Cycling in London

snack_ie

Anyone any advice on cycling around London. Going to be moving over there next week, and definately plan on keep up the commute by two wheels.

What would it be like in comparision to Dublin - just that I heard it can be a bit crap.

Thanks.

petethedrummer

If Boris Johnson can manage it, I'm sure you can. He was nearly killed though. Mind yourself.

oflahero

Very high proportion of expensive bikes to BSOs over there, I'm used to seeing one decent bike in Dublin, for example, for every ten supermarket dual-suspension rustbuckets, and in London it seems higher than one for one. This also means a teethgrindingly high number of 'curated' fixies with all kinds of wanky accessories flying round the place. I was particularly put out the other day by spotting a Campy Centaur groupset on a Condor frame with Shimano hubs and SPDs (oh, and a Brooks saddle) locked up with an average-looking chain just by the frame.

London's got a far superior cycling infrastructure to Dublin; they really put a push on in the last couple of years to get people out cycling, and the cycle lanes really are good. Here in Dublin we were yodelling for years for cycle lanes, and now we have them we want to scrap them again because they tend to be in a worse state than an off-road trail.

Greenman

Did 5 years cycling in London 88 - 93.

Nice IMHO.

Obey rules ie traffic lights if you can.

Lots of dedicated cycle routes avoiding major junctions.

Cycling in Hyde Park is fun.

Where in London will you live and commute to?

When you get there keep us posted on the difference between London and Dublin.:)

Tau

I'm doing it now. I preferred Dublin.

There are a lot of big roads in the city here, it's a lot like cycling on the Quays. My experience of the cycle lanes isn't all that great, not much better than Dublin really. I might be in the wrong part of town.

There's a proposed "cycling superhighway" going past my house (a BJ initiative), but I'm not holding my breath.

I've also found the road surfaces suprisingly bad. Really bad. Big deep potholes everywhere. It's like the Burren or something.

Lumen

I haven't cycled in London, although I did commute by scooter for a few months.

For me the biggest difference is the style of driving attitude of drivers.

Drivers in Dublin are for the most part a gentle, slightly slow-witted species. In London, people drive much faster and more aggressively.

In Dublin, you might get run over because someone didn't see you. In London, you'll get run over because you're making someone 10 seconds late for work.

You need to up your game in terms of anticipation and reaction times, but it's exhilarating in a Rollerball (1975) kind of way.

stopped_clock

I did it for a year about 2 years ago.

Greenman - the congestion charge might have changed things since then. Within the charging zone, you share the road with taxis and busses to a greater extent with the pros and cons that brings. I rarely saw HGVs.

Some routes are nicer/safer than others, obviously. TfL do free cycling maps which you can order here. They colour-code the roads according to how busy they are. Not 100% reliable, but I'd recommend getting one.

papac

Worked as a courier in London from 87-92. Its grand if you keep your wits about you and probably a bit more cycle friendly now.

Route planning is essential.There may be a choice of routes-some will be much less stressful than others.If you post your commute I might be able to offer specific advice.

You need an Ato Z obviously but imo you should also get a good fold out map-even if you only use it at home.If you look at the pages of A to Z London looks like a confusing maze. If you look at a good map you will see that its laid out quite simply and it will seem less daunting.

Drivers in Dublin are for the most part a gentle, slightly slow-witted species. In London, people drive much faster and more aggressively.

Agreed. I would add though that I think Londoners are better drivers and more inclined to be on the lookout for two-wheel folk. They've all lost wing mirrors to motorbike couriers.(I've had a few myself:p)

If you really want to challenge youself- try going around Hyde Park Corner on a wet dark Friday evening in January.Doesn't get any hairier than that.:D

EDIT. Anyone living in London should own one of these imo.It will pay for itself over and over. (You need a pocket one too)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Master-Atlas-Greater-London-Street/dp/1843486016/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267610671&sr=1-1

Canis Lupus

I cycle here everyday. Have to disagree with the statements that drivers are aggressive. I'll admit London drivers are impatient but I rarely have issues from it. There are reasonable cycle routes and for the most part you can cycle in bus lanes. The road conditions are mostly okay but since that bad snow/frost there are some *1 way to China* sized potholes that have opened and are yet to be repaired.

