Cycling in London

[srw]

Experiences vary. I've been riding across zone 1 for 18 years in rush hour without a major incident, and with only two very minor ones. In all that time I've never seen an incident. For more on the risks of riding in London, google "Jo Wood denominator neglect".

Bikes on trains and some tubes are basically allowed outside of rush hour. The most popular bike in London is the Brompton, precisely because it's not subject to this restriction.

 

[Sittingduck]

It depends on which part you live in but there are plenty of green spaces and parks. As mentioned the traffic is generally used to a lot of cyclists. There is great countryside within reach and some good clubs.

 

[anothersam]

For more on the risks of riding in London, google "Jo Wood denominator neglect".

From the first google hit:

the consequences of not-cycling can be significant.

For me at least, the consequences would be trouble in paradise where I often struggle to stay awake
http://road.cc/content/blog/137152-country-roads-take-me-home-city

It's nice there are a fair number of us who love city cycling, and there are places like this to confess this sometimes guilty-seeming pleasure. Not to overstate my case, but almost every day I get to indulge is the

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fTUj9mfnUk

Assuming everything goes as planned, in a couple of months I will be moving from New Zealand to London.

Speaking of paradise, I sometimes wonder why anybody would leave NZ. Then again I've never been there; perhaps it isn't really full of friendly hobbits...?

 

[yello]

Speaking of paradise, I sometimes wonder why anybody would leave NZ.

OT but to answer from my experience; when you're in your teens, into music and realise there's no f-ing way the bands you like are going to make it to NZ (and then you scan the gig guides in NME, Sounds, etc and see there were bands playing every night in London), you realise that NZ is a long, long way from anywhere. Life seemed elsewhere. That said, NZ had a vibrant music scene in the late 70s and early 80s but you get my drift.

Many youngsters leave NZ for the "big OE" (overseas experience). So much so that it was considered a positive thing to have on your CV - as it indicated to employers that you weren't about to bugger off for 2 years!

As for hobbits, there are people in NZ that are heartily sick of the whole LOTR association. It's big bucks for tourism, for sure, but not all there is to NZ.

And now, back to cycling in London...

 

[anothersam]

I await confirmation from the OP that hobbit talk is painful to the oversize ears of all inhabitants of that island nation, but meanwhile, can somewhat empathise; when I visit relatives on the other side of the pond everyone assumes I know what Kate & Wills are up to. Similarly when I am here back in my home of many years people hear my accent and assume I don't know how to pronounce Leicester. I don't, but that's not the point.

Haha, good one!
Maybe I should try one of the Boris Bikes.

They're great, if you can get them out of their stands. Everybody else seems to be able to manage fine, but the first time I road tested one it flummoxed me. I was getting ready to take out my toolkit and disassemble the bike (something I can do just fine) when it released itself out of pity.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I live in SE London. Riding in central London is not to my taste. It's survivable though, if you are sensible and a bit lucky.

As @deptfordmarmoset says, a good idea for recreational riding to get a train clear of the urban grot. For example, go to Swanley or Hayes (Kent) and you have the North Downs, with lots of hills of varying size, the Eden Valley with lots of flat bits, the Ashdown forest with more hills, and a variety of train stations if you need too bail out. And that's just an example. There are the Chiltern Hills to the North, the Surrey Hills (very popular with cyclists) to the SW and the Thames Valley to the W. Or you could head S to Brighton (and back) and so on.

Edit: Or indeed to Hastings as @anothersam will tell you.

 

[biggs682]

there is no way i could or would want to commute in London , so you guys that do must be either mad or braver than me

 

[chubbo]

From the first google hit:
Speaking of paradise, I sometimes wonder why anybody would leave NZ. Then again I've never been there; perhaps it isn't really full of friendly hobbits...?

My hairy hobbit feet sweat too much in warm NZ weather, so I want to move somewhere colder...

But seriously, I am not actually a NZer (though I have lived here for the last 12 years), and want to move closer to my family in Europe. But not too close - that's why I am moving to the UK.

 

[chubbo]

They're great, if you can get them out of their stands. Everybody else seems to be able to manage fine, but the first time I road tested one it flummoxed me. I was getting ready to take out my toolkit and disassemble the bike (something I can do just fine) when it released itself out of pity.

Hehe, sounds like an adventure. I will try Boris Bikes out of interest, but will also bring my own bike across (Giant TCR). I suspect it is safer to swap between flat pedals for commuting in London traffic and clipless pedals for the park/out of centre cycling?

 

[anothersam]

The problem is that I will be working in the City and will live somewhere in Zone 1-2. I am mostly interested in cycling for exercise rather than simply commuting, and from memory (I lived in London when I was a student 10 years ago), central London is not a good place to cycle... Are there any good parks in London which are cyclist friendly?

I used to live in the City, where it was fairly quiet on weekends and therefore good if you're not keen on a critical mass of taxis etc. Hyde Park doesn't offer nearly the possibilities of Richmond Park mentioned upthread – you might get bored riding back and forth along the Serpentine & few other places cyclists are allowed – but it's in Zone 1 and pleasant enough if you don't mind slaloming around rollerbladers in much the same way they do with their cups.

I suspect it is safer to swap between flat pedals for commuting in London traffic and clipless pedals for the park/out of centre cycling?

Theoretically, yes, but it must be a very personal thing. I don't cycle anywhere without toeclips (though having said that, my usual London bike has clips but no straps…)

 

[Tin Pot]

Commuting to work in the City, every street is littered with the corpses of pedestrians and cyclists.

Basically imagine World War Z if the zombies drove cars.

At other times it can be a very pleasant way to explore.

Welcome to Laahndan mate.

 

[Hitchington]

There are a fair number of back street/off road routes which will get you around relatively safely and quickly. London has so many parks, so much interesting architecture and history that whether your commuting or cycling for fun every journey has the potential to be fascinating. I vary my commute to work because there are so many options. I steer clear of A roads (like the South Circular) and use shared bike paths and marked routes. Get yourself some of these and get exploring!

 

[srw]

Whereas all the experiences I've had in outer London on A roads have been fine, and many of the experiences I've had on residential roads and marked routes have been grim.

Just about the only outer London A roads I'd avoid are the obvious highways like the A40, A3, A4 and North Circular.