Korean Job Discussion Forums

[spicy]

i just got back to seoul after a 2mo break from teaching for a year on the south side of the river, and i'm back as a student, living in 신촌 (shinchon).

i used to live in 대청 (daecheong), which meant i could basically leave my apartment and immediately get on the paths along the minor tributary-rivers and ride up to the main path along the south side of the Han, but now i'm pretty much in the middle of the city, and a bit tentative about riding in major traffic on main streets.

does anyone know a good way from 신촌 (shinchon) station to bike paths along the north side of the Han? i'd prefer to avoid massively trafficked streets, and i've got a road bike with pretty skinny tires.

i'm also looking to meet some new folks, since my friends have mostly left or live in the area where i used to live. anyone want to join me? i'm not sure how to find a cycling club, but i've got classes on weekdays from 9-1 so i ought to have time in the afternoons once the weather becomes tolerable for exercising...


thanks,
~Spicy

[PEIGUY]

their is small river or stream if you will that connects into the Han. I used to cycle it when I lived in Yonhee Dong (down in behind Sinchon by one of the gates from Yonsei). From Sinchon Station however, I have no clue..not exactly helpful.. but if you can find Yonhee dong, I could give you directions from there..

[spicy]

is it on Google Maps? i can't seem to find anything that looks like a little river/bike path in the area. i'm straight north of shinchon station, i think pretty much at the southern boundary of the Yonsei campus, right by Severance Hospital...

[spicy]

...anybody? c'mon guys...

[mm]

I use to run with my friend who lived near hapjeong station (not so far from Hongdae/Sinchon/Edae). If you can make it to Hapjeong station go to exit 8 by the gas station and keep going down that road towards Mangwon station/World Cup Stadium. I think you go three or four blocks. When you come to the intersection with an IBK bank on your left (a block or two before Mangwon Station) take a left. Keep going straight on that small road and you will come to the river.

[Vimfuego]

surely if you've looked on Google maps you'll have seen that the river isn't far from Sinchon. Just cycle down to Hyundai, cut through Hongdae to Hapjeong thereby avoiding all the major roads. Should take you no longer than 10 minutes on a bike.

[Binch Lover]

You have a couple of options for getting to a bike path, but they all involve cycling along big roads at some point.

1. Follow the road that skirts Yonsei's southern edge going west. Eventually you will hit the expressway. There is a stream that runs under that expressway (explaining why you can't see it on Google Maps). It's called the Hongje-cheon. From there you can cycle south to meet the Bulgwang-cheon which goes north again to Eungam station or south all the way to the Han River.

2. As another person suggested, you could cycle through Hongdae to Hapjeong. The simplest way to get down to the river there is from the Yanghwa Bridge (there are stairs).

3. From Edae Station, if you take the road that goes south past Sogang University, it will bring you directly to the Han River. I'm not sure the easiest way to actually get down, but this would be the fastest way of the three I think.

[PEIGUY]

[spicy]

thanks for the tips, guys, i appreciate it.

any chance anyone knows about a decent bike shop in the area? i definitely need a floor bike pump, and could probably use some other miscellaneous maintenance/upkeep stuff as well.

a reputable mom and pop shop might be nice in terms of becoming a regular there, but i might also need to get my crank bearings replaced sometime soon as i think they're getting a bit gummed up, and i could use a thorough derailleur calibration/tune-up. i can't seem to get the indexing right ever since i reassembled the bike from its transport case.

[Man on Street]

[DeMayonnaise]

There's a nice bike shop at Hapjeong Station. Go out exit 4 and it's right in front of you.