As long as you're a confident cyclist then there'll be no issues.

high heels

Looks like the are bringing in a london bikes system... Which is great as Im hoping to get a job over there soon..

I wonder were they waiting to see how the dublin Bikes were doing before giving it the green light

lyders

oflahero wrote: »

Very high proportion of expensive bikes to BSOs over there, I'm used to seeing one decent bike in Dublin, for example, for every ten supermarket dual-suspension rustbuckets, and in London it seems higher than one for one. This also means a teethgrindingly high number of 'curated' fixies with all kinds of wanky accessories flying round the place. I was particularly put out the other day by spotting a Campy Centaur groupset on a Condor frame with Shimano hubs and SPDs (oh, and a Brooks saddle) locked up with an average-looking chain just by the frame.

London's got a far superior cycling infrastructure to Dublin; they really put a push on in the last couple of years to get people out cycling, and the cycle lanes really are good. Here in Dublin we were yodelling for years for cycle lanes, and now we have them we want to scrap them again because they tend to be in a worse state than an off-road trail.

+1

There are also A LOT more cars on the road in London than in Dublin and A LOT more lunatics driving those cars. Pretty much every time I've commuted (it hasn't been that often i suppose) I've had a near miss with a car just cutting across me (happened on my way to my bike shop just an hour ago!). I've also found that the roads are covered in potholes, some real nasty ones.

But on the other hand, London public transport is quite expensive, so there is definitely incentive to cycle. This week has been the first that the weather has been nice enough to do so.

Also, I've heard many stories about police giving fines to cyclist who break lights, cycle on footpaths ect. So definitely obey traffic law when cycling around here!

Tau

lyders wrote: »

London public transport is quite expensive, so there is definitely incentive to cycle.

I'd put this the other way around - in Dublin it took me an hour to get into town on the bus, or 20 mins on a bike. In London its pretty much 30 mins either way. (probably longer by bike)

Public transport in London is expensive, but its fast, and I'm finding that the big disincentive.

donvito99

petethedrummer wrote: »

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson broke my uncles leg...the fe*ker! (True Story)

ludermor

anyone recommend a decent bike shop for maintainance and general bits and bobs in North London ( Hampstead area)
Cheers

123MEE

Obey the traffic lights, I've seen the cops monitoring these and pulling cyclists for breaking reds; the schools often have mini-protests at cycling black-spots!!

beans

I'll be setting up in London toward the end of the month. Bringing the bikes over on the ferry

I'll have some comments on the experience in comparison to Dublin in due course, I'm sure. If only there were London Mountains to visit... I'll miss the drag up out of Laragh past Glenmacnas

2 Wheels Good

Good (free) maps available with cycle lanes etc, info here
And if you're there next month, the cycle show is on at Earls court.
Have done a bit of cycling over there. Back roads are fairly ok, just keep your wits about you, same as anywhere

nitrogen

I commute daily from North London to the city area. It's fine if you're cycling at a similar speed to traffic (30-40kph) as I usually take the lane when there is no cycling/bus-lane to avoid the aggressive assholes wanting to try and shave a couple of seconds off their journey time.

However when I go cycling with my wife, who averages below 20kph, I don't feel as safe with cars buzzing by me. I then also notice the discontinuity of the cycling lanes.

Positives include:

• You get to use bus-lanes.
• London cycling network has quieter routes (Maps seem to be currently offline) mapped out from the boroughs to central London.
• Richmond park is brilliant and Regents park isn't too bad for laps if you can't get out of the city.

Negatives:

• Biggest one for me living in North London is the lack of possible quieter routes for weekend spins. Going on a 25km journey to get to Surrey would take 90 minutes.
• Lack of mountains for training.

If there are enough Boards members living in London, maybe we can organize a spin some weekend.

El Vino

+1 on Board members spin in London,
Lack of mountains is a real downer but perversely I end up doing more mountain biking. Chilterns to the NW of London and and North Downs / Surrey Hills to the south are criss crossed with rights of way. Land access is fantastic compared to Ireland. A 30 min train journey from Marylebone or Waterloo can access these areas. I'm in Ealing and find I rarely use a car or public transport. Canals and river also good for traffic free routes.

Most shops are poor though -chains like Evans etc.