Interested in cycle to work in the City?

[jonsuissy]

I go over London Bridge and turn first left down Tooley Street. Carry on for a while and either go right down Tower Bridge Road or carry on and go next right (which is what I do).

Hope this helps (and let me know if you want more details)

Jon

[Cedges]

katanita Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Also would like to recommend the Southwark free

> lessons, even if you are an experienced cyclist.

> Had one recently to get some tips about

> maintenance and better technique (e.g. use of

> gears etc) and it was really useful. Learnt quite

> a bit even though I've been cycling for years.

> More info here

> http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200123/cycling/44

> 6/cycle_training/1 Can get them if you work or

> live in the borough.

Thanks for this info - I had a lesson this morning after seeing this link - lovely lass, one on one session, totally tailored to what I needed to learn with my experience levels etc and I could have had another if I needed.

Only bad news is Southwark have cut their contract with this provider who do the one on one lessons and sessions will be group in future and not therefore easily tailorable. She thinks she will still be able to book sessions for the next couple of months however especially for complete beginners.

I post this info as a separate thread too....

[Medley]

That's a real shame about the cuts - strongly encourage anyone interested to get the individual lessons, they were great for me.

[jonsuissy]

Anybody fancy a leisurely ride of about 20 miles on Sunday morning?

I'd suggest ED > Greenwich > Tunnel > Docklands > Tower Bridge and back.

Meet outside Co Op on Lordship Lane at 9.30 on Sunday.

Would be back around 12.30 - later if we find a nice tea/cake stop.

Please EM if interested

Jon

[woodland]

i have started cycling now and I seem to take a different route home every day - I come from trafalgar square to the top of peckham rye via Burgess park in the morning when it is light but I am yet to find a fast ish well lit way home - any ideas?

[Andredivic]

@woodland - I cycle from Tottenham Court to Peckham Rye so probably take a similar route. Assuming you ride via Waterloo I can recommend via Kennington / Oval:

or skirt the edge of Burgess Park:

The Kennington route is all wide roads with buslanes or cycle paths, feels very safe from a traffic pov and an "after dark" pov.

The Burgess park route has a few more backstreets and takes longer to learn, but is slightly shorter and less traffic fumes. I included the Barclays cycle route Elephant diversion, personally I ride the roundabout, don't think it's as bad as it looks - but wouldn't want to recommend it to someone who is new to commuting.

[Bryony82]

Hello,

I've been contemplating cycling to work, and this thread has inspired me even more! Can anyone suggest a good type/ make of bike? I have only ever ridden mountain bikes. I would like something simple to ride, this may sound stupid but does it matter if it's a men's or ladies bike?

And I will definitely be interested in joining a ride one weekend once I have bought it.

[Applespider]

Hi Bryony

I'd try buying a second-hand one to start with (or borrow a friend's, if you can) to see whether you get the bug. Then look at buying yourself a nicer one - check if your work takes part in the cycle to work scheme. The reason I'm suggesting this is that new bikes that are fairly cheap are generally fairly rubbish too and might put you off cycling. But if you buy a nicer hybrid (flat bar handles but thinner tyres than your old mountain bike), you might find that you fancy a road bike within 6 months and what do you do then? I was dead certain that I didn't want a road bike (drop bars) when I bought mine but sure enough, after I got comfortable riding, I wanted one!

It doesn't really matter if it's a men's or women's unless you really get into road bikes where the manufacturers claim that the geometry of the frame is more efficient. If you are particularly small or short-waisted, you might find the reach on a man's bike a little long (i.e. you feel stretched reaching for the handlebars) and if you have drop bars, you might find the brake levers on a man's bike a little big if you have small hands. For the most part though, go and try out a few sizes in a bike shop (most will let you go for a test ride) and you'll get some idea. I assure you, even if you end up with a second-hand one to start with, you'll likely end up spending cash in that bike shop at some point!

[jonsuissy]

Bryony

The way I got into cycling about 4 years ago was when I bought a very cheap mountain bike (around ?90). It lasted me a year when I used it every day to cycle to work. I then knew for sure I wanted to do it and bought a more expensive hybrid bike (as mentioned above) for about ?350 ish. Then last year I moved up another level and got a better hybrid, but also a mentioned above I now feel I need (OK want) a Road Bike. When will it end?

I do second everything that AS says above - "try before you buy" being the best advise.

Beware that cycling can become addictive though!

If you do fancy a weekend ride then please do let me know, either here or by PM.

[woodland]

@andredivic thats brilliant thanks. I have been trying lots of different routes - versions of these but these two are brilliant. I have done the elephant roundabout a couple of times - you're right it isn't as scary as it looks.

Your help is really appreciated.

[mikeb]

Bryony

Just to reassure you that it is posisble to be very happy riding a modest hybrid bike for years! Despite being slower / less glamorous, a hybrid has a couple of advantages over a road bike:

(a) often a bit more robust, particularly the wheels - which is a good thing given occasional unexpected potholes

(b) less desirable to potential thieves, which means you'll be happier locking it up in public when you're out - so you're more likely to use it not just for commuting.

Happy cycling!

[Bryony82]

Brilliant advice thank you everyone :).... I'm going to get a second hand bike and see how I go. Has anyone been to the ReCycling shop in Elephant. It looks great for a huge selection of used bikes...will start investigating bikes there.

