Trevtassie

We'll be flying into Vancouver in mid July. Just wondering if any locals can answer m? questions.

Is there a particular "outdoor shop" area in Vancouver? You know that locality that has more shops than most... We'll need to pick up a fuel bottle and few bits and bobs when we arrive.
How hard would it be to ride a bike from the airport into the city? Any idea of the time needed? We'll likely arrive at around 3pm, maybe taking a couple of hours to get through customs and unpack our bikes. Or better to catch public transport into town.
Where is a good place to stay in the city? We might stay for a day for a look around then head north to catch the ferry across to Vancouver island from Powell River.

Machka 

Vancouver is a large city and the airport is well out on the west side of the city.

There is an MEC somewhere in the middle of Vancouver, about 13 km from the airport. We've been there, and as I recall, and as I can see on Google, there are a few sporting goods shops in that area.

If you're going to start cycling about 5 pm, after you arrive, you'll be right in the middle of rush hour traffic, and although the airport area (Richmond) is flat, the rest of Vancouver does get hilly. Give yourself an hour to get there.

And that could put you at MEC at closing time ... depending what day all this takes place.
MEC Vancouver - Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC). Free Shipping Available.

If you have made your way to MEC, you're most of the way to Stanley Park ... that's worth seeing.
Biking in Stanley Park | Tourism Vancouver


If you're going to grab public transportation and if you're heading north anyway, you might aim for the North Van MEC.
MEC North Vancouver - Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC). Free Shipping Available.


I would also recommend getting in touch with the BC Randonneurs and asking them the same questions you've asked here ...
BC Randonneurs Cycling Club

gauvins

(Lived there but not a local)

MEC is the golden standard.

Expect 1hr to ride from the airport to the store. Take a look here for the routing; use street view to get an idea of what it'll be like.

fietsbob

The Other Vancouver is across the Columbia river from Portland .. Oregon has no sales tax and there is an REI in Portland.

tmac100

This reminds me of the couple who thought they bought a ticket to SYD and somehow their travel agent got them into YQY.

joeyduck

Riding from the airport is fairly easy, but the train is easy too (more later). There is a bike path starting on the NE side of the airport that leads you in a somewhat meandering way to the Canada line (skytrain) pedestrian bridge. After you cross the bridge head left, then right across the train tracks then right onto Kent Ave. Then left onto Ontario Street. That will take you up hill, wave at me at Ontario and 28th. When you get to 10th it is the major E/W bike route. One block north of 10th is Broadway. Broadway between Quebec (one block east of Ontario) and Yukon is filled with bike and gear shops. It will take about 35 minutes to ride from the airport to Ontario an 10th.

You'll want Cycling Map West, https://www.translink.ca/en/Getting-A...ling-Maps.aspx. You will be primarily in Richmond (airport) Vancouver, and West Vancouver (ferry). This website also links to skytrain and transit info.

For the train: Follow signs in the airport to the Canada Line and take it towards Waterfront Station. Stay on until Broadway/City Hall, this lets you out at Cambie and Broadway, one block west of Yukon and gear row.

I can't offer suggestions on places to stay. But let me get back to you on that next week, I may know of an AirBnB.

The Vancouver Aquarium vanaqua.org is awesome and worth the visit out to Stanley Park. The ride to the ferry terminal to Powell River is nice along Marine Drive in West Vancouver, it is narrow and windy with blind corners, but cyclists are very frequent on that stretch.

