we so much agree; and a project that we will observe closely in order to inform you.

The bicycle’s importance to improve mobility of the cities in the ‘Smart City Expo’ of Barcelona

This week the Smart City Expo in Barcelona is taking place, in which, among many other things, the importance of reducing city traffic jams are being talked about. Which is our favourite proposal? The use of the bicycle, of course.

1200px-Barcelona_skyline

Photography by Frank Müller

During the last years, the interest in improving circulation in cities, the pollution and the level of life in general through the bicycle has stopped being only an interest of the society. City Halls and important firms at a technological level, for different reasons, are seeing an opportunity in this simple transport. This is shown by the Smart City Expo that is being celebrated in Barcelona these days, where they are presenting a great number of projects to improve the city and make it “smarter”, more efficient and for the service of society who lives there or who is passing through.

In addition to different projects focusing on making the public bicycle services more accessible, the mobile applications also stand out: “I think that the best invention for smart cities is the mobile phone” has affirmed the Smart City Expo World Congress director, Ugo Valentí. Because of the different and infinite applications, especially dedicated to routes, which we can access from our mobile phones and which are totally free.

It seems that we will continuously have fewer excuses to leave our bicycle at home; so, if you haven’t done it yet, start to pedal towards the city’s future.

The 200km of bike lanes in Barcelona

Related to last week’s mail and in order to complete our safety guide a bit more, here you have a map and some tips to circulate through the bike lanes in Barcelona. carril-bici-bcn

It continuously results easier and safer getting through Barcelona on bicycle; this fact is thanks to the 200km of bike lanes in a lot of streets of the city which connect us with almost every district (it would only be necessary to have an extension through the peripheral zones).

At first, if we don’t know all the streets exactly, Barcelona on a bicycle might seem quite big. For this reason we can access to this City Hall updated map of the different bike lanes.

mapa-aj-barcelona-carril-bici

click on the image to access to the map

 

google-maps-carril-bici-barcelonaAlthough, if we have problems for getting orientated, and we want to consult if we are on the right way while we are circulating, we will be able to do that through our Smartphone thanks to the Google Maps application, which, among its different options, allows us to highlight the different bike lanes of Barcelona on our map.

In order to circulate in the bike lane, in addition to wearing the necessary bike equipment and always respecting all the sign posts, it is also important to follow these basic tips:

  • Signal your next manoeuvre with your arms for the benefit of the rest of the cyclists.
  • You should circulate in the right direction: not every lane is two directions; pay attention to the direction of the road marks; it’s possible that you sometimes need to cross to the other side of the street.
  • And, specially, keep calm with some pedestrians; warn them kindly if they are walking in our lane. They are almost never conscious about this error. Remember that at the crossings they have priority.

To get to know more details, consult Article 14 of Pedestrian and Vehicle Circulation of Barcelona.

Remember that our security is the most important factor for arriving at our destination!

Tips to enjoy rainy days with our bicycle summed up in 3 essential points

bicycle rainWith the arrival of autumn the rain increases, but this should not be an excuse to abandon our bicycle at home. Here you have some safety tips to avoid accidents and also enjoy the rain:

1. Appropriate equipment:

Starting with your clothes, always have a thick raincoat on hand; if you have a backpack, the raincoat should be wide enough to cover it (there are also trousers which you can wear over the ones you are wearing at the moment), It’s important to always keep dry in order not to arrive at your destiny with a cold.

Your feet are important too. Be sure that your footwear resists rain without problems!

In addition to raincoats, your clothes should be visible. Remember that inside a car the vision can sometimes be difficult. Try to maintain your bicycle lights in good condition, even though it is daytime and you have a good visibility, this helps others to see you. Equip your bicycle with a front mudguard to improve your visibility and a back mudguard so that, for example, you don’t arrive at work with your back full of mud.

2. Get your bicycle ready:

You can help to improve adhesion on the road by reducing the tire pressure (a little bit! If not, you will be in danger of getting a flat tire) and check that the treads of your tires are well marked. Maintain the chain clean and lubricated and check if your brakes respond quickly.

3. Reinforce your concentration on the road:

Emphasize the attention referring to the habitual precautions: brake before a curve and take it slowly. Keep a safety distance with regard to the other vehicles.

In addition to these, you have to take other new precautions: avoid puddles and the road edges (there is usually lot of water there); keep an eye on the marks painted on the road, especially pedestrian crossings, and multicolour marks on the road (they appear with rain), they are car oil and they make us skid easily.

It is always is better to avoid the hours with worse visibility, such as when the sun rises, at sunset or at night.

If you follow these tips, you will be able to enjoy your route and arrive at your destination dry and warm.

