Who cycles to work from East Dulwich?

[willma]

Looks like the old Surrey Canal is a popular route with a lot of cyclists. I had a puncture along there a few weeks ago (the first one I've had for a long while). I was amazed by the number of cyclists who had the courtesy to stop and ask if I was alright and needed any help. What a friendly bunch of people there are out there!

[fluffy]

I have just started cycling from the top of Lordship Lane into Aldwych but haven't found a decent route...any suggestions? Any help at all would be really appreciated! It definately beats going to the gym and even in the rain and howling wind I still feel much better than being sat on the stuffy bus in traffic!

[Otto]

Hi

I cycle with my two children to and from school. We ride a tandem, my 6 year old son in the front, and my other 3 year old in a childs' seat in the back -- I'm in the middle. We go about two miles through rush hour kid-to-school-traffic from East Dulwich through Dulwich Village to two different DCPS schools. It is much quicker than driving, and, a fantastic way to get to school. We are quite slow as the children are heavy (it is all uphill in the a.m.), and I am terribly cautious, so it takes us about twenty minutes. Most of the traffic is well-familiar with the spectacle of three of us on a bike, and, even the buses are polite. We on rare occasion are forced onto the pavement as there is no way of staying on the road sometimes (construction, etc). When we are on the pavement we go at a pedestrian pace and are super-mindful. I have to use common sense as to what is safe for a 3 and 6 year old and it is a journey which requires utmost alertness and good judgement - e.g. I don't do it with a hangover, illness, etc...

oh - and the weather this week - please stop!

[Asset]

I've cycled from here to various places. I can't cycle at the moment and I do miss it.

I used to cycle to Westbourne Park/Goldborne Rd, which after Parliament Square is quite a nice route through the parks and down through Notting Hill. It took me just over an hour. My last regular cycle journey was only 20 mins to the Elephant and it is pretty crap doing Walworth Rd, it will be interesting to see how Wally Rd is after the roadworks are finished.

I have a Kona Kilauea and wear a mixture of civvies and cycling gear. I use SPDs which I too would recommend to everyone. I was nervous of them at first but they are so much safer and would hate not having them now. I'm not sure about helmets. I used to wear one all the time but I have stopped recently as there have been some studies to show that they can cause more damage and also that car drivers are likely to give you more space if you aren't wearing one. If I was off road I would wear one.

[cookie]

I've been cycling to work for over 15 years now. East Dulwich to Moorgate, then changed to Marylebone, then changed to Swiss Cottage. I've now bought a folder and cycle to Herne Hill for the train to Sutton. Mattham what route do you take to Sutton? If I buy a proper bike I might start doing it.

Had 2 broken hands and 1 broken foot though. 1 broken hand because of door opening into my path, 1 because of youths hitting cyclists with sticks on the way past and the broken foot when a lorry decided to pull into the pavement on top of me (counted myself lucky that time).

[mlteenie]

Poor Cookie! I am really saddened to hear of your injuries. Good luck for the future and don't give in!

[tarynlondon]

I've been cycling to Clapham everyday to work since Easter this year. It is so fantastic. Usually I'm faster than a colleague who drives which is great and I feel so much better for it. I'm sure I'm actually addicted to it! I really wished everyone would try it, as it's great for your health, your well being, your wallet and the environment. Just a quick question... I'm selling my car and I'm going to upgrade my mountain bike to a hybrid bike specifically for commuting. Does anyone have any advice? I'm happy to spend a fair bit (as I'll be saving on the fuel) and I've seen one bike so far with integrated rear hub which sounded great. Can't find too much independent advice out there though. Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks :)

[mattham]

I love the way cyclists fetishise their kit...kona, endura, specialized, XCR Hi Viz...I'm practically rubbing my thighs (and I'm not a leg shaver, honest). Chapeau to those riding fixed gear ? purists in the art. I asked about helmets before as I'm a bit of a geek in that regard ? seen a couple of bad spills in the past, bent bikes, blood all over the floor ? enough to make me want to cover up.

