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| Cyclist riding to Mazar-e-Quaid on 14th August to pay tribute. (Image courtesy CMK FB group) |
In the past 5 years, a lot of cycling groups have sprouted in the main cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. These are generally open to newcomers to join and enjoy the group rides organised by these groups usually free of cost. Here
is the list of some of the major groups in the country.
Critical Mass Karachi (CMK): This is definitely the mother of all
cycling groups. Established in
the mid 90's October 2009 by a handful cycling enthusiasts on the basis of
Critical Mass ideology, CMK has become the largest recreational cycling group in the country. Its fortnightly ride is typically joined by 300+ cyclist comprising of people of all ages and gender. It is mainly operated via
CMK facebook group. They also have a dedicated group for newbies and children called
Critical Mass Karachi Junior.
FreeRiders (Karachi):
FreeRiders, as the name suggests, are free souls who ride around town. Their niche is exploring interesting and/or historical locations in/around Karachi.
Cyclopaths (Karachi): Cyclopaths is comprised of advance level cyclists who enjoy longer, faster and more sportive cycling than CMK recreational type. City Dash is their signature ride.
Cycologists (Karachi): Cycologists is one of the recently formed group in early 2018 that has picked up in popularity quickly. They are DHA/Clifton based and have been quite active in organizing cause based rides supporting CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives of corporate & health sectors.
GG Riders (Karachi): GG Riders
has been recently formed (in Sep 2018) by two cyclists from Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulistan-e-Jauhar towns of Karachi. However, this group has grown rapidly and their weekend family leisure rides are attended by a growing
numbers of riders of all ages from these and surrounding localities. Some strong riders from this group later formed GG Power Riders group who do long distance endurance as well as fast rides on road bikes. GG Power Riders is an invite only group.
Wednesday Night Riders (Karachi): WNR organise
mid-week night rides in DHA on Wednesday nights. Started
by a few friends, the group has attracted a decent following by riders in that area.
Inactive / Defunct Groups:
Following groups are no longer active but mentioned here because they contributed to the rise of cycling activity in Karachi.
Chain Reaction (Karachi): Established some time in the year 2013, Chain Reaction soon became second most followed
group in Karachi after CMK.
DD Riders & Runners (Karachi): The group is named after their meeting point which is a Dunkin Donuts outlet. DD Riders and Runners started as a pure cycling group and have now progressed into cross-fit sports. About 13 of their members recently participated in
Spartan Arabia obstacle course in UAE where all 13 group members successfully crossed the finish line.
Critical Mass Islamabad (CMI) and
Critical Mass Lahore (CML) are Islamabad and Lahore versions
respectively of CMK and organize group rides typically on weekends and holidays in these cities.
MTB Islamabad and
Lahore Mountain Biking Club cater to the needs of MTB (MounTain Biking) enthusiasts in these cities. Karachi
being generally flat terrain does not have a MTB group/club as far as I know.
Cycling Defence Lahore was formed in April 2017 to promote cycling in the DHA Lahore area. They have more than 800 members listed on their facebook group and is quite active in conducting morning rides as well as weekend rides to interesting destinations.
You will find many other small, localized groups on facebook. Chances are that there is a Critical Mass group already active in your city. To check, search facebook with the phrase "Critical Mass <your city name here>".
My next blog posts shall be about deciding on the type of bicycle to purchase followed by the places from where one can purchase new or decent quality used bicycles. Stay tuned....
Next Post:
Types of Bicycles - Which one should I buy?
GG Riders (Karachi): GG Riders 
DD Riders & Runners (Karachi): The group is named after their meeting point which is a Dunkin Donuts outlet. DD Riders and Runners started as a pure cycling group and have now progressed into cross-fit sports. About 13 of their members recently participated in 
CMK started in October 2009 not in the mid 90's. Love your blog, hope it thrives.
ReplyDeleteThanks Arif. Correction done.
DeleteWhich club would you suggest for a resident of Askari V, malir Canty Karachi?
DeleteMalir CANTT cyclists have recently created a new group there. You can join them.
Deletehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/984581228403865/
Welll done n will definitely keep it tickingg. I suggest add DD Riders and night groups like WNR MNR. Also the new ones like Free Riders and Cycologists.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion Ammar. I thought about it when writing this post but then decided to limit it to major groups only as otherwise the list will be a long one making it difficult to for a newcomer to decide. At the moment, I have intentionally tried to keep things as simple as possible.
DeleteI am contemplating making a directory page of All cycling groups in Pakistan (like the shops page) in coming days which I will link to the end of this post.
I have also heard about Kamal Cyclists. Their leader is Asim Kamal. He is an IT professional and active bike consultant. His group has 3 members now. They were seen riding on sea view today but did not join CMK.
ReplyDeleteDear Imran. Thanks for your comment. There are a lot of small groups that have sprouted all over Karachi. There are DD Riders, SP Riders, North Riders, Free Riders, AM Riders, Monday Night Riders so on and so forth.
DeleteThe purpose of this post was to introduce a newcomer to the major cycling groups who are the pioneers of starting cycling in Pakistan. What happens actually is that people start with these major groups, meet like minded cyclists during group rides and form their own group based on interest and/or area.
So it is never going to be possible to cover all groups as they will grow in numbers in days to come.
