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“It’s a great point-to-point
trail to explore, it links to
a lot of other trails and it’s
manageable even for most
beginners, indeed I would say
it’s definitely the best place
for beginners to practice in
Singapore. As long as they
keep their pace down it’s a
very predictable trail and
all rideable. The climbs are
OK and the descents are not
sketchy at all.”
HITTING SINGAPORE’S SPARSE
SINGAPORE’S BUT PRECIOUS SPARSE
BUT MOUNTAIN PRECIOUS BIKE
MOUNTAIN TRAILS BIKE TRAILS
While Malaysia’s mountain bikers seem to have it all,
an abundance of trails and tracks, and a network of extremely
popular jamborees held on most weekends all over the country,
Singapore’s dirt lovers are stuck with a limited number of places
to ride.
The closure of the purpose-built Tampines Bike Park
last year to make way for, what else, a housing development,
cut into that choice further, but rather than make a political
stance on this sorry state of affairs, we’ve chosen to celebrate
the remaining trails where Singapore’s mountain bikers can strut
their stuff.
At least what remains is of a pretty high standard thanks
to a dedicated core of riders and trail-builders determined to
deliver a worthy experience.
As well as describing the trails through our eyes, we also
captured a few wise words from mountain bike skills coach and
uber adventure racer Wilson Low of Athlete Lab.
Bukit Timah Mountain Bike Trail
The BT (or Bee Tee) trail is undoubtedly the centre of
the Singapore MTB scene and offers a tricky 6km loop through
the jungle. While there are some sections of flowing single track,
it’s mostly a twisting network of ups and downs, some steeper
and more than technical than others.
Starting and finishing adjacent to the Bukit Timah
Nature Reserve Visitors Centre on Hindhede Drive, a major
facelift completed in 2013 left a quality track challenging
enough to test the technical skills of the best riders but also fair
enough that those of an intermediate level can still venture in and
be confident of making it all the way round unscathed.
Wilson Low agrees that BT is best suited to advanced and
intermediate riders but says there is also a place for beginners.
“BT is a good cross-country loop with lots of line choices, but its
features require more commitment than your average trail,” Low
says. “Beginners can go into BT but maybe they shouldn’t ride