Barcelona is known as a place for whiling away the hours as you stroll along Las Ramblas – and the fact that the scaffolding-clad La Sagrada Familia still isn’t finished after more than 130 years, and, of course, FC Barça. But sick riding trails? Nope, not one we’ve heard before.

My colleagues and riding mates couldn’t believe their ears when I suggested making the Catalan capital the destination for our next bike trip. So what did I promise them? Amazing trails, seriously beautiful views, and a cultural mélange for post-ride hanging out that would make even the hippest Berliner jealous. Oh yes, then there’s sun, sand, and the sea.

Sound like paradise? For sure, but only if you’re aware of the city’s murkier districts and the dangers of diving into an urban metropolis. But more on that later …

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Leave the guidebook at home!

New city, same old story. Unbury your head from the guidebook, stop scrolling through tips on the internet and limiting yourself to the must-sees – there’s so much more to Barcelona than Gaudí, tapas and fiestas. Guidebooks aren’t likely to point you towards the city’s super-cool subcultures, direct you into areas that are thriving with creativity, or even mention where the latest in district is. So where’s the best place to really get to know a city? Certainly not in the tourist traps, so befriend some locals and check out that bar on the corner!

Fortunately for us, we can rely on Philip, a German friend turned Barcelona resident after swapping Germany for a new life on the Med, where he’s opened three organic ice tea shops in the city centre. A keen rider that’s good mates with the freeride legend and winner of Red Bull Rampage, Andreu Lacondeguy, Philip was the ideal person to fill the space left by guidebooks.

Fortunately it’s never too busy, you’ll be glad to hear, as for many it demands too much hard work to drag your way uphill for twenty minutes, constantly battling the city’s heavy traffic.
“Fortunately it’s never too busy, you’ll be glad to hear, as for many it demands too much hard work to drag your way uphill for twenty minutes, constantly battling the city’s heavy traffic.”

Barcelona has an innate ability to prove that big cities don’t necessarily mean a lack of riding. Built on the side of a mountain, it boasts certain topographical peculiarities and some mean views from the beach up towards Tibidabo Mountain in the northwest. Consequently, it’s easy to orientate yourself, as essentially any downhill-sloped road is likely to take you towards the coast and the lower part of the city centre. However, the mountain is where the action happens; there’s not only the odd juxtaposition of a neo-gothic church next to a fairground, but it’s also the starting point for some amazing and technical trails.

The Tibidabo is also the locals’ chosen spot to escape the city below, and the summit can be crowded with couples declaring their undying love for each other as city life continues at their feet. The Collserola, the mountain’s park, doubles as a free and breathtaking outdoor gym for those more adventurous athletes looking to escape the sweat-fest at the gym and instead turn to high-end bikes or trail-running gear to get their workout fix.

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Fortunately it’s never too busy, you’ll be glad to hear, as for many it demands too much hard work to drag your way uphill for twenty minutes, constantly battling the city’s heavy traffic. However, with an E-MTB the fun can start right in the centre of the city, as the crowds cast curious glances while you ride by with ease, wondering just how you’re conquering the city’s climbs so effortlessly.

And with each metre climbed, it isn’t just the views that get better and better – but also the fact that you’re essentially fleeing the hustle and bustle of the city. Granted the sense of being in another world entirely, the satisfaction of dropping into the rocky, technical trails from the summit of the Tibidabo is unbeatable. This is still just a stone’s throw from the city centre, but it’s an oasis of peace and tranquility.

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Well, sort of. There’s a faint whirr from the motors on our E-MTBs as we ride back up the mountainside to take another trail. It feels like the options are almost endless, and it’s confirmed by the locals we chat to. But don’t take our word for it – take a look at Strava’s explorer mode and you’ll acknowledge that it’s a veritable trail paradise.

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As a city, Barcelona is as multifaceted and contradictory as the summit of the Tibidabo. While Las Ramblas is crammed during the day with artists and tourists enthusiastically soaking up the tourist-friendly version of life in Spain, locals do their utmost to avoid this spot, and at night it’s a whole other scenario with prostitutes, revelers, and the police. Yet despite the city’s shady nature where no handbag is safe, tourists from across the globe add another exciting dimension to a life that plays out amongst such impressive architecture.

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As the trails dip down towards the city, we dive headfirst into this mélange of cultures while the sandy ground and nasty rock gardens do their best to exert their dominance on our tyres. Ours manage to get away unscathed, but you’ve got to be alert. The final third of the trail gives us some welcome views as the trees part to open up the city and the beach below, and there are enough attractive runners around to make concentrating hard.

The trail spits us out near the Avenida del Tibidabo, and we let our hunger lead the way down the street, taking us past the famous Grácia neighbourhood towards Plaza Catalunya, where we turn down a side street just before La Rambla begins. As you’d expect, the best places to dine aren’t located within the tourist traps, and the side streets are where you want to be heading.

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A burger or the Menú del Día?

Spain is famous for its Menú del Día, which translates as menu of the day. For anything between 8 and 12 €, you can expect a two-course evening meal worthy of a prince in most restaurants, and you’ll even get a dessert (postre) and coffee – try ordering a cortado, an espresso with a splash of warm milk. Bar Lobo is somewhere that we’d definitely recommend.

Then, of course, what trip to Barcelona would be complete without a jaunt down to the beach? As our friends in Germany and the UK still gazed out over a carpet of snow, we couldn’t resist sending a few sun-drenched selfies back home.

On the way back we keep the gothic district on our left as we ride towards the neighbouring district of El Born, more than ready to enjoy a freshly-made ice tea at Philip’s Refresca tea shop. Right now El Born is the city’s coolest area, with an active and super-trendy creative scene within the historic buildings and some seriously tasty little restaurants that retain an air of exclusivity and offer food from across the globe: think the best Sicilian pizzas, southern Asian cuisine, modern takes on tapas, and craft beer bars with up to twenty beers on tap. In short, everything to drive a food and drink aficionado wild. But as we’re seeing in other cities, the cooler a district gets, the higher the rent shoots up. This is gentrification in full flow.

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Travel

Barcelona is a dream, but as with anything, there’s always a catch. Airplanes won’t take e-bikes yet, so you’ve got two options: drive to Barcelona, or send the battery directly to your hotel in the post. Take note: don’t leave anything in the car whilst in the city, and make sure you park in a secured hotel car park if possible. The time it takes to break open a lock varies from district to district. If you stop for a coffee in the inner city, then always keep a keen eye on your bike and backpack – handbags aren’t the only thing to go missing in Barcelona.

We can’t give any more definite ‘official ride routes’ as the city unfortunately doesn’t have an official riding network, although mountain bikers are a largely accepted bunch.

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Read more e-MTB travel stories at ebike-mtb.com/en/trails-travel


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Words: Robin Schmitt Photos: Christoph Bayer

About the author

Robin Schmitt

Robin is one of the two founders of 41 Publishing, a visionary and go-getter. While he now enjoys every second on the bike – whenever his busy schedule allows – he used to race against the clock at enduro events and a few Downhill World Cups. Besides that, Robin practises kung fu and Zen meditation, plays the cello or with his dog (which actually belongs to his girlfriend), travels abroad and still reviews numerous bikes himself. Progressive ideas, new projects and major challenges – Robin loves exploring undiscovered potential and getting to the bottom of new trends.