Experience the ‘Castanyada’ festivity in Barcelona

Although during these dates the celebration of Halloween is well known, in Barcelona and in part of Spain, we have our own tradition to celebrate the millenary festivity of All Saints’ Day: the Castanyada.

Within our local tourism, you cannot miss the opportunity of celebrating such emblematic festivity, which, as well as popular culture and history, includes a very important element: gastronomy.

Font_Pla_Boqueria_castanyera_Enric_Enfo

‘Castanyera’ stand in front of the Pla de la Boqueria fountain, at Rambla de Barcelona. Photography by Enric ‘Enfo’.

In addition to the Castanyera stands which we can find in some streets, and where we can buy chestnuts (in Catalan castanyes) wrapped with a newspaper sheet, recently taken from the fire and still steaming, we can also find, in most of the store windows, the so called panellets (a very little cake with different tastes made of sugar, egg, hazelnut and potato or sweet potato). Both treats can be accompanied by candied fruit, roasted sweet potato and only for the adults, always with moderation and if we don’t need to get around, a little glass of muscatel.

The history of this tradition is a bit unsure, but the popularity of these delicious types of food assures its future.

With all the energy that this food will provide you, the best you can do is take your bicycle and visit some of the activities which will be celebrated around the city during this week. Activities intended, especially, for the children and the family.

An infinity of opportunities for taking advantage of Barcelona

Montjuïc Tour - cuidadAs we have described many other times, Barcelona is a city full of opportunities for anyone who wants to get to know new places, and don’t mind the origin and tastes. Here you have some of these opportunities:

For adventurers:

From the sea to the mountain, through the beach of the Barceloneta, the Ciutadella Park, Montjuïc, and stopping at the Laribal Gardens, going down and then up again to the Horta Labyrinth and the Park Güell, in order to go to look for peace and tranquillity in the great Natural Park of Collserola. Although we can find innumerable buildings in Barcelona, it has achieved to conserve these places of gardens and green zones.

For shoppers:

The Boqueria, Sant Antoni Market, Santa Catarina, Concepció, Ninot, Barceloneta, Lliberat, Sants, Galvany, the Encants, or many other ones! We will find all kind of local products and, we will also get to know the architectonic works which constituted many of them.

For the cookers lovers:

Barcelona provides the most authentic tastes of the sea and the mountain in the most typical appetizers. At the port zone we have the freshest shellfish and fish, and as we enter the city, we can find the most traditional tidbits of meat and cold meat.

For people who prefer the architectonic jewels:

From Gothic to Modernism, two historic eras which have left a trace in a lot of the Barcelona buildings, even though the great edifications are not the only testimonies. Taking a walk through the streets of Barcelona, especially through the Ciutat Vella district, we can find a lot of unknown corners which bring us closer to the previous life of the city.

For the sporty people:

Any one of the former tours can be combined with the bicycle. If we want to arrive at all the destinations, it will be the best means of transport to arrive quickly and without missing a detail.

If you have a bad atmosphere at work…Go for a stroll on your bicycle!

Sometimes the routine stress of work can get us to pay our bad ways against the people nearest us: our workmates, although they don’t deserve it.

Surely, most of us have spent a period of time being a bit more stressed than usually at work, and it could be because of a project that failed, or because of a personal situation, or, simply, because we don’t feel as motivated by our job as at the beginning. When this happens, very often, the relationship with workmates can make us tense, and we get to separate from them, when the best would actually be to keep united.

born bike tours - Barcelona - CiutadellaSo, why not try to return to the starting point with other kind of activities? Start again getting to know your mates, away from the work environment, finding out about their personal life and/or personal motivations. All these actions can help to recover the mutual confidence and that’s always useful in our daily life.

Searching for activities during the weekend, which don’t mean a long trip and which are easy to organize, could be so effective in order to improve our relationship, especially if our activities are planned for a group and in a natural environment, the opposite of the condition in the office.

For us, nothing better than to go for a stroll through the streets of Barcelona by bicycle to clear up our ideas, feeling free of complications and starting again with our friendships.

The keys of the ecotourism

Although we have the sensation that an eternity has passed since we were on holidays, surely it has been only a month and a few days, enough time to get away from our experiences and analyze our trip in a critical way.

by Diogo Tavares

by Diogo Tavares

For this analysis, the definition and the seven principles on which The International Ecotourism Society bases itself can be a help for us. So the Ecotourism is not any other thing than: “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education”. In order to achieve this we have to:

1. Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts:

Obviously, at this point we cannot stop insisting on the kind of means of transport that we use. We, of course, prefer the quick, efficient and non-contamination bicycle, always knowing and respecting the each city‘s regulations.

2. Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect:

And an interesting way to do that is moving around the city to the maximum in order to get to know its history, its art and it culture, in addition to its surroundings, especially if they are a source of nature and always leaving a minimum physical trace of our visit.

3. Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts:

Knowing local people and sharing experiences with them will always make our trip so much richer. In order to do that, it is usually enough to be respectful and friendly.

4. Provide direct financial benefits for conservation:

Collaborating, as well as possible, with these places which we love to visit.

5. Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry:

To go and use local shops and services will get us closer to the people of the place and to the way that they live together. So, why do we have to go to the same shops, which, surely, are also in our city?

6. Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climates:

The present context will indicate so much about the place and the people that we are getting to know.

7. Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities:

Something so basic that we surely will always intend to comply with it in our daily life.

8. Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment:

Something so basic that we surely will always intend to comply with it in our daily life.

So, now we have to ask ourselves: At how many points we have implemented these on the last holidays? And, in this way, trying to improve in each one, our next holidays will be have 10 points!

 

Haven’t you gone through the 64th Barcelona Fair of the Second Hand, Antique and Modern Book yet? It’s the last days!

From the first day of the Mercè, the beginning of Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona harbors little stands filled with books, where, surely, we can find our favorite one.

64-fira-llibre-ocasio-antic-modern-barcelonaBetween big clothes shops and some elegant bars, at one of the most crowded streets of the city, we can find these stands full of countless literary works, resulting inevitable that one stops to take a look. And, away from any conventionality, we can find the strangest works, even unlisted ones. Who can resist looking for a hidden treasure?

There are books for all tastes and ages, from the most extensive and pretentious books to the easiest ones and full of illustrations.

Furthermore, this year the issue of the exposition is Circus and Magic, and one can find books, posters, postcards, among other works of art, which deal with this issue.

The opening hours are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., opening one hour later on Sundays and holidays (from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.).

If you haven’t gone to this corner of the city yet, take your bicycle quickly because this very Sunday the stands are going to be taken down.

Evolving on wheels

Pedalling daily can be a hard work, especially when the problems arise going upwards and the weight pushes us back. But going on wheels, the effort is compensated and finally we always have a good idea about how to distribute the weight in a more comfortable way.

Wheel changed the Human history more than 7,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, some millenniums after this evolution was applied to transport and mobility. And, although there are some precedents in Egypt, China or coming from the very Leonardo Da Vinci, it is said that, the French Count Mede de Sivrac took a rapid jump in history to the celerifere in Paris in 1791. Since then a diversity of innovations have taken us, step by step, to the modern bicycle the way we know it today.

And this very simple means of transport is an innovation source which improves every day in order to make our trips more comfortable and swift.

As the proverb says: Mens sana in corpore sano (healthy mind in a healthy body). In order for our mind to continue working on the evolution it is important to keep ourselves fit. The exercise promotes the neurogenesis which improves our capacity to learn and can so carry our ideas much further on.

Don’t put handicaps on your ideas and pedal stronger and further away every day. And if you are not convinced about this tip, take a look at this funny video, directed by Silvio Helbig and produced by The Shooting Gallery S.A.:

Are you ready for the great Mercè fiesta?

You will have to pedal strongly if you don’t want to miss any one of the activities carried out along the city.

If you are thinking about getting closer to the history and culture of Barcelona pedalling, this Friday, the 18th of September is your great opportunity to get to know the city through one of its best popular festivities: La Mercè.

Before 9 p.m. go to Plaça Sant Jaume and get a good place for observing, because you cannot miss the beginning of the festivity. After the “Pregón” (a kind of presentation inviting everybody to the fiesta), Sardanes (a typical Catalan dance), the giants and a lot of other activities will start so that all the family can enjoy this fantastic tradition.

During the week the concerts, dances, performances with fire and light, acrobatics… will not cease. All this combination is a sample of the Catalonian community culture of the city, the best way to integrate yourself and get to know about tradition by yourself. Although we will also find other cultural performances, these will be related to Argentina, because this year Buenos Aires will be the guest city.

¿And why do you have to go by bicycle? The activities will take place in different streets and parks of the city. If you want to attend a lot of them, you will need a quick means of transport and, especially in this case, quick signifies the means of transport which could avoid traffic jams, cut off streets and lack of parking spaces.

And if one day isn’t enough time to see all this things, keep calm, the fiesta won’t stop until the 24th at 10 p.m., with the “Piromusical” (a performance with fireworks and music) in the Avenue of Reina Maria Cristina.

