Cycling in London

samwell

Hi,

I'm an aussie who will be moving to the UK in the next few months. I think I will probably end up in London as there seem to be more work opportunities for me there. I just wanted to get some idea of how easy it is to ride your bike around London. I have probably been pretty spoilt in the past as I have lived in 2 fairly bike-friendly cities (Canberra and Melbourne)....

A few things I would like to know if anyone can help:

* Are there any areas that are more conducive to cycling than others?? Any popular routes that attract a lot of cyclists every weekend/weekday morning??

* Are employers there generally open to cyclists by providing things like secure parking and shower/change facilities??

Any other tips you have would be much appreciated......

Cheers,

Sam

njeitner

Hi Ya dude,

Welcome,..... The first thing to be aware of is that you have been spoilt! I left Oz with a chip on my shoulder, couldn't get away from the place quick enough. But after 6 months I really appreciate what I've left (as a cyclist).

Don't get me wrong, this IS a fantastic place, but for a cyclist it's a closed society and the oppurtunites for "real" riding are few and far between. Many weekends are spent on 300+ weekends just to get some decent K's in the legs. That's not because the roads are so good, but just to get to somewhere half decent to ride. The real benefit to being here is that the continent is only 3-5 hours aways. Mount Ventoux only took 6 hours... F**king brilliant.

I'm probably being a bit hard, there are places to ride locally, but just don't try and experience what you have in Oz here. You WILL be disapointed (no offence meant).

Invest in a decent single speed and you'll atleast get some good spin technique in.... :-)

frogger

London is not so bad. But, maybe I just got used to it while I was there. It is nothing like other more cycling friendly countries. But, I have seen worse. Every employer is different in regards to their policies. My first employer had nothing, my next had locked facilities/showers and a free bar .

I think it would be hard to coordinate a flat and finding somewhere to work that is cycle friendly and a cycle friendly area all at the same time. I think you will just have to do what most of us have or are doing. Work with what you get. There are lots of sign posted routes and some free maps about that you can grab. If you dont mind going off your route a bit you can sometimes find alternate routes for a more peaceful ride. For example, I used to use a canal tow path to go from hackney to kings cross which was about 1/3 of my journey. The rest of the journey was hell .... I think you will learn to enjoy the adrenalin...

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