Hi all. I'll be in Brussels for a conference in mid-September and will stay for the following weekend. While I'm happy enough doing 'normal' touristy stuff, it seems a bit of a waste not to do some cycling while I'm there. So, I have a couple of questions that I hope you can answer...

1. Bike routes - are there any routes/places that are not to be missed? I'm not willing to stay overnight anywhere other than Brussels because of my luggage, etc, but am happy to get a train elsewhere if that opens up other options.

2. I can't take my bike so will need to rent/hire one. Any recommendations of places that I can get one? Obviously the nicer the bike, the better. Also, if the hire place has English speakers, that would be a massive plus - sadly I don't speak any other language.

P.S. I've searched on the forum but could only find one relevant thread and the Pro Velo website mentioned is a bit rubbish - loads of missing links, etc.

Can't really help you with bike hire but....

Get a train to Oudenaarde and go to the Tour of Flanders Museum where they have handy maps of various routes, that are all signed on the roads too, which take in lots of the iconic roads and bergs. All are good.

The Museum is great too.

The Belgian trains website is easy to use for a timetable and staff at stations and in the museum speak good English.

Google bike shops in Oudenaarde and that may help for hire (at the risk of stating the bleedin' obvious).

Why not just take your luggage there, it's a lovely town.

You can put your own route togheter on http://www.fietsnet.be/routeplanner/default.aspx

In Belgium we have a system with numbers for cycling routes. Almost every bikeroad has a number, when joining the numbers you can make your own route.

There are a few bikeshop in Belgium that have some racebikes for rent, but i don't know anything in Brussel.

"Het Verzet" is a bikeshop with rentbikes, if you go by car it's +- 1u away from Brussel with the train +-1,5-2u. They have Specialized (carbon and allu) bikes.

http://www.hetverzet.be/home.php?page=8&detail=53