From four wheels to two: Here’s how you can save gas and get into biking in Boise
Gas prices in Idaho reached an all-time high on Wednesday. The recent surge in gas prices has gotten plenty of people around the Treasure Valley looking at alternate ways of transportation in order to save money.
One of those alternate options is cycling.
Cycling is a cheap and efficient way to get around the Treasure Valley, with Boise offering several bike paths and lanes as well as storage options around the city to help people who are looking for a cheaper form of transportation.
Here are some things to know about cycling around Boise for those looking to transition from four wheels to two.
Where to buy a bicycle
Before gas prices were even an issue, the United States already saw a surge in people purchasing bicycles as more people took up biking amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
But if you’re new to cycling, the Treasure Valley offers an abundance of outdoor shops to purchase a bicycle. Boise Gear Collective, located at 671 S Capitol Blvd., sells new and used bikes and biking equipment such as helmets and pads. Bikes are available for rental.
Other local bike stores include George’s Cycles, which has a downtown location as well as a store at 5515 W State St.; Bob’s Bicycles, 6681 W. Fairview Ave.; Reed Cycle, 2340 N Bogus Basin Rd.; Spokey Joe’s, 2337 S. Apple St.; and Eastside Cycles, 3072 Bown Way. You can also buy bike parts or refurbished bicycles at Boise Bicycle Project, 1127 South Lusk St.
Tips for riding
The city of Boise website provides a list of tips for cyclists to navigate the city streets safely. The city asks that cyclists ride as far to the right as possible and to ride with the flow of traffic. The city also recommends avoiding riding in a driver’s blind spot and to ride at least three feet away from parked cars.
When on the road, cyclists should act like a car — turn signals, obeying road laws, and so on — while on the sidewalk cyclists should act like a pedestrian by using crosswalks and other pedestrian paths.
Utilize the Boise River Greenbelt
Spanning 25 miles, two cities and a dozen parks, the Boise River Greenbelt is the great connector between Garden City in the west, straight through the middle of downtown Boise along the Boise River, and all the way down to the Boise Valley on the southeastern edge of the city.
The Greenbelt is a biker- and walker-friendly trail built alongside the Boise River, giving riders an option to get off the busy roadways and enjoy a more peaceful journey along the river. The Greenbelt has multiple access points to important areas around the city, such as Boise State University, the Capitol Boulevard bridge leading into downtown, and the Surel Mitchell Live-Work-Create District in Garden City.
The city reminds cyclists that pedestrians have the right of way on the Greenbelt and cyclists have to signal their intent to pass pedestrians by either shouting or using a bell.
BikeBoi bike storage
It almost feels like wherever you look around downtown Boise there is a ParkBoi sign — the readily available parking garages scattered all around the city.
But there’s also BikeBoi, which is a storage facility specifically designed for bicycles. Located in the 9th and Main streets parking garage, BikeBoi offers secure street-level parking for up to 42 bicycles at a time.
BikeBoi is open 24 hours a day and requires just a onetime $20 setup fee and no monthly payments.
Ridge to Rivers trails
While cycling is a great way to get from one point to another, it’s also an excellent way to work out and enjoy the beauty that Idaho has to offer.
Ridge to Rivers, the organization that manages more than 250 miles of local trails around the Boise Foothills, provides a list of good trails for mountain biking. From the Military Reserve’s Cottonwood Creek Trail just north of downtown Boise to Around the Mountain at Bogus Basin, there are over a dozen trails perfect for biking.
An interactive map for all Ridge to Rivers trails can be found on its website.
This story was originally published March 9, 2022 at 1:40 PM.