New challenges to improve your health and get yourself fit pedalling this September

Surely on the return of this holiday you are more motivated and you want to get fit again, and if you aren’t, you are still on time. See how:

Last week we reminded you that weekends are perfect for carrying out different activities in nearby places, taking advantage of the bicycle flexibility and that it can result inexpensive. This is a good way to do exercise and there are a lot of other ones at different moments of the day without costing neither money nor time. Our favourite one: going through the city on bicycle, especially if you live in a city such as Barcelona.

Benefits:

Pedal one hour every day. And don’t think that one hour is too much! Only with the daily journeys we are sure that you will not have any problems to achieve that. Think about the time that you spend in the car or on the motorbike going to work, picking up your children, going to meet your friends… Pedalling you will contribute to improving your cardiovascular system; to strengthening your muscles, including the muscles of your back, which, surely, this first week of work, are crying out for this; and to achieve a general well-being, in the sense that the physical exercise means that our body secretes hormones, endorphins and serotonins, which surely help us fight against the post-vacation depression.

How to achieve that:

Fotografia de David Marcu - Fuente: Unsplash

Fotography by David Marcu – Unsplash

It’s possible that the first days you will have problems with starting. Because of that we advise you to call some friend who practices this exercise regularly or who is as motivated as you to start with this. You can meet at some place on the way to work and encourage each other.

Calculate the right time of the route to your work. Try not to pedal by racing on your first day and arrive slovenly. And keep calm. This time will reduce once you get used to going by bicycle and controlling the route in a more efficient way. Take a replacement t-shirt with you. It doesn’t take up too much space and until the winter arrives  you will be grateful.

With a little bit of will power in a few days you will see the benefits for yourself.

New plans for September, nearer and, of course, on bicycle

Although so many people have finished holidays at the end of August, this doesn’t mean that they can only go into reclusion at their homes. They can also look for activities for weekends in September and get to know better nearby zones where we live.

September is also a great month for continuing with family activities. The weather is good, there are not too many agglomerations and we have weekends to fill with activities.

Probably a lot of you will be in a saving mode after paying planes, food, hotels, etc., so in order to recover a little, the best we can do is to keep close to home at a place where we can arrive without doing a lot of kilometres by car or where we can go by public transport.

And, we are sure that after going through the most exotic places, for example, of our city, Barcelona, you’ll be surprised about a lot of details of its history, architecture or gastronomy.

So, upon returning from your holidays, don’t stay at home look for new corners to discover and get around on bicycle, the best therapy for post-holiday depression, for your pocket and to get fit again after this well-deserved month of relaxation.

Convert yourself into one more citizen of Barcelona pedalling the bicycle

Getting closer to people of a city in a cultural, historic and social way is what will transform our journey into a unique trip. How should we do this? Get carried along the streets by someone who really knows them!

When we travel to new places, apart from breaking the routine, usually, we look for getting to know the city in detail. We look for all the information through guides and internet and, we leave with thousands of routes in our head to experience and to pass through. But all architectonic works, museums and corners of the city lack sense if we don’t know their history fully and, finally, we just forget them or we mix them up with memories of other trips.

In order to avoid this, the best choice is to look for a trip mate who knows all the details of the history, because he or she has lived with them all his/her life.

By travelling with local people, we will have a great opportunity to live a new experience, much richer and more authentic than all the notes that we could compile before and during the trip.

This, together with the opportunity of going through the streets on a bicycle, a vehicle which allows us to move through all the streets easily, much quicker than walking and appreciating more details than going by car, will be the perfect combination for assuring us that we are using our trip up to the limit.

Vila de Gràcia of Barcelona has dressed up for the fiesta one more year

pl-vila-festes-de-gràciaTake your bicycle and go to this very special sector of Barcelona. You will experience a different Festa Major from any other one.

And after months of preparations this weekend the Festa Major de Gràcia has started. To everyone who doesn’t know about this fiesta yet, this is an event characterized by the fact that its neighbours transform their streets into real works of art.

There are 18 streets exposed to everyone who goes there, with very different themes: from circus, to theme parks, airports, Japan, revolutions, animals, vegetation… the imagination of the neighbours is endless.

You can arrive, go through the different streets and decide which of them is your favourite one, although this year they have already proclaimed the winner, the Verdi Street.

Streets are cut off everywhere and the parking places (including the paying ones) are usually full all the time, so the best choice is to take the bike, park it close to the sector, and go around it walking. In some of these decorated streets there is a controlled access: 30 people every 3 minutes, a control to avoid an agglomeration.

If you are in Barcelona you should enjoy these streets, exhibitions, activities, expositions and at night you cannot miss the concerts of this very special fiesta.

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On bicycle through the Parc de la Ciutadella of Barcelona

One of our favourites places where we will find all the facilities for circulating on bicycle.

