Cycling in Korea :: Essential touring, & where to ride?

Choose the roads where nobody goes. Off the beaten-path should be emphasized more on this blog. Even in a densely populated country (as this is) you can utilize the offroads (rice fields, can you see them from your window in Korea?) or any tributary (river walks) in Korea are usually bike accessible. For longer tours on the East or West coast, you will experience traffic along "route 1 -Western, route 7 -Eastern" however, there are numerous other secondary roads snaking North-South that most people just never explore. Along the East Coast, I have discovered route 456 (East-West) from Gangneung. From North to South (Gangneung to Taebaek (route 35) or Jeongseon-railbiking! and back to the East coast to either Samcheok or Donghae, it's epic cycling in the mountains and along the rivers through the coastal mountain  passes. Both route 35 and route 59 cut along rivers flowing between the coastal and Eastern (Pyeongchang-gun) ranges dividing the countries Gangwon-do Province to the East and Gyeonggi-do Province to the West (at Wonju). I hope to compile a comprehensive guide to the Best Tours in South Korea (while I am at it myself, and others here -please email your routes, I'll gladly share/post to other riders/readers in Cycling in Korea group on Facebook, or here in blog.

Be sure the crew is well hydrated, bring snacks too. As a group, we enjoy pasta prepared the same-day, grapes, apples, or raisins when seasonal fruit isn't available (or too expensive). Use reusable rubbermaid containers. While cycling solo, I usually pack an emergency 300g of sun-dried raisins, a few apples and at least 3L of water (1L per hour).

For starters, find the best location to meet up. I tend to text message a few riders and hope that one is available to ride. We meet in Gangneung at the Lotte Soju Factory (aka Barf Factory), they offer spring/distilled water to the public on tap.

Trek Go-Bug. Definitely essential to add "family" into your next adventure cycling epic. We opted to have a local "cover manufacturer" help us design a durable rain cover (60K won), it'll be featured on the road this fall while we're out riding in the rain. Be sure to vent the rain cover if it's designed in vinyl or other non-breathable fabrics, kids need fresh air! We opted to customize the rear into a flap/roller-clip, it adds some ventilation. 

We salvaged a late model (2003) Lespo mountain bike from a local friend in Gangneung. This was destined for the recycle scrapyard, it was rusty (solid brown chain...like stone!) and all the cables were ceased/rusted out. We brought it to a local shop (a place I bought a used Trek Go-Bug trailer, and the Trek tag-a-long for Matthew. Do some business with your local shop before expecting anything to happen that's just great service without a negotiation. We repacked the original bearings (bb-spindle in excellent shape, regreased and ready to fly), and replaced the chain and cables, 25,000won. Happy trails since then. Riding a luggy 19kg bike might be beneficial to the rider too, it mimics the weight on expeditions.

Sometimes you want the "good stuff" as I have over the past 4 years stationed/working/marooned in South Korea. I have settled with the cheaper line of bikes (200-500K range) and purchased in bicycle shops locally (once, a 2006 Lespo Tracker MTB, heavy-bone bike! I cycling the length of the Eastern/Western South Korean coasts, replaced 3 bottom bracket bearing sets, 1 headset, brake pads, fixed numerous flats, but it remained a steady ride for 220K and 1000s of Kilometers on the road/offroad light XC. The kids needed a trailer to roll with Mi Sung and I, we first opted for a brand-new steel frame/steel wheel trailer in the effect/copied design of a Schwinn, rode a few times - it was solid, but a little heavy. We paid 175K on Gmarket.co.kr.  Next, featured above - our used/like new Trek Go-Bug, if you find one (used on eBay.com) definitely buy it. We paid 300K, they list for 650K in South Korea, like most imports -you pay a premium MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) in the high end 5-10K bikes, some retailers double the US$ price into Korean.

Remember, it's the motor under the hood that counts. Cycling in Korea starts with the initiative to see more outdoors, the vigor to pedal, and a bike that fits your budget, while it's important to source the right gear, here's a few tips that might help: Search - Gmarket.co.kr and search for "Blackcat" That's a good start to Cycling in Korea. The branded bicycle is basically an imported, unpopularized frame from either Taiwan (higher end) or China (lower end), frames in aluminum (grade unknown) and components differ considerably between a 200K and 600K model. These are great bikes, with a few tweaks, upgrades to the tires, you'll be singing. The local scene is intense for MTB riding (Gangwon Province), but plan to bring your bike into Korea, if your looking for Touring/light XC then the Blackcat will fit the bill. Always, consider the specifications that are available (forks (Suntour XCM V2 come with many Blackcats, it's a road shock only-as tested, derailler system (Shimano (no model marking, Deore, SLX, XT, XTR...from the bottom to the top of the line), the wheelsets are always solid builds in Korea, from Lespo, Alton, ProCorex, up to Blackcat, Cello and the international makers (Merida is popular here, then there's the best of the bikes (specific by model and/or components, don't be fooled by the Branding): Specialized, Cannondale, Trek, Mongoose, Yeti, Kona, Jamis, Surly, Look (expensive!), Santa Cruz, Ellsworth, Ibis, Norco, Giant, and many more...the source for reviews is MTBR


Where to ride in Korea?

1. Sokcho, Gangwon-do -> Busan, Gyeongsannam-do (distance: 475km, Time: 5 days, Route: Hwy 7, Ride Diff: High)
2. Seoul (Seongnam-si), Gyeonggi-do -> Suam, Andong, Daegu (distance: 355km, Time: 3 days, Diff: Medium)
3. Seoul, Gyeonggi-do -> Seoraksan National Park, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do (distance 315km, 2 days, Diff: High)
4. Gangneung, Gangwon-do -> Busan, Gyeongsannam-do (distance 415km, 4 days, Diff: High)***
5. Incheon/Siheung/Ansan, Gyeonggi-do -> Suwon, Pyeongtaek, Cheonan (Hwy 1 to Daejeon*) West to Boryeong/Daecheon Beach, South to Byeongsanbando National Park (or Mokpo*) (distance 355km, 415km to Daejeon, 460km to Mokpo*, Days 3-5, Diff: High)
6. Gangneung, Gangwon-do -&gt Daegwaelleong, Pyeongchang-gun, Jinbu, Taebaek, Imgye, Donghae, Gangneung return (Start Hwy 35...Hwy 456 from Gangneung-downtown..Hwy 35 to Taebaek, West to Donghae*) (distance 257km, time 2-3 days, Diff: High)
7. Han River, Seoul metro area
8. Seongnam/Bundang/Seoul river trails to metro Seoul (South of the Han River)
9. Offroad: Surisan/Ansan-si, Namhansanseong/Seongnam-si, Muju Resort/Jeolla Province, Gangwon-do (Jeongsan Rail Bike area also hosts many offroad trails) +others (send updates: tesol2000@gmail.com if you can help list)

[ Notes: *** best route for cycling, camping, sight-seeing, adventure cycling. I personally like all routes (: ]