Cycling DHA Lahore fb has more than 800 members and conducts regular morning rides and different interesting weekend rides..it was formed Apr 2017..group has done Islamabad Lahore trip on GT road in Nov 18 with one night stay in Kharian plus Sakesar down n up..plus Lower topa to Islamabad! !
ReplyDeleteThanks for notifying. I am updating the post with Cycling DHA Lahore information.
DeleteWhat is the best group for the resident of DHA phase 1
ReplyDeleteWell, it is difficult to say which group is "best". However, it is usually convenient to join the "nearest" group. I believe "Ayesha Masjid Riders / AM Riders" are closest to DHA, Phase 1, Karachi. Here is the link to their facebook group.
Deletehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/733119670178120/
There is the early bird riders also. Maybe you want to include their name. They ride on Tuesday Thursday and Saturday. This is an easy pace riding group
ReplyDeleteHumayun Sb. can you please share their facebook page link. How can an interested rider get in touch with them?
DeleteHi, Thanks a lot for sharing this much needed information about cycling for new comers in Karachi. I am a newcomer in this activity and in karachi as well. I was wondering if you could tell me from where we can rent a bike in Karachi, and secondly from where we can purchase items like bottles and other essentials. Lastly, can females join these groups, and which groups have high female members.
ReplyDeleteIf you could tell me this information I would be extremely grateful.
Best wishes,
Anam
My apologies for responding so late...for some reason I did not get a notification when you commented.
DeleteFor renting bicycles for group rides, almost all major groups provide contact information for renting bicycles when they announce the ride. You need to join their facebook pages/whatsapp groups to be aware.
Cycling accessories can be found at several online and physical shops. Visit the Karachi shops directory at https://www.pakistancyclingnetwork.com/p/blog-page_27.html
Almost all cycling groups in Karachi are family groups. CMK is by far the largest group. GG Riders also have significant numbers of female riders.
Can you please let me know which group operates near bahadurabad and it's good for family?
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog.
DeleteUnfortunately, there is no cycling group in/around Bahadurabad as far as I am aware. Your nearest option would have been DD Riders & Runners who start/end from Dunkin Donuts Tipu Sultan but they are advance level athletes.
Second best option is GG Riders who ride every Sunday starting from McDonalds Askari 4.
What you can do is band together with a couple of nearby cyclists and start rides from Bahadurabad yourself. Almost all of the groups started this way. In case if you do start group rides from Bahadurabad, please leave a note here so that I can add your group to the list.
Salam,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the informative article. Is there any cycling group operating in PECHS block 2?
Not that I am aware of. Nearest group for you is DD Athletes who ride from Dunkin Donuts Tipu Sultan Road (besides Habitt)
DeleteWhich cycling group you would recommend for residents of bahria town Karachi?
ReplyDeleteI have not come across any cycling group that operates in Bahria Town Karachi. May be you should start a "BTK Riders" group :-)
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteIs there a good cycling group around North Nazimabad area ?
Thanks!
Thanks for visiting my blog Beenish. A dormant North Nazimabad Cycling group has recently become active again. You can check them out at their facebook page North Nazimabad Cycling Group
DeleteHi. I am 27 and I want to learn cycling. Is there any club that train adult females for it?
ReplyDeleteThere are only two options I know of and those are for Karachi city. If you reside in Karachi, you can either join "Critical Mass Karachi Junior" group or "GG Riders" group.
DeleteCMK Junior is for newbies of all age groups who are new to cycling. There is no "coaching" though as far as I know.
GG Riders have a cycling training arrangement for ladies via their Academy. Currently, the group rides are suspended due to COVID though. Their facebook page is GG Riders Academy"
Good luck in learning ....
Any cycling group in Garden East, khi?
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog. I am not aware of any cycling group organizing rides in Garden East, Karachi. Why don't you start a group there with a couple of friends? If you do, let me know the name so that I can add it here.
DeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteIs there any cycling group for korangi resident???
Thanks for visiting my blog. Sorry, there is no local group in Korangi, Karachi as far as I know. Korangi residents can join CMK rides that usually start from Seaview and Delawala Clifton.
DeleteAoa im looking for a cycling club in Rawalpindi for a special child, age 14 yrs, who loves cycling . I realize he can be a great cyclist...
ReplyDeleteW'Salam. Thanks for visiting my blog. To date, I am not aware of any cycling group in Rawalpindi nor any suitable for a special child. Maybe someone from Islamabad can help. Please visit Islamabad groups linked above (CMK Islamabad, MTB Islamabad) and ask around. Do post back here if you find any so that I can update the page to help out others. I will also try to find out through my contacts in the twin cities.
DeleteHello, I am looking for a cycle club near clifton do you know any?
ReplyDeleteFreeriders listed above do weekend rides from Paradise store Clifton. Other than that, you can join CMK rides as well. One of CMK starting point is Delawala Clifton.
DeleteAny group for gulshan e iqbal
ReplyDeleteGG Riders listed above are the only group known to me. They ride every Sunday morning from McDonalds Askari 4 to different destinations in Karachi.
Deletejoined requirements???
ReplyDeleteGenerally there are no joining requirements. Visit the linked facebook group pages for ride announcements and show up with your bicycle & helmet.
Delete