Parlament-de-CatalunyaTwo weeks ago we promised you an article dedicate to the amazing Parc de la Ciutadella of Barcelona, and BornBike keeps its promises. Although we have talked about this and other parks of the city, we want to dedicate a special mail, because Parc de la Ciutadella is one of the perfect places to visit, to enjoy, to rest and especially to circulate on our bicycle.

Its very situation makes it special, because it take up all the central space of the triangle made up by the Estació de França (a train station), the Arc de Triomf (a monument) and the Olympic Port, places that you cannot stop to visit if you are in this zone.

Even though over the years of its history it had a dark age, due to the fact that in the 18th century it was the Fortress of the Ciutadella which was built by Felip V in order to dominate the city after the War of Succession, on the occasion of the Universal Exposition in 1888 it was rebuilt by the architect Josep Fontserè i Mestre. The result was this great park visited by millions of people every year.

It’s important get to know this and a lot of other details about its history because when we ride the bike through its sinuous earthen pathways, we will find pieces as unique as: the Monumental Waterfall; the Music Kiosk; the Mammoth; the Lake (where we can take a small boat); the Ciutadella Church; the General Prim Statue; the Lath House and the Greenhouse; the Lady with the Umbrella;  the Martorell Museum of Geology;  the Castle of the Three Dragons; or also the very Parliament of Catalonia, with the Desconsol (Distress) Statue just in front of that. If we don’t know its history we cannot enjoy these jewels which make this park unique enough.

So, save a morning of your stay in Barcelona and start riding through the paths of Ciutadella, stopping at every one of the marked places and having had a ride around all the  park, look for a calm hideout at the picnic zone to rest and eat some appetizers. Without any doubt, it will be one of the best mornings that you can enjoy in Barcelona and in the evening, when the temperature becomes more pleasant, you can go to refresh yourself at the beach. It is so close, and even more so on bike.

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From Gothic to Modernism, all the faces of the historic Barcelona in a tour

Which could be a better way to discover the history of Barcelona than through its art and its architecture?

Basílica Santa Maria del Mar fotography, by Paul M.R. Maeyaert

Basílica Santa Maria del Mar fotography, by Paul M.R. Maeyaert

Barcino was the first name of this city in its founding during the Roman Age. In the medieval period, it became an important capital and some of the Romanesque works were reconstructed to give way to the Gothic ones. Nowadays you can get to discover a lot of these creations, such as the Born Market or the church of Santa Maria del Mar, by taking a ride through the streets of the city.

But the centuries of Barcelona history bring us many more works of art, such as the modernist ones, which were born from one of the most important artistic movements in the capital and in Catalonia. In this city we will find, in a perfect state, works such as the Palau de la Música, The Pedrera, the Casa Batlló or, popularly known for its continuous construction, the Sagrada Família.

We can get to know almost the whole of these architectonic works during a morning on bike. The narrow streets of the Born sector, one of the most important parts of the district of Ciutat Vella, are full of secrets which you have to discover if you want to get to know this Gothic part of the city. In the sector of the Eixample, a really important commercial centre, we will experience the change with great wide streets where we will find the famous modernist works.

Take advantage of your trip and experience the history of Barcelona closer by pedalling through its streets.

Discover the coast of Barcelona in a different way, a new plan for this summer

To plant yourself under the sun of the beach in the Barceloneta all day is not the only way to enjoy the coast of Barcelona. Discover that by taking a ride by bicycle.

If the last week we proposed a tour around the mountain of Montjuïc, this week we suggest for you to also discover the history and the evolution of the beaches in Barcelona, especially the Barceloneta.

We will start at the Port Vell (Old Port), one of the oldest parts of Barcelona. It has gone through more than four centuries of transformations: from being one of the first stable docks of the city to becoming an important commercial and touristic zone.

Following the sea line, we will go through the sector of the Barceloneta to arrive at the Port Olímpic, built for the 1992 Olympic Games, a key event in the Barcelona transformation. And in this line of transformations, we will arrive at the Universal Forum of Cultures, another great place of modern architecture of the city.

bornbike ciutadellaUpon returning, in order to not repeat, the best place to get to know on bicycle and stop to rest is the Parc de la Ciutadella with perfect earthen pathways for circulating and green spaces for lying down and enjoying the shade. In addition, you will find great jewels (although this will be the content of another mail, so we will do it in the future…).

Enjoy this tour through the coast of Barcelona which is full of activity during day and night. From now until the 16th of August, on Thursdays and Sundays at 9 p.m., there are also free projections of films and short films at the San Sebastian Beach of Barcelona!

