Helsinki Cycling I: Where to Get a Bike?
Interested in taking up cycling in Helsinki? Student ambassador Rong is here to advise you.
Hey all, I’m Rong, a second-year student at the Academy of Fine Arts and also a student ambassador. I love bikepacking and cycling. In 2018, I went on a cycling trip around Taiwan. Since moving to Finland in 2021, I’ve mostly been doing small day trips. I hope to share some of what I know with those who have recently arrived or are about to come to Helsinki, or those who want to start their journey with biking but don’t know where to begin.
In this blog, I’ll share a handful of local maintenance workshops, bike shops, second-hand shops, and online stores!
Personally, I prefer to get everything secondhand if possible since cycling as a hobby can sometimes be inaccessible for students due to its price. I only buy consumables new, such as tires, lubricants, bike washers, helmets, and most importantly, bike locks!
Firstly, it would be lovely to get a bike, but where from? It can be tricky to choose what kind of bike you’d like to have at first. Usually, I’ll just ask for help from Pyöräpaja during their opening hours, or you can simply drop in at any local bike shop to ask for more details!
Secondhand Resources
Tori
Tori is a widely used second-hand online shop in Finland where everyone can become a seller and buyer. When it comes to anything related to cycling that’s too pricey, I try to find it secondhand on Tori! They have a very wide variety of bikes to choose from, and you can also find biking accessories such as bags and cycling shoes here. Just type in the item you’re looking for!
Kierrätyskeskus (recycling center)
Kierrätyskeskus, which means “recycling center” in English, is the largest second-hand shop in Finland. You can find almost everything you need in your life here, except for food. For example, clothes, furniture, and more. They have several locations all around the country, so depending on which shop you visit, the options for bikes can vary.
Otaniemi Buy and Sell
This is a Telegram platform mainly used by Aalto University students, located in Espoo city. Most of the exchanges happen near their campus. It’s a very active group chat. I pay attention to the group messages only when I know exactly what I need.
Bike Maintenance
Helsingin Pyöräpaja
It’s a very nice place to go if you’re into self bike maintenance. Helsingin Pyöräpaja, which translates to “bike workshop” in English, is a volunteer-run workshop. They are open every Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon during the biking season. You can find almost every component on bikes secondhand here. Everything is free of charge in this workshop, but you can donate if you like.
Local Bike Shops (bike maintenance, all things related to bike)
Velosport
Pyörien pyörä (used to be called Velobia)
Töölön pyörä
Toni & Toni
The bike shops listed above mainly sell new bikes and components, and they also provide bike maintenance services. Depending on the shop, the prices vary. The web pages are mostly in Finnish, but on a computer, you can right-click to translate the language from Finnish to English.
In my opinion, it’s good to support local stores rather than buying from chain stores. However, the prices in chain stores are often cheaper than in local shops.
Chain stores
Motonet
Motonet is one of the biggest hardware stores in Finland. They have almost everything related to biking, such as gears and locks, for example. They also have a wide variety of camping equipment to choose from.
XXL
XXL is the biggest general sports shop in Finland, with locations in almost every shopping mall. The prices are usually cheaper than those in local shops, and quite often their products are on sale. Here, you can find products for almost every sport, from volleyball to hiking for example.
Hope this blog helps you find the right bike or just get to know the bike scene in Helsinki a bit better. The best way to get started is always to just ask people and go for it!
Hope you’ll have a wonderful spring ahead and safe journeys on the road!
In the next blog, I’ll be sharing a few destinations that are wonderful for a weekend bike trip, so stay tuned!
Life of an art student
In this blog, Uniarts Helsinki students share their experiences as art students from different academies and perspectives, in their own words. If you want to learn even more regarding studying and student life in Uniarts and Helsinki, you can ask directly from our student ambassadors.
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