Cookie, my route to Sutton is through the village, down turney rd towards tulse hill; lancaster avenue into york hill/leigham court, over streaham common, into greyhound lane/streatham vale, through Lonesome, over Mitcham Common, past Mitcham junction station; just before getting to Hackbridge station I turn right and take the back roads through Carshalton/Green Wrythe Lane, eventually popping out onto main Carshalton road into Sutton. It's quite a green and pleasant ride for the first two minutes or so. Then angry suburbia.

Taryn, what kind of mtb do you ride at the moment? Have you thought about putting slick tyres on it? Not as much fun as buying a new bike but a lot cheaper. A modern, hard tail aluminium frame mtb makes a pretty good bike for London I reckon.

[mlteenie]

Mattham, I don't bother with a lid any more. The debate is endless and is down to personal taste IMO. Off-road, definitely, tho.

[Selma]

As there are so many of us that cycle in, maybe we should try a way to distinguish who we (i.e. East Dulwich forum readers) are- like tying a yellow ribbon on our bikes (very naff I know)

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

I have always cycled as my main form of transport, even used to cycle to Greys Inn Road from Elephant up until I was 7 months pregnant with my 3rd kid!

I cycled to Uni in Oxford Circus area for 3 years which took 20 mins from Elephant and 40 from ED.

Now I work in Walworth Road, so my commute is short, but I have Green Party and other meetings in Holborn, Bermondsey and other places and always bike it.

I have an old Kona which I bought new about 12 years ago. It's been hammered and has needed bits replacing recently, but is a strong and reliable bike.

I look like a tw@t nowadays, cycling in my suit and hi viz cycle jacket if I'm off to work or a meeting, the rest of the time it's tracksuits or combats etc. I've even got bright orange waterproof trousers to put over my suity stuff if it's raining but I don't bother with them if I'm not working. Can't get used to cycle helmets, I find them too restrictive so don't wear mine. I do wear a face mask if I'm going into town tho.

My baby trailer is great for carrying shopping back from Lidl, but I really packed it up the other day with a packed Panier too and nearly died getting up Crystal Palace Road!!

Agree with the frustration sitting on slow buses, and the boost cycling gives you in the morning.

[jonsuissy]

Can I join in here?

I walk from ED to Liverpool Street via Bellenden Rd, Sumner Road, Old Kent Road, Bermondsey, Tower Bridge, Minories and finally Liverpool St.

Takes 1.25 hrs and like the cyclists say it really gets you going. Have a shower at work and I'm ready to go.

Really love it in summer in shorts & Tshirt, even winter has its moments (still in shorts BTW!). MP3 player is my only piece of kit needed. The Archers omnibus is made for this journey.

Journey back home is even better. All streses and strains from office have disappeared. Only problem is I eat like a horse when I get home.

I'd highly recommend it

[djw]

I cycle from ED to the City. It takes me (in the warmer months only) about 20-25mins. Its 6 miles and very enjoyable. Hate buses though, I have been crushed into barriers on several occasions on the Old Kent Rd and Tower Bridge. Also, is it me or does every pedestrian in Peckham Rye push the idiot button in there brain around 5-5.30pm. I have had so many people walk out in front of me and on two occasions two different women have pushed there prams/buggies straight into my bike. They didnt even look, a bus could have been coming and they wouldnt have noticed very scary. One knocked me off, and then blamed me and said I could have killed her child!! Me, on the Road for Cars/buses and Bikes, her walking off a pavement without looking, madness.

[k hogan]

I cycle from peckham rye to bishopsgate every day via peckham, OKR and tower bridge.

I think people should own up to cycling the wrong way up rye lane outside woolworths. I know I do.

Everyone does it even though i is reasonably dangerous. The council should blatently put a cycle lane up there.

[[email protected]]

Great thread, it's forced me to write...

I've cycled from somewhere near East Dulwich to the City or Canary Wharf pretty much every day for 15 years. Even though I've been knocked down twice (once outside Kings, and this year outside ED KwikFit), I wouldn't give it up for anything (well, almost anything).