From the sea to the mountain during a morning of a cultural and historic tour through Barcelona on bicycle

Barcelona is not only a port city with lively beaches; it also stands out thanks to its green places, especially Montjuïc, a magic mountain, which we can reach by pedalling from the sea and where we will find the best combination of nature and culture.

tour-bornbike-MontjuïcFrom this elevated place we will have the best view of Barcelona, but before, we will enjoy an amazing tour, because in BornBike we think that without the previous experience the end is not so worthwhile.

In order to arrive at the top from the port, the best choice is to start at the Statue of Colón, although instead of following its indication, we will go up through the Paral·lel Avenue, a homage to the scenic arts in the city.

At Plaça Espanya, we will continue going up through the Maria Cristina Avenue, a street that, without any doubt, you should not miss if you want to get to know the history of the great events in Barcelona. We will see the National Palace, the Magic Fountain lit up in the evening and the Poble Espanyol in first person. All of them are the results of the International Exposition in 1929.

Once we have arrived at the top, we cannot forget the Sant Jordi Palace and the Olympic Stadium: both were protagonist of the 1992 Olympic Games.

And then yes, we can observe Barcelona at the Mirador (Lookout) de Miramar, because then we are going to do that with a richer and more experienced vision.tour-bornbike-Montjuïc-vistas

Experience Barcelona through a gastronomic tour

One of the best ways to learn about the culture of a place is tasting its more traditional products.

Taking a walk through city streets, we can learn about its history, its art and its architecture; we can observe some details of the daily life of the people who live in the place; and we can take nice mementos in the form of a photographic postcard, but if we really want to enjoy the city exploring it, it is basic to enjoy its gastronomy.

There are dishes which cannot taste the same in any other parts of the world. Barcelona is characterized (in addition to many other things) by its port zone, so it’s basic to save some time for sitting on one of its terraces to taste its fresh fish and shellfish appetizers.

Although, as a big city of the Mediterranean, the traditional and the new tastes are combined in appetizers and tidbits elaborated in bars and restaurants. We will find them as we pass through the streets of Ciutat Vella. There we can taste food from the most traditional Catalan cuisine tidbits, to the most experimental fusions.

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Without these appetizers, the experience in Barcelona would be incomplete. So, now that you know this, take the bicycle, go around the city pedalling in order to stimulate your appetite and go to taste part of the culture!

Take the bicycle and go around the markets of Barcelona, there are a lot of choices!

We propose up to 14 markets to pass through, where you will find all kinds of typical and non-typical products from Barcelona, all of them better than the habitual July sales.

Barcelona_Mercat_Boqueria

Mercat de la Boqueria de Alain Rouiller

Markets have always been very important meeting places for the cities. There you can (would) find all kinds of curiosities and products of the gastronomic base of the zone. Barcelona is not only full of a great variety of markets; in addition, the majority of them are architectonic pieces which uncover part of the city history. So…¿Which would be a better way to shopping than visiting some of these emblematic markets of the city?

If you really want to shop and taste some of the most delicious products of Barcelona, it is almost obligatory take a walk through one of the most famous markets: the Boqueria Market; although if it is far away from you or not within your tour, there are five more markets where you can find the best typical products: the Sant Antoni Market, the Santa Caterina Market (we will be impressed by its colourful roof), the Concepció Market, the Ninot Market or the Barceloneta Market.

If, apart from the products, we are interested in modernist art from Barcelona, we can’t fail to go to the Llibertat Market, the Sants Market, the Galvany Market or the Sarrià Market.

¿And what if we are full and we want to look for clothes or other curiosities? The Encants Market of Glories is the best place to lose ourselves among clothes, handmade products, new and old objects… although if you prefer a place which is specialized in culture, the Sant Antoni Dominical Market is your place. And following the Barcelona traditions, you couldn’t miss the Flors Market in the Rambla.

Besides these permanent markets, in Barcelona the tradition of second hand street markets has also increased. One of the most famous ones is Lost&Found. The next upcoming date is on the 20th of September at the Plaça del Mar (Barceloneta).

Don’t forget your bicycle! With it you can plan a one day tour through the different markets, which we have proposed you, and in addition you can load all the things you have bought in a better way.

Continue pedalling the bicycle, also during the summer

In January the Department of Territories of the Generalitat de Catalunya made the information of the Barómetro de la Bicicleta (Bicycle Barometer) public, showing that 450.000 of the people in Catalonia daily move around with their bicycles, number which has maintained itself stable since 2011 and which has doubled itself compared to 2006.

450.000 of the people in Catalonia love pedalling to their job every day, a number which has maintained itself in the majority of the cities and which has increased 11.5% in Barcelona. With our strong legs, knowing the pleasure of moving around by this means of transport to our destination and being aware of the personal satisfaction which the fact of pedalling the bike every day means, how could we stop doing this during the vacation?

