While best known now for its celebrity-owned football team, North Wales’s biggest city has some great recreational cycling on its doorstep.

Wrexham was thrust into the media spotlight in 2020 when A-list Canadian and American actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney announced their intention to buy its non-league football team, Wrexham AFC. The team, the oldest in Wales and one of the oldest in the world, went on to win promotion to the English football league – a Cinderella story that was covered in the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham, which was shown on Disney+. Reynolds and McElhenney, having revitalised the team and perhaps the whole community, were awarded Freedom of the City in 2023.

Prior to this, Wrexham’s main claim to fame was that it had made some headway in reversing the post-industrial economic decline suffered by many British towns and cities. In the decades after the Second World War, Wrexham’s main industries – coal mining, steelworks, brickworks, breweries and the leather industry – collapsed, leading to high rates of unemployment. Yet it now has one of the largest industrial estates in Europe, with businesses ranging from the automotive and aerospace industries through to food and pharmaceutical companies.

North Wales’s largest city is handily situated, just over the border from Cheshire and with access to some big English cities and large parts of Wales; indeed, it originally developed as a market town. For cyclists it has some excellent recreational riding – both on road and off – on its doorstep. It’s no surprise that the Tour of Britain stage race visited the city in 2023. In terms of transport cycling there’s plenty of work still to do, although Wrexham does benefit from the 20mph speed limit that was brought in across Wales to replace most 30mph limits.

The best type of bike for cycling in Wrexham

Wrexham is a border city not just in terms of national boundaries but also geographical ones. It’s on a plateau in between the upper Dee Valley and the Cheshire plain to the east and the Clwydian Range of mountains to the west. While the city itself isn’t especially hilly, the terrain ramps up steeply on the outskirts, so unless you’re only riding to work and back you’ll want a bike with a good gear range. As ever, you’ll also need mudguards: Wrexham isn’t very wet by Welsh standards but it’s still wetter than most of England.

There aren’t many cycle tracks and bridleways in Wrexham’s immediate vicinity. There are lots of lovely country roads, however, and some fantastic mountain biking nearby. So for commuters who will also be riding for leisure, it’s a toss up between a road bike and a mountain bike.

The Merida Scultura Endurance 300 (£1,500 RRP) is a good example of the kind of endurance road bike that would suit cyclists in Wrexham. The riding position is more upright than a racer, thanks to a taller head tube, and it’s capable of running 35mm tyres, which will be much more comfortable on badly surfaced country lanes and city roads. There are hidden mounts for mudguards for year-round use. Yet it’s still a sporty bike: an aluminium frame and carbon fork keep the weight under 10kg, and it’s equipped with a good quality Shimano Tiagra groupset.

If you’d prefer a mountain bike, many hardtails costing around £1,000 or less can be equipped with a rear rack and mudguards for commuting. Off-road tyres are hard work on road, however, and commuting equipment can be a handicap off road – unless you’ve got a motor to help you. A fully equipped e-mountain bike like the Trek Powerfly Sport 5 Equipped Gen 4 (£4,500 RRP) can easily double up as a weekday commuter and weekend trail bike. Its high-torque (85Nm) crank motor and large (625Wh) battery will make city streets and hilly singletrack a breeze, and the bike’s geometry and suspension fork won’t be phased by technical trails.

Wrexham’s transport network

Wrexham has some larger roads you wouldn’t want to cycle on, notably the A483 dual carriageway that runs north to nearby Chester, but the road density is such that it’s not difficult to avoid this and other A-roads.

In common with many British towns and cities, Wrexham’s cycle network mostly consists of advisory cycle routes on quieter roads. There are some traffic-free sections, as Sustrans’s slightly outdated active travel map for Wrexham shows, but they’re not linked together into a coherent network. On the other hand, Wrexham County Borough Council does maintain a list of recreational riding routes that are suitable for mountain bikers.