I also ride three lunchtimes a week, Wednesday nights with the local Dulwich Paragon club http://www.dulwichparagon.com, and Sunday mornings out to the North Downs. I race in the summer at the Tuesday night Crystal Palace Criteriums, and this year in the winter too at Hillingdon. I've also trained this year at the HH velodrome, some nights they allow 'normal' road racing bikes with gears and brakes on the track. In total, I manage just about 200miles a week, which is almost enough training for an old boy like to me to be a good beginner Cat4 racer.

I commute on a no-comprises titanium racing bike, with two-pairs of Amaradillo tyres (no punctures ever).

Did I mention I'm happiest when I riding?

R.

-

ps. the unfolding story of my desperate attempts to race are documented here -> http://www.lbrc.org

[djw]

yeah, i do cycle down Rye Lane the wrong way, but I always take it easy, if you bomb down there at any speed ur asking to hurt someone becuase the pedestrians dont look and nor should they really need to.

My experience on Rye Lane with the prams/buggies was opposite Macd's and the Station

[Doodles]

Been cycling in London on and off for around 30 years.. More off than on at the moment as my main office is in Manchester and the other at home. When I do get to cycle to work these days it tends to be to London Bridge - which seems to take me longer than anyone else here. I?m putting that down to starting in the upper East Side but it probably due to being old and heavy?

Three accidents, one my fault so I?m not going hot talk about it, one a passenger opening a door of a moving delivery van and another a passenger getting out of the back seat of a car at a queue for traffic lights. All a long time a ago, but an average of one every 10 years isn?t bad

Miss cycling so much now. Maybe I should start doing it for fun again!

Secret of successful cycle commuting? A shower when you get there.

[busybee]

I only cycle as far as KCH so i reckon i've got the easiest commute of you all ;-) Going up DKH certainly wakes me up for the day ahead!!! Everyone overtakes me though! I reckon those pedal clip thingies would help but I'm worried about falling off when I stop...

If I cycle into town I used to use the cycle routes, but i gave up on them pretty quickly and prefer to take my chances on the main roads now. I'd say pedestrians behave slightly more carefully / predictably on main roads.... My only accident was on a cycle route when a toddler ran out in front of me and we both ended up in a crumpled heap. We were both OK but it was the final straw for me.

[benmorg]

embellina, how can you not like waterloo bridge?! At dusk or night it's the best view in london, though you should really be watching the road and not staring out across the river..

[LostThePlot]

busybee Wrote:

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> I reckon those pedal clip thingies would help but I'm worried about

> falling off when I stop...

Don't be, they are fully adjustableso when you first fit them have them really loose to make getting the foot out easy. Then as a hardened pro, some two weeks later, tighten them up a bit and you'll have legs like Lance Armstrong within the month (Possibly)

Yes, they are well worth the investment, and a top tip (Given to me by man in cycling shop) is put your bike in the hallway and sit on it and practice unclipping your feet. At worst you bump into the wall with your shoulder. I did it, and have not falle....nah, not going to tempt fate!

[Asset]

Clipless pedals (usually known as SPDs) are really easy to use and once you get used to them (takes about one day) you will wonder how you ever did without them before. The downside is that you will need to buy shoes that clip into them, although these are available in numerous 'casual' designs. Shimano do an amazingly cheap set of SPDs for aout ?15 on eBay. I have used a pair on my commuter for about 6 months and they are almost as good a my ?80 set!

Mr Asset saw a femaile rider slip off her wet plastic pedals with her wet rubber soled shoes recently (are you on the forum?) as she climbed DKH going into town. She didn't hurt herself, and he prob freaked her a bit by recommending SPDs as they rode up the hill together, but guys, you know what the result of slipping off your pedal can be. Eyewatering.

The very important thing is to have someone experienced (eg. the shop that sells you them) set the angle of the clip (called a cleat) in the sole. Get this wrong and you WILL knacker your knees. I had to stop riding for two years once, and was considering surgery before I realised the problem.