Whoever rides the bicycle daily doesn’t do that only to go from one place to another. Besides being pleasurable, we also contribute to an improvement of our environment. Everything is advantages which we can continue enjoying during our vacation. We can discover new cities going through their streets faster than walking, saving time, but without missing little details, as would happen if we travelled by car or by public transport while we contribute to a responsible ecotourism which get us closer to the people who live in this city.

During the summer, don’t park your bicycle. With it you can enjoy yourself much more.

We welcome the summer with the Sant Joan Celebration in Barcelona

An itinerary through one of the most special celebrations in Barcelona so you don’t miss anything.

Today, 23rd of June, at 7 p.m. at the Plaça Sant Jaume we will be looking forward to the arrival of the “Flama del Canigó”, alongside the city authorities: the Eagle and the City Giants. We will accompany its arrival by singing at this symbolic part of the city. Once the celebration has started, we will be able to decide which place would be the best to continue celebrating the arrival of summer.

We can take a walk around the Passeig the Gràcia and the Plaça Catalunya fountains, where the City Hall has planned a special illumination for this night. We can walk around the streets of the different neighbourhoods where there are expected to be around 20 bonfires surrounded by the typical fiestas. Or we can go to the beach, a place where every year a great number of people congregate and where the night will stretch on until well into the day.

Whichever place you choose, you should taste the traditional Coca de Sant Joan, (a sort of flatbread with pork rind or Catalonia style). Without it, this celebration wouldn’t be the same.

bonfire-Joshua-Earle

The bicycle economy

¿What kind of relationship does the bicycle have with the economic and social crisis evolution of the last years?

The crisis in the west had a demolishing effect on the major part of the families who had reached the middle class. The dream of a lot of people vanished and became a nightmare of receipts, mortgages, unemployment and inequality. For a lot of people this situation was unsustainable; others continued with the fight. They had to juggle in order to make ends meet. Some of the others bought a bicycle, we left the car or the motorbike behind and we saved on the ticket increases of public transport. And, finally, we realized that… Hey! We had also saved on gym expenditures. And while we were pedalling little by little against the unemployment, the abusive contracts, the rents, the mortgages… we began to see that we were not alone.

Now, a lot of the others continue pedalling with the small sprocket and the large chainring, and ascending, but when some of our mates are faced with obstacles, we also pedal for them. And we realize that while we are pedalling we become stronger, much stronger than some people who continue driving their cars.

And don’t be overconfident, because in the end we will feel the fresh air while we are riding our bicycle and we will be pedalling stronger and happier.

2 simple tips for a safe circulation with the bicycle around Barcelona

If you like to move around Barcelona on bicycle like us, you need to keep 2 basic points in mind in order to avoid some risk situations.

1. Take care of the maintenance of your bicycle

The maintenance of your bicycle is very important for your security, especially if you have to pedal every day, and it’s more simple than the maintenance of a motorized vehicle, so you don’t have any excuse for not looking over your own bicycle. It’s important to maintain it clean and greased; in addition you need to check that the brakes work perfectly. The tires have to have clear treads. If they are worn they could lose the adhesion to the road and it might be dangerous, mostly when it rains.

These are some of the most important points to keep in mind. As time goes by you will learn more about your bicycle, even though at the beginning, if we have to assemble and disassemble anything it’s important to take note or make some photos of every step that we make. And if you don’t feel quite confident with your mechanical qualities, you should consult a professional.

2. Keep the ordinance in mind

You should take into account that the rules about circulating with a bicycle according to the city ordinances can vary depending on the city you’re in. This is very important if we don’t want to get a fine, but also to avoid dangers for us and for others (especially for the pedestrian). Something really basic about of Barcelona is that whenever possible, we always circulate in the bike lane. We can circulate on the sidewalk if we don’t have any bike lane near or if circulating on the road is dangerous. Nevertheless, it needs to be wider than 5 meters and not have too many pedestrians. If one of these two points are not present, it’s better to walk with the bicycle. We can also circulate on 30km/h roads. We will be able see that these are duly signalized, and it’s recommendable to circulate in the middle of the road so that we more visible for the motorized vehicles.

Even if the helmet, the bell and the lights are sometimes not obligatory elements, we will avoid risk situations if we use them.

If you follow these simple tips, you will avoid dangerous situations and you will continue enjoying your bicycle as always.

When the bicycle cannot transport us, but we have to transport our bicycle through Barcelona

There are some times that the terrain or the time that we spend in going from one point to another will impede us to travel comfortably on our bicycle. But there are some alternatives, like public transport, which will solve this problem, although we have to keep in mind when and how.

