Getting back in the saddle, finding a bike and riding safely
FUB
French Federation of Bicycle Users
12, rue des Bouchers
67000 Strasbourg
✆ 03 88 75 71 90
www.fub.fr
Created in 1980, FUB, Fédération Française des Usagers de la Bicyclette, acts to provide concrete answers to the day-to-day concerns of cyclists and promote the use of bicycles as a means of daily travel, by networking local associations. The main fields of action are consultation between users and local authorities, advice and information, bike exchanges, BICYCODE® marking, self-repair workshops and bike schools for adults and children.
FNAUT
National Federation of Transport Users' Associations
32, rue Raymond Losserand
75014 Paris
✆ 01 43 35 02 83
www.fnaut.fr
The Fédération nationale des Associations d'Usagers des Transports (National Federation of Transport Users' Associations) currently brings together 150 associations in every region of France. An accredited consumer association, FNAUT advises and defends users of all modes of transport, and represents them in dealings with public authorities and transport companies. As a general interest pressure group, FNAUT strives to influence transport and regional planning policy.
Mieux se Déplacer à Bicyclette(MDB)
Maison du Vélo
37, boulevard Bourdon
75004 Paris
✆ 01 43 20 26 02
This is a pioneering association promoting cycling, offering support (bike schools, repair workshops, branding, etc.), screenings, bike fairs, rides and cyclofestive events, as well as militant actions (convergence francilienne).
UPWAY
www.upway.shop.fr
This online platform is dedicated to buying back, reconditioning and reselling electric bikes, with a one-year warranty. Their credo is to make electric bikes accessible to the general public, with offers to suit all budgets and guaranteed home delivery! You'll find top brands such as Cowboy, VanMoof and Giant. As well as being economically attractive, Upway's approach is part of a virtuous cycle, extending the lifespan of electric bikes rather than creating disposables.
Find out about routes, find fellow travellers
Association française des Véloroutes et Voies Vertes (AF3V)
This users' association, which operates with departmental delegations, offers several types of bike rides: militant rides (to promote greenways), long-distance rides, discovery rides and other rides. The site features an interactive map and a search engine that lets you find a bike route or greenway by region, type of road surface and type of activity.
Cyclo-camping international (CCI)
www.cyclo-camping.international/fr
Cyclo-Camping International is a non-profit association that brings together and informs those who travel by bike without motorized assistance. Run by volunteers, it brings together all cycling enthusiasts - those who are leaving tomorrow, and those who returned yesterday... It enables them to get information, to meet each other, and to communicate with each other based on their experiences.
CyclotransEurope
CyclotransEurope, founded in 1996, aims to build a cycle route in France linking Paris to Moscow and Santiago de Compostela to Trondheim (the Scandiberian route), using dedicated lanes wherever possible. Since 2001, CyclotransEurope has been offering the chance to discover part of the TransEuropean route, with friends or family, thanks to the tours organized every summer.
French Cycling Federation (FFCT)
The regional and departmental committees provide an active and sustained presence not only for members, but also for sporting and tourist institutions and regional and departmental administrations. The clubs are the FFCT's key players. As such, they manage and promote cycle touring throughout France, including its overseas departments. They promote the sport, organize events and tours for their members, create facilities and set up cycle tourism schools.
France Vélo Tourisme
On this site, you'll find ideas for 2-hour or multi-day bike tours. Thanks to a search engine and interactive map, you can tailor-make an itinerary to suit your needs and abilities (difficulty, duration, theme and destination), by recommending developed cycle routes. On France vélo tourisme, you'll also find all the establishments with the Accueil Vélo label on your itinerary: accommodation, restaurants, places to visit, tourist offices, rental and repair outlets.
Books
Literature, essays and travel stories:
Dans la roue du petit prince, by Yannick Billard, Éditions Transboréal.
Petit Traité de Vélosophie by Didier Tronchet, Éditions Plon.
Zen ou l'art de pédaler by Claude Marthaler, Éditions Olizane.
Besoin de Vélo by Paul Fournel, Éditions Points Seuil.
Voici des Ailes by Maurice Leblanc, Éditions Phébus.
Specialized books (repair, law):
How to maintain and repair your bike. Le manuel de survie pour les nu(le)s en mécanique by Romain Puissieux, Éditions Mango.
Le Code du Cycliste by Ludovic Duprey, Éditions Dalloz.
Books on cycling:
Le Retour de la bicyclette, by Frédéric Heran, Éditions La Découverte.
En roue libre, by David Le Breton, Éditions Terre Urbaine.
Réenchantons le vélo, by Priscilla Parard, Éditions Terre Vivante.