They are particularly helpful as they allow you to pull up as well as push down, like toe-clips but without the faff of getting your foot in and out (or numb toes due to lack of circulation). Shimano SPD cleats come in two types: multi-release and single-release. I'd recommend the latter to a newbie, as you won't know the difference and your shoe cannot come out unless you want it to.

[mlteenie]

I like the idea of an easily identifiable ED rider's badge/sticker/ribbon(!?). Has to be good from the rear (fnarr fnarr).

[PinarelloFan]

Selma Wrote:

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> As there are so many of us that cycle in, maybe we

> should try a way to distinguish who we (i.e. East

> Dulwich forum readers) are- like tying a yellow

> ribbon on our bikes (very naff I know)

You could wear the very stylish official club kit of your local cycling club, the Dulwich Paragon [www.dulwichparagon.com]. But back to the topic, I cycle commute fairly regularly between East Dulwich and Victoria, alternating between a fast route (Camberwell New Road and Vauxhall) and a calmer route (via Addington and Cleaver Squares, Lambeth Bridge and Pimlico).

[mlteenie]

Are they as welcoming as Addiscombe?

[Oglandia]

McSporran Wrote:

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> I also cycle from ED to Liverpool street - down

> crystal palace road, bellenden road, surrey canal,

> and cycle route 22 through the back streets of

> bermondsey, london bridge, bank, old broad street.

> Takes 25-30 mins, but coming home in the summer

> was a dream, especially after a quick beer just to

> miss the traffic :-) My GPS thingy measures the

> route at roughly 9.13km. Quite a nice route,

> especially the canal (even dodging the pit bulls

> in the summer) - wouldn't mind if they extended it

> a couple of miles in both directions!

>

> I ride a single speed (gave up fixed wheel for the

> winter) Surly with really skinny GatorSkin tyres.

> Got my first puncture of the year yesterday,

> probably due to the heavy rain which washes all

> the nasty sh*t to the side of road just where

> cyclists cycle. Have ridden mountain bikes with

> road tyres over the years, but the road bike with

> skinny tyres make it a whole lot easier & quicker

> for me :-)

>

> I wear 'proper' cycling gear and I'm still in

> shorts, but it got a little cool last week! Soon

> I'll look like I'm cycling to the ski slopes.

>

> My route is usually quite uneventful until I get

> to London Bridge, and then it gets a little

> fraught, mainly with kamikaze pedestrians and

> converging traffic. So, I take it fairly easy

> from the south side of the bridge. I commuted

> from Surrey on a motorbike for years, which

> hammered home a self-preservation mentality and an

> acute red-mist awareness.

>

> Bendy buses - why?!?! Totally inappropriate for

> London's thin roads, and an absolute minefield for

> cyclists. That's why some genius thought of

> double deckers. Boris gets my vote on that one.

>

> Beats public transport by a non-country mile, and

> keeps you fit :-)

This is more or less my route (Oglander -> London Bridge) altho I finish up at Guy's. Been going to the river for coming up to 4 years, Millbank then L Bridge. 100% agree with McSporran about bendies. I drive a car & van a bit as well which I think makes me more highway code orientated - i usually stop at reds and always at zebras, pelicans etc. That said I cracked my radial head last year answering the phone (Mrs Oglandia got 'SorryI'mlateI'm on my w-aaaghhhhhhh!' [crump])

I refuse to wear kit. Christ I'm 43, it wouldn't be dignified. It's scary enough out there without middle aged men in lycra. I also refuse to wave, swear, shout and curse. I saw some guy really bawling out a school run woman on Old Kent Rd last week. OK, she cut him up ... but she had kids in there & they were all really rattled. Drivers p*ss me off sometimes but 90% are ok. They don't want to have to peel you off their cars.

I can't bear righteous crusading cyclists. Honestly, wind your necks in - you are still part of the most heinously resource squandering society ever.

I feel guilty slowing buses down