Trail Riding in Taiwan: Our Home Trails

DIRTLAB is based in Taichung, Taiwan — and while Taiwan might not be the first place you think of for mountain biking, it should be. With subtropical forests, volcanic ridgelines, and thousands of meters of elevation within an hour's drive of the city, our backyard is one of the most underrated mountain bike destinations in Asia.

Dakeng Trails (大坑步道)

The Dakeng trail system sits on the eastern edge of Taichung, carved into steep hillsides covered in bamboo and broadleaf forest. Originally built as hiking paths, several of the numbered trails (particularly Trails 1-5) have sections that have become popular with local riders. The terrain is technical — rooty, steep, and often wet. Elevation changes of 300-500 m per ride are standard, and the gradients regularly hit 20%+. This is where we test our suspension setups and climbing efficiency.

Heping District Backcountry (和平區)

Head east into the mountains and you enter a different world. The roads climb above 2,000 m into forests of Japanese cedar and cypress, with fire roads and logging tracks branching off into remote ridgeline riding. The views extend across the Central Mountain Range — on clear days you can see peaks above 3,000 m. These rides are long (40-80 km), remote, and physically demanding. We use this terrain to test battery range on our eMTBs and durability on our hardtail titanium frames.

Xinshe Plateau (新社台地)

The Xinshe area, northeast of Taichung, sits on a volcanic plateau with rolling terrain perfect for flow trails and all-day rides. The soil is a red volcanic clay that drains well compared to the lowlands, making it rideable year-round. Local farmers maintain trails between fruit orchards and mushroom farms, and the riding culture here is relaxed and welcoming. If you visit DIRTLAB and want a fun, accessible ride rather than an epic suffer-fest, this is where we'll take you.

Sun Moon Lake Area (日月潭)

About 90 minutes south of Taichung, the area around Sun Moon Lake has developed a proper trail network with signed routes and maintained singletrack. The terrain is undulating forest — less steep than Dakeng but with longer descents and more flowing trail character. There's a growing trail advocacy community here working to build sustainable, purpose-built mountain bike trails, and we support their efforts through sponsorship and volunteer trail days.

Riding Culture in Taiwan

Mountain biking in Taiwan is growing fast. The community is small but passionate, with group rides organized through LINE groups and local shops. Riders here tend to favor long, self-supported adventure rides over shuttle-served downhill laps. The climate allows year-round riding, though summer (June-September) brings heat, humidity, and typhoon season. The sweet spot is October through April — warm days, cool evenings, and generally dry trails.

If you're ever in Taiwan and want to ride with us, reach out. We love showing visiting riders what our little island has to offer.