Even though we haven’t any doubt about the bicycle being the best means of transport, we have to accept the fact that some distances or terrains cannot be crossed with the same speed if we go pedalling. For this reason, we need to calculate the time well and have to know which kinds of alternatives are available for us.

In Barcelona, for, example, if we don’t want to give up the bicycle, because when we arrive at our destination it will be very useful, we can take the subway. Although we have to remember this: there are peak hours when we will not be allowed to board the subway with our bicycles: from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (these restrictions are not applied during July and August).

If you are interested in getting away from the capital city, we recommend you to take the train, Renfe, since some of the train cars have a place where we can leave our bicycles safely.

There are some other means of transport, like the bus, but in this case, if we haven’t a folding bicycle, we cannot use it (because of an obvious question of space, of course).

Anyway, even though it’s good to remember these other means of transport, we think that if you have the necessary time available, with the bicycle you will enjoy the route more and you will turn a simple trip into a nice journey.

You can change your routine and the routine of your city if you pedal your bicycle to your job

The daily use of the bicycle provides us with a great variety of advantages for ourselves and for our cities.

8 o’clock in the morning, you wake up, you dress, you have breakfast and… are you starting a new day? You take the car, you become stressed in the daily traffic jam; you look for  parking place for your car in the infinite parking lot of your work; you sit at the same table and there you waste the next 8 hours only to return to the parking lot; to the car; to your home.

Or…

You wake up, you dress, you have breakfast and… you take your bicycle; you enjoy the fresh air of the morning and the first sleepy faces; your muscles become more active in the same way that your mind does. And when you get to work you park just in the entrance. You sit in your chair at your desk, but this time you are ready for the next 8 hours.

We have created a system where it is continuously more difficult to enjoy physical exercise and where the sedentary lifestyle is becoming something alarming. For these reasons it’s very important take advantage of every opportunity to move around.

The bicycle, as well as being cheap, is one of the few vehicles whose speed depends on ourselves the major part of the time. Not even the traffic jams can hinder our route.

In addition, we will save to the city the high levels of pollution that it  usually  has, and we will be able to enjoy it without bad smells and without exhaust pipes.

Join everyone who is moving around by pedalling every day!

We are in the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame for the 5th consecutive year!

We are so grateful to our customers for the effort to grade us in this incredible net and for the fact that they love pedalling in the same way we do.

For the fifth consecutive year, TripAdvisor awarded us with this certificate of its Fame Salon, which we wouldn’t have achieved if our clients hadn’t taken the time to grade us positively in this website.

This is a present that we want to share with everybody and which we promise to maintain and, as always, enjoy doing our work while we guide you through Barcelona with our tours, riding the best vehicle: the bicycle.

 

You cannot miss these 4 incredible places… Enjoy the parks and gardens in Barcelona!

Take the bicycle and go around the spring-like green places before the mosquitoes attack you!

1. Parc de la Ciutadella

With a perfect access for bicycles, this is one of our favorite places, situated in the district of Ciutat Vella. This park has 17 hectares, which were declared a historic monument in 1951. This is because in the same park you can find buildings from the 19th century which are in perfect condition and statues as singular as the Mammoth that was made in real size.

You also have to take a walk around the gardens, through the earthen pathways. And what if we get tired of pedaling? We can row for a while in the lake of the park.

2. Laribal’s Gardens.

These gardens are situated in the district of Sants-Montjuic and we can get there on bicycle, but we’ll have to park it at the entrance.

This place rounds up all the peace that we sometimes cannot find in other parts of the big city. It is composed of a series of terraces that communicate through pathways and stairs, which will take us through the native and exotic vegetation and through a great diversity of ponds and waterfalls.

And finally, we will arrive at the famous Font del Gat, an incredible fountain situated at the exact point for observing the views of Barcelona.

3. Horta’s Labyrinth

But if you need a place for meditating, the best you can do is lose yourself in this labyrinth in the district of Horta-Guinardó. You will be helped by its wild plants, its fountains and its streams, which form the oldest park of the city 18th century. You will be able to sit beside mythological characters like Eros who, as a statue, will be waiting for you in the middle of the garden; or you will also be able to enter and inspire yourself in the pavilion dedicated to the muses. At the last stop, in contrast to all the life in these gardens, you will find a false cemetery, but keep calm, there are no more gravestones.

4. Collserola Natural Park

In order to get to this park you will have to pedal with all your strength until you arrive at the outskirts of the city. But once there, the whole nature, country houses, hermitages, fountains, swamps and streams will compensate your effort. And you can always rest or have a picnic while you observe all the little movements of Barcelona.

*And remember: please take care of the environment and ride the bicycle only within the indicated zones.

Enjoy these surroundings and get to love them like we have!