Wrexham has good rail connections north to Chester and south to Shrewsbury and stations beyond. It’s also one terminus of the Borderlines line that runs as far as Bidston on the Wirral. The vast majority of Wrexham’s rail services are run by Transport for Wales, whose trains generally carry two bikes – with reservations recommended for longer journeys. Avanti West Coast runs a service to London Euston via Chester and Crewe, with four bike spaces and mandatory reservations.

Bus services are provided by Arriva Bus Wales, which accepts folded bikes (ideally bagged) and Stagecoach. Full-size bikes are “usually allowed on (Stagecoach) coaches which have proper luggage storage facilities”. On Stagecoach buses you can only take folding bikes aboard, and only if it fits the luggage pen and you can lift it in and out yourself.

Local rides in Wrexham

The nearest traffic-free leisure circuit for families to ride is at Alyn Waters Country Park, just outside the city. It’s a two-mile cycleway and sculpture trail that’s ideal for children on their own bikes. Not much further away there’s the Llangollen Canal towpath (NCN 85), which you can pick up at Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. It’s just over six miles along the towpath the pretty town of Llangollen, and the surface is firm and easily ridden on a hybrid. For families with mountain bikes – or those happy to hire them – there’s a non-technical green route at Coed Llandegla (see below).

Road cyclists are spoiled for choice. For easy rides, head into Cheshire. The historic city of Chester is only about 15 miles away by bike. Beeston Castle, which offers fantastic views of the surrounding countryside, is less than 20. For harder rides, go deeper into Wales. The formidable Horseshoe Pass, just north of Llangollen, can be incorporated into a loop of about 30 miles. Komoot has a good selection of other road rides in the vicinity. It’s worth joining a local club such as Wrexham Cycling Club or Wrexham Reivers if you want to explore further.

On top of the natural trails in the Clwydian Range, off-road cyclists in Wrexham have easy access to one of the best mountain bike centres in North Wales: Coed Llandegla. There are trails for all difficulty levels (green, blue, red and black), along with bike hire and a café.

Bike shops in Wrexham

Wrexham is the biggest city in North Wales so has a number of bike shops. Here are three of those most highly rated by Cyclescheme customers.

The Bike Shop Wrexham, which is near the A483 on Stanley Road, specialises in custom bike building and repairs. Road cyclists in particular have plenty to choose from – from brands including Bianchi, Cinelli, Tifosi, Cube, Merida and Orro. Cyclescheme customer comment: “Customer service was fantastic. I was helped by Phil through phone and email, communication was great. Everything was better than expected.”

Tweeks Cycles has a big online presence but also a huge bricks and mortar store (130,000 square feet) on the Wrexham Industrial Estate, just outside the city. Its top-selling bike brands are Cannondale, Cube, GT Bicycles, MiRider, Orbea, Raleigh, Scott and Transition. Customer comment: “Very fast response time. Bike delivered quickly after processing the voucher.”

Alf Jones Cycles in Gresford, in business since 1955, is now run by Alf’s grandson, Andy. It’s a traditional bike shop that also has a café with quality coffee. Bike brands sold include Adventure, Cannondale, Cinelli, Colnago, Giant, Kinesis UK, Liv, Momentum, Salsa, Surly and Whyte. Customer comment: “A proper bike shop with staff who are knowledgeable and care about customers.”

Keeping your bike secure in Wrexham

By postcodes of England and Wales, the wider Wrexham area has the 11th lowest rate of bike theft. The city itself is one of the few hotspots, however; theft levels are above the national average there.

Whether you live in the city or the suburbs, always lock your bike whenever you turn your back on it, ideally with a Sold Secure Gold or Diamond rated lock. Lock the bike through the frame to a sturdy piece of street furniture or a dedicated cycle stand. If you have a high value bike or will be leaving it locked up for an extended period – for example, overnight – use two locks.

The vast majority of bike thefts take place not on the street but in ‘semi-private’ locations at home. That means on your property but not in the house – for example, a garage, shed or garden. Lock your bike to a wall or ground anchor if it will be in one of those locations. Alternatively, park it indoors.