I hope this helps. Assuming it is YVR, as @fietsbob points out name confusions ending with incorrect destinations.

fietsbob

IATA Code for Portland Maine is PWM, Portland Oregon PDX , PTJ gets you to the Portland airport in Victoria, Australia.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intern...n_airport_code

Trevtassie

I'm thinking the train on mature reflection, by the time we get there it'll be many hours on the plane and in airports. Probably best to train it and crash for domestic harmony. Plus I'll need to send off the bike bags to the US at some stage, rather than cart them around, they collapse down and are light but still bulky. So crash for the night and then get up for a big day of leisurely bike assembly, finding a post office or freight agent, food shopping, camp shopping and some sight seeing. Maybe another night in YVR then off to Powell River. At this stage it looks like the itinerary might be Powell River, Vancouver Island, across to Tofino and Ucluelet, ferry to Bamfield, ride to Victoria via Lake Cowichan, ferry to Port Angeles, and then.... Thought about going to Seattle just so we could say we've been there, definitely Portland. Trying to catch Hot Springs (we'll miss the Onsens like in Japan I suspect), music festivals and Breweries along the way. Climb some mountains, we have the ability to do overnight walks.

joeyduck

After my in laws last bike trip they decided no more assembly in the airport. Take it to the hotel and build it there. They also just use bike boxes which were readily available at their final destination which cuts down on the stuff. They bought themselves cheap nylon duffles that held their panniers and other gear, that made it easy to carry and travel while off their bikes.

My brother in law had a bike bag to go over a bike box which doubled as a tarp I believe.

Machka 

That sounds like good plan.

When we've flown between Australia and Canada, we're zombies for the first couple days. So give yourself time to get settled into the new time zone before heading off.

And yes, the route you've described will involve a lot of climbing!

SeniorCanadian

Vancouver could be the easiest place to fly into. The Skytrain allows bikes in both directions at all hours so there will be no hassle and there is no additional charge. the cost of the trip will be under $10 Cdn which is good value anywhere. https://www.translink.ca/en/Fares-and...gle-Fares.aspx

Regarding accommodation have a look at Warmshowers website which is a community for touring cyclists. Have a look here https://www.warmshowers.org/

Finally here is a hotel that goes out of its way to support cyclists. Burnaby Hotel | Accent Inns Burnaby Hotel Location

Your trip sounds awesome by the way.

Doug64

Are you doing the Pacific Coast Route?

It is a pretty nice ride from Vancouver to Powell River along the Sunshine Coast. Then take the ferry to Vancouver Island.

DropBarFan

Burnaby Hotel sounds great incl free bike use. DC has ubiquitous BikeShare bikes but which are a bit expensive for tourists. I read that Vancouver BC will start a BikeShare program this summer.

Happy Feet

I don't know about commuting in the city from the airport (try to avoid big cities like the plague) but have done the Sunshine coast route you are speaking of.

From Stanley park you will want to cross the lionsgate bridge and work your way to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. There you want the Langdale Ferry. From there you will ride up the Sunshine coast through Gibsons (home of the TV series The Beachcombers)(you can have coffee at Molly's Reach if you want) to Earls Cove. Across the ferry there and plan to camp in Saltery Bay, a beautiful spot. Next morning you will make Powell River, a quaint town with some sights to see. You can camp right in town at a very nice campground. From there the ferry takes you to Comox and follow the Coast Hwy down to Qualicum Beach then head inland on the 4 Hwy. That is a wild ride on a small road but it takes you to Tofino. You may want to really think about that one.

The main problem with the Bamfield connection is getting from there to Lake Cowichan. Really study the map.

An alternate but equally wild route is to take Hwy#1 past Namaimo to just past the Cedar exit and turn inland on the Nanaimo River Rd. This will take you on a loopy route to Lake Cowichan where you take the South Shore Rd. to the Pacific Marine Rd. This is another loopy Rd. that will take you to Port Renfrew and then southward through Sooke to Victoria. Challenging, with lots of gravel but better marked than the Bamfield-Cowichan route.

I've looked at that route quite a bit and plan to try to do it this summer if I get the time or, if not the next for sure. Also, as Machka said, lots of hills on the island and in particular, the sunshine coast. But I would really recommend the Powell river route for scenery, and after Earls Cove not very much traffic with good shoulders throughout.