Magazines and specialized press
Cyclo-camping internationalthe quarterly magazine of the CCI association (www.cyclo-camping.international/fr/revue/non-categorise/revue): travelers' stories, news and announcements.
200 le vélo de route autrementquarterly magazine (www.200-lemagazine.com): cycling-related articles and travel reports, for everyone from neophytes to competitors.
Chasse-goupillebordeaux-based fanzine (https://wiklou.org/wiki/Chasse-Goupille_(fanzine)) produced by women authors from all over France in the do it yourself spirit, on the theme of "emancipation with and through the bicycle".
Cyclotourisme Mag (www.cyclotourisme-mag.com), a monthly magazine published by the Fédération française de cyclotourisme, devoted to all the latest news in the sport, with plenty of practical and technical advice.
THE CYCLE
✆ 01 41 40 32 32 - www.lecycle.fr
6.30 € single issue, 64 € one-year subscription.
Le Cycle is the No. 1 magazine for enthusiasts, with a mission to make you dream and live your passion with the best advice and buying guides. In every issue, you'll find bike and product tests, with laboratory analysis and field trials. Discover equipment comparisons and technical reports. The "Parcours" and "Col dur" features showcase a region and its heritage, by following three adapted circuits. With sections on workshops, dietetics, training, regional news, supplements to the Tour Guide, bikes and pro teams, not forgetting the Training section, live your passion for cycling in all its forms, from cyclosport to competition, from road to gravel.
CYCLIST
✆ 04 73 14 03 00 - www.turbulencespresse.fr
7.50 € per issue. 39 € one-year subscription (19.50 € digital subscription).
Bimonthly magazine dedicated to road cycling for enthusiasts, with reports on cycling escapades in France, news and equipment tests, club news and also tips for tinkering with your bike. Portraits of the great cycling legends, themed features, coaching, choosing a bike, interviews with personalities and reports on beautiful rides on the most beautiful roads in France; all with photographs that make you dream and want to get on your bike right away!
E-BIKE MAGAZINE
✆ 03 44 62 43 79
6.50 each, 1-year subscription: €36.
E-bike Magazine is a bimonthly magazine devoted entirely to electrically-assisted bicycles (EABs). Every two months, you'll find all the latest news on EABs and the latest models. In each issue, a "test" chapter presents the results of several technical tests and trials. You'll also find portraits of pro riders, a "letters to the editor" section, practical advice and inspirational features for your rides. A specialized magazine with dense, practical content.
E-BIKE LIFE MAGAZINE
✆ 03 44 62 43 79
6.90 €/unit.
Following the success of E-Bike Magazine, Editions Larivière has decided to extend the pleasure of "cyclolecteurs" by launching E-Bike Life Magazine. This new quarterly magazine is dedicated to electrically-assisted bicycles (EABs), with a special focus on urban EAB users. Based on a general trend: in big cities, more and more people are looking for more environmentally-friendly travel solutions. The magazine offers advice on how to use electric mobility, as well as technical tests and recommendations.
VTT MAGAZINE
✆ 03 44 62 43 79
5.80 € each, 1-year digital subscription: 39 €, 1-year paper subscription: 56 €.
An emblematic monthly magazine devoted to all the latest off-road bike news, with equipment tests and technical assessments, focuses on the most charismatic riders, as well as impressive jumps, among other themes. Of course, you'll also find in VTT magazine, available individually or as a subscription (paper and/or digital), a selection of rides on France's most beautiful trails and ideas for mountain bike trips around the world, to inspire you and whet your appetite.
VÉLO VERT MAGAZINE
✆ 01 39 13 33 22 - www.velovert.com
Single issue: €6.95, 1-year subscription: €49 and 2-year subscription: €85. Offers with free products available.
Vélo Vert Magazine is a monthly magazine devoted to mountain biking and electric-assist mountain biking, with special reference issues. You'll find interviews with riders, advice on mountain bike maintenance, a diary of rides and races in France, and a host of other features, including news on emblematic mountain bike racers, technical tests of the latest bikes and practical advice. And every year, the magazine selects and elects "the mountain bike of the year".
Sites and applications
Sites and blogs :
www.isabelleetlevelo.fr/ : a must-see site with all the latest cycling news ("but not only...").
www.weelz.fr: the "gable leader" mag. This site promotes cycling as a mode of transport in its own right.
www.citycle.com: a news and information blog on the world of cycling, urban cycling, cycle touring, and all the advice you need.
www.cyclos-cyclotes.org : a forum dedicated to cycle tourism.
www.cartovelo.fr: an online library of guides and maps.
umap.openstreetmap.fr: create your own customized maps.
Route planning applications :
OpenStreetMap
Komoot
IGNrando'
LocusMap