Just recently rode my bicycle from Xindian to Danshui township along the Danshui river. The bike path is now complete, one unbroken dedicated trail the whole way. Its a very long ride but quite nice. You can view the map in the link below. Note certain sections that are labeled unfinished are now finished. On your way to danshui, you will have to cross a big busy bridge but there is a dedicated bike lane on the side separted by a barrier from the cars (refer to map). Just take the staircase up to the bikepath on the bridge.

www.dot.taipei.gov.tw/ch/web/bicycle/bicycle.htm

Which bridge did you take to cross the Keelung (Jilong) River beyond Shezidao?

the areas in dotted pink around Muzha are - as the map says - underconstruction... but most of it is still rideable on the path on the 'dyke' wall things.

Poagoa, i took the ZhouMei bridge to cross the river. Thats the bridge i mentioned in my OP, with the dedicated path on the side.

I'm not sure what he did. I've ridden this before (about 9 months ago). It isn't straightforward.

For example, I started at the Xindian MRT Station. Obvious starting point due to MRT access for bikes on weekends, taking the one bike path that leads north (on the map).

From there one of two things happens, neither good.

1) You continue north until coming to the X__long Bridge (can't read it on the map) between the Xiulang and Jingmei Riverside Parks. If you go straight, not following the bike path on this map, you end up stuck on that peninsula that juts out from Jingmei Park to the north. Tried that. Rather than go back, I forded the river on the east side while carrying my bike. Before you say, "well stupid, follow the bike path," it isn't clear back near the bridge where to go when you're actually standing there looking around and Option # 2 below definitely looks to be the wrong direction. Plus, if you go straight ahead, you don't discover for some time that you're stuck on a peninsula. Having said that, I did enjoy riding around a bit on that peninsula when I was out there. Some old gardener shacks and garden plots.

2) When you get to the X__long Bridge, if you cross that bridge headed west (as the bike path shows), you end up riding around the north edge of Banqiao eventually toward the west and not headed north toward Danshui at all.

There of course are a few ways to do the Xindian to Danshui ride.

The longest way (short of going to Kending and back) is to follow that bike path on the map across that X___long Bridge toward Banchiao. On the east side of the bridge, that road that goes over this bridge is Muzha Rd (Rt. 106?). Once in Banchiao, and riding west along the river, take the large Dahan Bridge into S___________ (town just south of San Chong). Get back on the obvious bike path down on the river to your right. Follow that bike path mostly north. It eventually leads up to the Guandu Bridge. That is the bridge that I think Fanglangzhe is referring to in the original post, but I'm not sure. Cross the Guandu Bridge headed roughly northeast. Take the bike path that you land on toward the north (left turn). That bike path goes all the way to Danshui (with a break near an MRT station for a short distance. Just keep going straight and parallel with the station).

An optional way to do this long route is to bypass (not cross) the Guandu Bridge. Stay on the bike path into the Bali Riverside night market / boardwalk area. Once there, purchase a ticket on a boat to take you and your bike to Danshui (just across the river). Note: The first obvious boat ticket office (approaching from the south when riding) will only sell you tickets to Fishermans Wharf in Danshui. If you instead want to just cross the river and end up near the Danshui MRT station, ride farther north along the Bali riverside market path. Just about the point when the riverside market appears to be ending, there is a ticket booth on the left and a boat dock on the right. This company will sell you tickets to Danshui proper (just across the river).

The shortest way would involve two shortcuts or times off the bike path to connect to another bike path.

The first such shortcut would involve somehow crossing the Jingmei Stream (as named on that map) just north of the X__long Bridge. The Shuiyuan Expressway goes in exactly the right direction at the right point, but I don't know if there is a pedestrian path up on or under that bridge or not. Anyway, the Jingmei Stream needs to be crossed there somehow, even if a little farther south.

The second shortcut is necessary to cross the Danshui River in order to end up on the east side of the Danshui River (where Danshui is). Do that just south of Beitou and just after the Chongyang Bridge and Yanping Riverside Park. If you do not cross the river at that point, you will be stuck on a long loop (5-8 km) before returning to almost the same spot. Where you need to cross the river there is a large elevated road called the Zhoumei Expressway. It does in fact have stairs up to it and a walking/biking path over the river. After you get off of the bridge, look for the bike path under the expressway along the river. This has been under construction for a long time. Seems like it has been completed recently (but I haven't ridden it yet).

From there, no more shortcuts. Just follow the bike path along the east / north side of the Keelung (Jilong) River, through the Guandu Nature / Bird Park, and into the south end of the town of Guandu. Before you enter Guandu, you need to cross an obvious bridge on your left (the path ends, there's no where else to go). After you cross that path, turn left on the sidewalk and follow it. You will be across the street from the Guandu Temple at this point. As you approach the large food court (or just after it), turn left to head over to the bike path that follows the river toward the north. Stay on that path all the way into Danshui.

I'd like to know how anyone has done the Xindian to Danshui ride differently, and how they overcame the obstacles that I mentioned. Please use that same bike map (link in first post) as a common reference for this discussion.

I'd like to do this ride again in good weather. It was fun.

Yeah, if you start at Jinmei on the east side of the river to begin with, you will avoid the hassle mentioned above. Thats actually what i did so sorry for not being clear. As for Zhoumei expressway pedestrian/bike path, yes, its complete (contrary to what map says) and thats what i took the other day. All very straightforward.

I started from Xindian, rode up the east side, crossed at the Xiulang Bridge, rode up the west side to Fuhe bridge, crossed again, and rode up and around Shezidao until the dyke-top path ended; I saw a long motorway down the street across the river from the incineration tower with the restaurant on top and thought that the path ended, so I went back. It doesn't look like very pleasant riding, but if there's a continuation of the path after that I might just keep going next time. I've also kept on the west side of the river and gone around the bend to Tucheng where the trail ends on there; that's a pretty nice ride, or would have been if I didn't have an awful hard bicycle seat that cuts off circulation down there.

poagao

put a pic up or a link to yr saddle...

Not sure what you're describing when you say "long motorway". Could that have been the Zhoumei Expressway?

In any case, if you cross the river using the Zhoumei Expressway (which is the closest way back across the river to the Beitou side from Shezidao), you can take the new bikepath as described in my post above, all the way to Danshui.

Crossing the Zhoumei Expressway is pretty easy. You get on it where Yanping N. Rd deadends at the river. At that point, you're under the elevated expressway (across the street from another river bikepath). Just go up the tall stairs there (three levels I think). It puts you on a walking/biking path on the side of the expressway.