Here's a video of my trip last year:

tourbiker

The Accent Inn in Burnaby is a long ride away, and in the opposite direction that you’re heading.

Consider the Accent Inn in Richmond. It’s close to the airport, has a free shuttle service from the airport (I bet they’ll carry your bikes) and is bike-friendly so you can assemble them when you’re there rather than the airport: Vancouver Airport Hotel (YVR) | Accent Inns Richmond Hotel They could probably help with suggestions for shipping your bike bags (possibly at the post office located in Shoppers Drug Mart ½ mile to the east, or at Oakridge Shopping Centre on the way to MEC). Relax and have dinner at the IHOP restaurant next door. Other fast food places nearby. The next morning, follow the easy 45 minute bike route to MEC (google bike route): https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Accen...d49.262884!3e1 This route includes the “bike bridge” which is below the Canada Line skytrain that crosses the river (not far from the motel). MEC membership is $5. Alternatively, there’s quite a few other outdoors stores within a 2-block range plus bike shops.

Other than an Airbnb, another option could be the only campground in the Vancouver area: Your RV Park & Campsites in West Vancouver| Capilano River RV Park which is on the north side of the Lions Gate bridge in West Vancouver, after you go through Stanley Park so it’s on your way to the ferry at Horseshoe Bay. The Marine Drive route is narrow and winds its way to Horseshoe Bay. Popular with cyclists but, makes me nervous, particularly with a fully loaded touring bike. Many cyclists ride Highway 99 to the ferry from West Vancouver.

When you take the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Gibsons, you’ll find it’s nice but, hilly route up the Sunshine Coast. One of my favorite campsites is the cyclist’s campsite at Porpoise Bay provincial park: Porpoise Bay Provincial Park - BC Parks

Rathtrevor Park on Vancouver Island's east coast is another of my favorite provincial park and has a cyclists area. Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park - BC Parks

Have fun.

Big Lew

I have ridden both the Marine Drive and Hwy 99 routes to Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal.
I have also driven these routes with large commercial trucks. Although the Marine Drive
route is quite scenic, as others have said, it is very windy and narrow in spots and you can
have the dickens scared out of you if large or fast traffic meets you in these spots. Some
spots have barely enough room for transit buses or commercial trucks to pass each other.
If time isn't a critical issue, taking advantage of the free shuttle to the Accent Inn would
be my choice so that you can get settled and prepared for your adventure.

joeyduck

I never knew that about the Accent Inn. the one in Richmond is better located in my opinion. the one in Burnaby is fairly out of the way.

NVanHiker

My first choice for getting to the Horseshoe Bay ferry would be accessing Hwy 1 (99) via Capilano Road (Taylor Way is REALLY steep). Lots of bike-friendly signage along the highway. My second choice would be a transit bus rack. The lower road is just nasty - no shoulders.

The lower part of Capilano Road, incidentally, has some reasonably-priced motels.

Trevtassie

Yep, the plan is starting to come together. Reckon the one in Richmond is the go, because of the shuttle bus. Don't want to be dragging bike boxes all over the countryside. Plus it's a bit cheaper. We'd be heading to Powell River on a Sunday, so the traffic through town and up the coast would be better in terms of commercial vehicles at least.
I think I will go the box option for the bikes, we're gonna be hit with a bike service charge from SFO to YVR anyway so who cares how big the box is! Qantas from Australia don't charge anything extra for bikes so it doesn't matter for the Australia SFO and return legs. I'm a Gold Frequent flyer, so theoretically we could bring 5 bags and total weight of 115kg. As long as the bike and box is under 23kg it's all good.

tourbiker

Thanks for the update. Have a great trip!

Trevtassie

All booked now, have bought some North Face Campforter sleeping bags to pick up from the post office at SFO on the way past. Just thinking about tyres for all the gravel on Vancouver Island. Was thinking of Mondials, but I think my partners bike frame might be too narrow for 2.00s, might get a set for my bike and see if they fit.

joeyduck