[Annasfield]

Reviving an old thread. I'm seriously thinking about cycling to work and in all honesty I'd be doing it already if I wasn't terrified. I'm usually quite a confident cyclist, but having spent years on London buses and cringing watching cyclists over taken, etc it makes me really nervous.

My bike is over at my Mum's in her shed and would need a serious service before it's road worthy again. Does anyone know of any places where I could hire a bike for a week before spending a fortune and deciding it's not for me?

[ed_pete]

Depending on where you work and commute to perhaps you could start with just hiring a Boris bike each day to get used to cycling around the central London part. You could try in the Wanted section - there's bound to be someone out there with a bike that they don't use that regularly that would be willing to lend it for a week. You could also try the Southwark Cyclists forum - I think they have guides that will accompany you into/out of London.

http://southwarkcyclists.org.uk/

[pinecone]

make your route on google maps then share the link

[Gubodge]

You can hire a Brompton from Peckham Rye Cycle Hub for (I think) ?2.50 a day. It has the advantage that you can always bring it home on the train if the journey in is enough for you.

I built up very gradually to my commute. I started by just cycling to Brixton and getting the tube from there. It was a nice, safe pootle across Dulwich Park, Brockwell Park and down a few back streets at the end. Then I did the Sky ride, including the guided ride up to town, and that gave me the confidence to know the distance was no problem. So then I plotted a very quiet back route, and would wheel the bike across the unavoidable busy junctions. It didn't take long at all to gain confidence and regard Walworth Road as just a good way of getting my adrenaline flowing in the morning. Who needs coffee!

Although I've never had any problems with Elephant and Castle, there's a back route around it, up to Westminster Bridge, that is actually quicker as it avoids half the traffic lights.

[Gubodge]

This is my route https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zAO-nFVpa-OE.kLLjx_m9on7k

[granadaland]

Don't be terrified about cycling to work.

There are plenty of options to avoid bus routes/main roads.

(depending on yor destination...)

[Robert Poste's Child]

Hi Annasfield. I'm in a similar position in that I cycle happily around this area and into London at weekends if the weather's ok, but the thought of cycling to work in the city in rush hour is very daunting and I've never done it yet. I rarely make it as far as my local station on a weekday morning without feeling like I'm dicing with death due to the aggression of other road users (men on bikes are the cause more often than other vehicles).

In case it helps you, I've been told by colleagues to aim for Southwark Bridge as the cycle lane is properly segregated, unlike other bridges.

[bawdy-nan]

Annasfield - where are you trying to get to? I go into town and the city quite a lot and almost all of my journeys avoid big roads and bus routes. There's a very lovely route to the Elephant (via CP road, Adys, Bellenden, Surrey Canal Path, Burgess Park, Portland Street and then a choice of two bypass routes which take you around the Elephant without using the roundabouts.

Thereafter if you're going to Waterloo / West End there's a quiet route which brings you up onto the bridge and then over it back onto a quiet route and if you're going to the city you can follow a pretty decent "blue path" cycle superhighway along Southwark Bridge Road. Further east and you can take a slightly different (but still quiet) route which takes you over Tower Bridge and onto a segregated cycle path heading east towards mile end etc ...

I'm sure there are plenty of people here who could help you with your route or even accompany you on your first few forays envelo...

[Medley]

I've cycled in London since '06, most days. It can be scary - that's the reality.

However, it is also incredibly liberating - in terms of time, predictable journeys, money, fitness. Parking's no problem!

I strongly, strongly urge you to book cycle lessons through the local council - they're free - as a starting point. Riding a bike is one thing; riding a bike in London is another. The lessons start gradually, suited to you, and build up to busier/trickier junctions and roads.

Learning by doing has its place, but so does someone experienced helping you.

My one top tip - look people in the eyes. Pedestrians, drivers, motorcyclists, other cyclists if needs be. It's an instinctive human reaction that once they've looked you in the eyes - not just seen you, but looked you in the eyes - they properly acknowledge that you're there and consequently give you space. Told to me by my cycling instructor and boy oh boy does it work. Particularly with pedestrians - it's often as if they've been pulled back from stepping into the road by a bungee.

[rodneybewes]

Medley Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> My one top tip - look people in the eyes.

> Pedestrians, drivers, motorcyclists, other

> cyclists if needs be. It's an instinctive human

> reaction that once they've looked you in the eyes

> - not just seen you, but looked you in the eyes -

> they properly acknowledge that you're there and

> consequently give you space. Told to me by my

> cycling instructor and boy oh boy does it work.

> Particularly with pedestrians - it's often as if

> they've been pulled back from stepping into the

> road by a bungee.

Seconded, big time!

[nunhead_man]

Sorted out typos...........

Email for southwark cyclists is [email protected]

They are always pleased to accompany newbies a few times - they did that for me ages ago.

Also do not forget cycle training - err -

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200123/cycling/446/cycle_training

[Annasfield]

Thanks to everyone who has replied and especially those who have PMd and offered to lend a bike. I need to reply so will do later. :)

I'm based by Liverpool street so thought of going the back route through Peckham Rye and over Tower Bridge. I definitely wouldn't attempt the Walworth Road/Elephant & Castle or London Bridge for that matter.

[bawdy-nan]

check out http://m.cyclestreets.net for very good route suggestions - you can also get it as an app - MUCH better than tfl or googlemaps