Cycling, together with rollerblading, is a popular weekend activity, and the East Coast Park has purpose-built biking and jogging tracks by the sea. Restaurants and bars along this beachfront make the area a popular place for recreational and serious cyclists to converge and show off their skills (and their cool gear). Bicycles and tandem bikes are available for rent by the hour or by the day.

If you’re in the market to buy a bike, know that prices vary greatly. Carrefour has bikes for about $100 while serious cyclists can spend $10,000 or more on a top-end Cannondale or Trek. Bike shops here are generally run by cycle enthusiasts and they can often give you good recommendations. Most shops also do repairs. Kids’ bikes and seats are available at Toys R Us and at most of the bike shops scattered around the island.

If you’re looking for cycle adventures, a few bike shops also organise bike tours to nearby Malaysia and the Bintan and Batam islands in Indonesia. Check out Two Wheel Action who also organise bike hashes. Their website (www.twa.com.sg) lists all the necessary information. Helmets are not mandatory, but they’re advisable – especially if you cycle on the road as car drivers in Singapore tend to be blissfully unaware of two-wheelers.