No cycling boom around here

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Pale Rider

Legendary Member
Is the so-called boom in cycling largely illusory?

I reckon it is in my patch of the north east - Tyne and Wear and County Durham.

There are no more cyclists now than when I returned to cycling about four years ago.

I use the C2C path a lot, which as a key national challenge route, one might expect to be busy both with locals and those doing the full ride.

Routinely, I can trundle up it for eight or 10 miles and only meet a handful of cyclists - and sometimes none - coming the other way.

My mate Chris has a good handle on this, he rides most days and manages my local bike shop.

He told me he sees fewer cyclists on his travels, and most of the shop's customers are regulars who have been using the place on and off for years.

I've less of a handle on roadie numbers, the handful of local clubs seem to survive OK, and there has been a couple of new ones open in the last few years, so that might indicate a small increase.

The guy who runs the bike shop in Leyburn, north Yorkshire, told me he saw a blip just after Le Tour, but most of those new roadies no longer ride, so he's back to his core of mountain bikers.

That there London is an exception, @ianrauk posted a report saying there are now more cyclists on Blackfriars Bridge than car drivers.

When I cycled a bit in the West End in the 1980s, it was me - on my Raleigh Marauder - a few couriers, but not many others.

Sales figures from Halfords - down - give a good indication of the national picture.

So apart from London, I reckon there are fewer cyclists compared to four or five years ago.

What are numbers like in your area?
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
It may be that it's localised? But I would say in Bristol there has been a big change in the 10 or so years since I made may return to cycling. My two main commutes both go along busy paths, the other day on the ring road path just where it crosses the M32 I was in a queue of at least 10 cyclists waiting to cross the Motorway slip road. And during my morning commute I would say that I'm never out of site of cyclists except on really small backroad routes.

I also see kids cycling to school regularly, teens on their own, or younger quite small kids accompanied by their parents.

If I'm out during the day then the mix of cyclists changes, and they seem to be more utility cyclists, and the percentage of female riders rises, though I see females on my commute too.

So I disagree with your drop in numbers, at least in my locality.
 
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screenman

Legendary Member
Our club numbers are up each year and the shops are busy, Giant have recently opened their largest store. The roads are busy with cyclist and most events over subscribed.
 

steveindenmark

Legendary Member
You know what, we should organise a CC holiday in Denmark so you can see what its like here. I was out in my garden yesterday and every type of bike went past. This happens every sunny day around here. During the week we get lots going by after work.

I had dozens of road bikes, a few peletons, lots of electric bikes, kids on attachments being dragged by dad, cargo bikes, 2 very heavily laden tourist bikes, a guy with a hand bike and a recumbent.

Cycling is alive and well in Denmark.
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
It's become mahoosive here in Oxfordshire. Our Freewheeling Thursday evening rides saw 50 or so turn up last week in little Abingdon. Neither are we the only club in town and OT get big numbers too without much crossover between the two. Our MTB scene is also growing like topsy. Add the Oxford city road clubs, Didcot Phoenix CTC and the Tri club that's a lot of cycling going on.
We have 4 bona fide bike shops in the town and a local bike builder.
There's also a lot of commuting and utility cycling too.

Compared to 5 years ago the difference is ginormous.
 

Rohloff_Brompton_Rider

Formerly just_fixed
It's massively changed up here in the hills of Rossendale. I put it down to Strava, that can only be the reason why MaMiLS are killing themselves up Manchester Rd from Burnley.
The numbers seem to have gone from occasionally seeing someone else to seeing 30 or 40 on a sunny day.

I don't like it! Get off my hill!! Only joking, though the 4 abreast 'clubs' are getting the locals annoyed / worried. Tbf 4 abreast on a road with at least one death a year from RTA's isn't going to win the Darwin Award for survival.
 

Hill Wimp

Fair weathered,fair minded but easily persuaded.
Big change down here on the South Coast from big Tri teams and MAMIL pelatons down to people just doing their shopping. In fact i see more ordinary cyclists commuting, shopping and leisure cycling than i do fitness cyclists. The local council can't keep up with the requests for more bike racks in the town and every coffee shop, and there are lots, seems to have cyclists in there. We even have a dedicated cyclist cafe which is getting a little workshop added to it on the seafront on National Route 1. Not forgetting the cyclopark with it's tarmac track and mountain bike courses. It's great.
 

matiz

Guru
Location
weymouth
The numbers are definitely on the up down here,there seems to be a lot more family groups out on the cyclepaths and there's a big increase in e-bikes,more holidaymakers are arriving with bikes tied onto there cars and caravans ,even the local druggies get there supplies delivered by bike.
 

Brandane

Legendary Member
Location
Costa Clyde
West/Central Scotland, it is still very much a minority sport. I can go for a 50 mile ride and might see a handful of others. Outside of Glasgow, commuting by bike is non existent, and from what I see in Glasgow it is rare.
The reasons I would suggest are mainly the harsher weather, terrible road surfaces, hilly terrain, narrow and busy trunk roads, and to be controversial - the image of cycling generally.
Even I get narked at the comments I get from strangers (and riding buddies too) regarding my non wearing of a plastic hat; and I do sometimes feel a bit out of place on my road bike because I don't wear lycra uniform. Hence why my MTB gets more use than it really should!
 

Broadside

Guru
Location
Fleet, Hants
I'm in Hampshire, when I strated back cycling in 2008 it felt like it was me and a few others out on the roads. The big change has come in the last 4 years, I know of 10+ people that have got back in to cycling in one local village.

The country lanes at weekends are at times very busy with cyclists, it has been great to see. We have two new bike shops nearby and the main shop in the area Pedal Heaven got massively revamped about 5 years ago.
 
In the last few days I've had trouble finding somewhere to park my bike in Richmond (upon Thames), Regent Street and Oxford. Kingston (upon Thames) Wheelers are closed to new members.

Yesterday I took a long ride through Berkshire and Oxfordshire, and saw lots of other riders. Lots of lycra - but mixed sex so not strictly mamils, some families and lots of couples on hybrids. And so many waves I barely had time to get enraged at the ones who didn't (@ianrauk)

Staying in Abingdon, so a wave to @Fab Foodie, too.
 

Dave7

Legendary Member
Location
Cheshire
This is only my 3rd year of cycling but I believe there more cyclists than last year.
Went out yesterday.......26 miles. First 15 were on the road........cyclists everywhere (mainly flying past me :smile: ).
Came back on TransPenine expecting even more cyclists but there were surprisingly few. Weird really.
 

Venod

Eh up
Location
Yorkshire
In West Yorkshire/South Yorkshire its boom time for cycling don't know if its TDF and TDY that has brought this about, we used to have one main club, now there are three to choose from all with healthy membership figures, plus all the people who are not club members, there are group rides on nearly everyday of the week if thats your thing.
 

Dirk

If 6 Was 9
Location
Watchet
Definitely still booming in North Devon.
We've got 4 'proper' bike shops, Halfords and a second hand/repair shop in Barnstaple alone - all are busy.
Always see loads of cyclists out and about, covering the whole range - BSOs to ten grand carbon, cruisers, MTB, hybrids and BMX.
The club scene is very active with several available.
We've got 30 miles of off road Tarka Trail for those who want to avoid traffic or ride on the flat. We've also got hills aplenty and some stunning scenery.
All in all, it's probably as good as it gets.
 
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