My friends and I riding the bumboat to Ubin.
 On a weekend in Singapore, locals and foreigners alike sometimes have the urge to get off the little island and do something different.  In the case of myself and my friends from work, something else meant going to an even smaller island, Pulau Ubin, for mountain biking.  Pulau Ubin is still Singapore, but the lifestyle there is much like Singapore was decades ago.  Except for the resorts that are now going up in full force, Ubin is largely undeveloped, with lots of hills and dirt roads.  And that makes it a perfect place for mountain biking in a country which is otherwise very unfriendly to bike enthusiasts.

Getting to Ubin requires you to get to Changi Point, on the east end of the island not far from the airport.  You can take the number 2 bus from the Bedok MRT station, although it does take about 30-40 minutes to get there.  When you arrive at Changi Point, have a light breakfast at the hawker centre.  May I suggest roti prata?  Yummy.  After eating your breakfast, walk down to the boat dock and hire a bumboat driver to take you over to Ubin.  Here's the deal: a bumboat costs $15 to hire, one way.  If you are not in a hurry, you can wait until the boat has 12 people and then you will each pay $1.50 to hire the boat.  If you are in a hurry (and who isn't, at this point), just pay the guy the full amount and he'll take you and your friends over without a full boat.

There is a good reason to be in a hurry, by the way.  If you don't reach Ubin early, you will not get a good bike.  You can, by the way, bring your own bike over to Ubin, but if you don't drive, getting your bike just to Changi Point is very inconvenient.  The bikes at Ubin aren't the highest quality, but neither are they likely to fall apart underneath you.  The newer bikes are full suspension, which makes it easier on your backside after riding a few hours.  But you won't get these unless you are early, thus the reason to get a boat as soon as you can.
Hiring a bike for the day is simple as there are many rental shops as soon as you get off the boat.  Find a bike that's comfortable for you, give it a once-over to make sure everything works (especially the brakes), and pay somewhere between $8-$12 and the bike is yours for the day.  One person will have to leave their drivers license or ID as collateral.  Ask for a map too; most shop owners are happy to provide one for you.  Before you leave the town, it's a good thing at this point to make sure you have at least some water.  It's easy to find places to buy drinks around the island, but they're never close enough when you need them.

Michael and Joanne relaxing after a long ride.

We made it to the quarry!  Time for a photo opportunity...
 Now it's time to ride.  I won't tell you where to go or what to see.  Ubin is basically just a mountain biking park.  Try out all the trails you can find.  If you come to a dead-end, just come back.  Exploring Ubin is part of the fun.  For you super experienced mountain bikers, be warned that most of the riders on Ubin are not, so be careful as they are sometimes a little unpredictable.  Be courteous (this is a Singapore law, I believe) and patient and go around them when it's safe.  If you're lucky, you'll find out how to get to this quarry where my friends and I took a break (left).
One other place you may find yourself at is a Chinese temple in the middle of the island.  You can buy drinks here and rest on the benches outside.  There are many dogs here, some friendly, some not so friendly.  They won't attack you, but be careful around them if they seem apprehensive toward you.  When we were there, two groups of dogs had a very loud and violent turf fight.  I thought it was funny because one of the meanest dogs fighting was one I was petting just a few minutes before.  Glad he was on my side.

Lito and son, Carlo, taking a break at the temple.

You can visit Ubin for half a day or a full day.  I suppose some day soon, you can even stay at one of the resorts on the island and cycle for two or more days straight (I would assume you would see most of it in two days though).  Despite many local claims that Ubin is a tough ride, if you stay on the roads, it's not tough at all.  We didn't venture into the dirt too often, but there were a few challenging climbs (made even more so by the constant Singapore heat).  In any case, Ubin is a welcomed change from the ultra-flat East Coast Park bike trail that most people cycle on.  And much safer than becoming a hood ornament for a bus when riding up to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve on crowded Bukit Timah Road.

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