Biking With Vintage Upcycled Charicycles in Dubai

July 10, 2020 Stan

We can all relate to the amazing feeling of riding a bicycle… The breeze against your face while feeling the movement of all of your muscles, a sentiment that makes you appreciate the freedom of being on one.

Since the 1800’s many different versions of the bicycle have been created, deriving from the french word bicyclette, German Baron Karl von Drais, a civil servant to the Grand Duke of Baden in Germany, was the one that created what was considered to be the first verifiable bicycle.

He patented his design in 1818, which was known as the first two wheeled, steerable, human machine, called the ‘velocipedes, hobby-horse or dandy horse.

In the beginning, bicycles were seen more so for the elite, as it was an expensive hobby so to speak, but as soon they were becoming more and more popular and production started to increase, they became a practical asset. Women were soon riding bicycles, and with that came the change in fashion with bloomers in and corsets out!

And while evolution may have changed the frame and wheels of the bicycle, today we can still see traces of the first bicycle made, although ours just carry a little more pzaz.

While some of you may think that Dubai is still not so friendly on biking, things are starting to change! A new initiative was recently launched #cycletoworkuae that’s encouraging everyone to start cycling, there are some cool spots to check out, if you haven’t already done so that we highly recommend.

“In the heart of Dubai, the Nadd Al Sheba Cycle Path offers 8km, 6km and 4km loops that are just for cyclists. These are floodlit at night and have amenities like showers to use afterwards. Further out of town, the Al Qudra cycle path is an 86km cycle route through the desert. The UAE’s burgeoning cycling community has found ways to make this a civilised affair: their regular Saturday morning ride to Bab Al Shams resort beside the cycle path.”

With Dubai investing a lot in building more cycling paths, it seems our life of bicycling in Dubai is just beginning! Lucky us!

Now imagine being able to ride a bike that you were able to customize?!

With Charicycles, you can do just that. Like a tailor, you tailor make your bike. A bike with a basket, one that you could paint whatever color you want- from cotton candy blue, to macaroon mint ice cream.

Descending from a historic lineage of the Japanese bicycle, they find bicycle frames that have been forgotten about or put aside and restore them into the beautiful bikes they once were with an added vintage twist. The beauty of up-cycling… An art in itself. Why add waste to the environment when you can make something old perfectly new again?!

Embedded in their culture is the mere simplistic thought that every child deserves to feel that sense of freedom we all feel when riding a bike.

To add to that culture, as much as we think breakfast is important for a child’s brain to function, the way a child gets to school is just as important. The factor of exercising the brain. A research recently done, found that children who walked or rode their bicycle to school did much better on tests than their peers who rode the school bus or got a lift.

A child can learn both balance and coordination skills when riding a bicycle, while increasing stamina. Starting to build your muscles at a young age, moving your hip and knee joints only helps you later on as an adult. Especially if you continue riding. For both children and adults going for a bike ride can do wonders for the mind. It is also considered to be one of the sports that causes less injury and strain to the body even while working all your muscles.

With that being said and the weather being perfect in Dubai, now’s the time to head out to the corniche, where you can cycle from Jumeirah beach hotel to Sunset beach. A gorgeous view that will have you smiling the whole ride.

You can also use the dedicated track that’s approximately 1.5 km, riding up to Jumeirah Open Beach at the top of Jumeirah Beach Road, right next to Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa.

There are many cycling groups out there and some specifically tailored for women. For example, @uaecyclingforgirls on Instagram, meets on weekends for recreational cycling around downtown Dubai, Emaar boulevard, Dubai Cycling Course and Dubai parks. The Extempore Abu Dhabi Ladies Bicycle Group in Abu Dhabi meet on Fridays, to bike, have coffee, and enjoy a beautiful day of cycling in the capital.

With over a half billion bicycles in China and approximately 100 million bicycles manufactured worldwide each year, it’s time we in the UAE step up our cycling game!

You are on en route to a gorgeous up-cycled vintage bicycle that you had a hand in making and more importantly, had a hand in making a child smile.

Happy Cycling!