Cycling in Bristol tips

[rugby bloke]

My eldest lad will be heading off back down to Bristol this weekend for his 2nd year at the university. As he is living out of halls he will be taking a bike for his transport needs. It would be great to have any advice on:
A decent lbs in the city center / Whiteladies / Clifton area.
Any tips / advice / warnings for cycling in the city. His usual commute would be pretty much down Whiteladies Road to the University but I am sure he will be going further afield in search of craft cider etc.

 

[SWSteve]

Cycling in Bristol is pretty good, in rush hour the traffic is of similar pace to the pedestrians, so he should fly around. I would recommend a good lock, obviously, and to look for bike racks (they're everywhere, as are the fences next to the harbour which everyone seems to use when out of an evening). I don't know about a decent lbs that side of town, but I'm sure someone will be along shortly.

 

[Arjimlad]

I drop into Bristol regularly but don't use the bike shops there. A colleague spoke highly of BikeUK on the Triangle.. There's also Blackboy Hill Cycles at the top of Whiteladies' Road which sorted out a quick puncture repair for me when I use to work that way.

There are a lot of routes out of Bristol down into the Mendips, over the Severn Bridge into the Wye Valley, north into the Cotswolds.. National Cycle routes.. and the famous Bristol - Bath Railway Path and the Two Tunnels etc. So if he likes a leisure ride then there's plenty on offer. I used to ride from Redland out to Coldharbour Lane to UWE, on the roads (except in the snow) but this was over 20 years ago.

 

[rugby bloke]

Thanks for the advise - I've told him to get a shopping list together - decent lights, lock, pump, a couple of spare inner tubes. It may be an expensive trip to my lbs !

 

[Profpointy]

My eldest lad will be heading off back down to Bristol this weekend for his 2nd year at the university. As he is living out of halls he will be taking a bike for his transport needs. It would be great to have any advice on:
A decent lbs in the city center / Whiteladies / Clifton area.
Any tips / advice / warnings for cycling in the city. His usual commute would be pretty much down Whiteladies Road to the University but I am sure he will be going further afield in search of craft cider etc.

With the major caveat that I've not used them for servicing, bike-uk.co.uk are at the triangle at the bottom of whiteladies road / top of park street. They have been helpfull and knowledgable when i've bought bits and pieces and are staffed by enthusaists. They have a workshop in full view behind a counter which exudes an aura of being well organised and clean. I'd take my bike there I guess, unless anyone knows different

 

[vickster]

@summerdays is in Bristol

 

[summerdays]

I prefer Bike UK over Blackboy Hill Cycles... (apart from anything it's at the top of a hill that I used to walk as a student a few years ago ). There are plenty of others... get a cycle map - all the bike shops and libraries usually have them ... or you can view them online, and they have the bike shops marked on them... there is a large Evans in the centre too which is good for needing something fairly quickly. My friend's daughter worked for Bike UK for a bit and seemed to enjoy her time there and learnt lots of new skills too.

Whiteladies Road is fine though you can also drop into the roads to the East of Whiteladies Road. There are track pumps at various locations around the city ... nearest one to Whiteladies Road is by Clifton Down railway station if he needs to pump the tyres up to decent pressures.

Get a D lock ... basically loads of students don't so their bikes go walkies first. I've locked my bike up loads of times in the university area of town and it's always been fine, and there are always quite a few with cable locks. Obviously if its a really nice bike and they wanted that one they would go for it first but usually there is easier fruit around.

Loads of pubs...

Cyclist are common so even the badly behaved ones are generally tolerated though best to have lights to not annoy the rabid crowd that reads the local paper (which has been anti-cyclist in the past ... claiming to be a bit more pro at the moment).

Join the Bristol Cyclists facebook page.... usually get to hear about any problems via that, especially icy conditions in winter.

 

[captain nemo1701]

Not only get as decent D Lock but I would supplement it with a chain lock as an extra deterrent.

 

[summerdays]

Not only get as decent D Lock but I would supplement it with a chain lock as an extra deterrent.

He's a student .. it will be hard enough to convince him to carry the D-lock rather than the chain I suspect.... Honestly if it's parked with all the rest it should be OK... maybe he could use the chain whereever he locks it up at night.... but if he uses a D-lock he will be better than half the bikes in that area!!!

 

[vickster]

Make sure, if of value (and would cost more than a few quid to replace) , that the bike is insured and he complies with the Ts & Cs

 

[rugby bloke]

The bike is an old mtb, pushing 20 years old, so probably not worth a lot. But the faff of having to replace it certainly warrants a decent lock. He is sharing a garden flat so has an enclosed rear garden. I suspect the bike will live there overnight most of the time. Thanks for all your tips.

 

[Arjimlad]

PS I tried cycling in Bristol tips once, but the council staff made me get off & walk to the recycling station. I did get an old bike out of the tip once as well, did it up & enjoyed riding it about.