Cycling in Oulu

Cycling is a very common transportation way in Finland, and Oulu is one of the best cities for cycling regardless of the season - it has extensive paths that cover the entire city. In this blog, I tell you about the reasons why you can enjoy riding a bike in Oulu.
A bike in Oulu

Reasons to ride a bike in Oulu

It is convenient

Riding a bike is very convenient even during the wintertime. There are machines to clean the roads and bicycle paths early in the morning. Thus, you can see people enjoying riding their bikes in the snow. Also, it is easy to ride a bike in the evenings because there are many streetlights.

The machine cleans the road from the snow

Another reason why cycling is very convenient is that you can see the maps on the bike paths showing the current location, district names, and kilometers. Also, numbers show the main cycle routes to help find the way easier.

A map of a bike path

It is easy to buy or rent a bike

Finding a bike for a reasonable price is easy and there are many options to find it. Especially if you are an exchange student and living in one of PSOAS’ apartments, you can easily find a bike from PSOAS Bikes by easily accessing through the OmaPSOAS service. If you are not an exchange student, you can still find several bicycle options at reasonable prices through Facebook sale groups such as “Oulu Sale Point” or second-hand stores such as “Työpaja Cykkeli”.

A bike storage for PSOAS Bikes

There are several parking areas

Bike parking area

Last but not least, the reason why cycling in Oulu is convenient is that you can find many parking places in the city center, at university and where you live. For example, the city center has many free spots where you can park your bike. One hint about this: do not forget to lock your bike!

Also, the University of Oulu provides students and staff with a lot of parking spaces for their bikes. There is one main big parking area near the main door of the university. In addition to this spot, there are other spots near the other entrances to the university buildings.

University main bike parking area

These are the reasons why I think cycling is very common in Oulu. I hope you can find the best bike for you! :)

About the author

Olcay Ayoglu is from Turkey, and she is pursuing her second year in the master’s programme in Mineral Resources and Sustainable Mining. She loves trying new recipes, cycling, painting, photography, and experiencing new cultures, especially their food.