Cycling London

Yo dudes,

I'm gonna be in London for the next 10 days.

How do i shot bike? Any recommended rentals?

Where do I go?

Keep it real,

Steve Shasta

lcc list of hire shops

http://www.lcc.org.uk/documents/bike%20hire%20shops%20london(1).pdf

Ah, thank you Ed.

Also, worth going into tube stations in your area, as they've got maps with the best routes for cyclists in London. Still dangerous as hell, but it should serve to keep you off the real nightmare roads.

Many thanks to you. I'm staying near Russell Square off Gray's Inn Road. I've ridden in Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, NYC, LA so I'm hoping it's not that hellish. Will report back as soon as I'm mobile.

I've ridden in Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, NYC, LA

Sounds like it'll be a breeze. Have a good one!

Bike shops in the area are Bikefix on lambs conduit st, which specialises in folders, recumbants and cargo bikes and Condor on Gray's Inn Road asuming they have finished their refurbishment. The couriers no longer really drink at the big duke (my old home) on clerkenwell rd, they are more likely to be found at the foundry, between great eastern and old streets. You should have a drink in the little duke on roger st which is a favourite of several of this parish.

I was in Condor last week and I think they are still yet to have their refurbishment.

It's a fine city to ride in. You can't take bikes on any of the tube lines that go underground, though. Here's a map of where you can:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/Cycling/bicycles-map.pdf

[10:38] cmw: I am really not into pub culture
[10:39] cmw: i am anti-pub girl
[10:39] cmw: i sort of hate them
[10:39] cmw: and the people who hang in them

oh dear...

oh dear

well then.

While you're in London watch out for the dickhead who tries to get off his bike, unclips one of his feet from its pedal, and by lightly putting his foot on the pedal manages to clip himself back in again and topple over.

Right, I'm off to brutally scrub at my grazed knee with a grubby hanky and a bit of spit.

I apologise profusely for laughing.

i tried to hire a bike while in london, but the only place i could fine rented cheezeball hybrid cruiser bikes. still fun, tho. if you want to rent a fixie off someone, try http://www.londonfgss.com/ you may be able to work something out, or at least get some beta

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-10810869

Is this being discussed? Saw a few of 'em on Great Marlbrough Street this morning and i lieks.

London Mayor Boris Johnson officially launched the scheme at 0800 BST in Jubilee Park on the South Bank but the system went live at 0600 BST.

He said: "Londoners have awoken to a new dawn for the bicycle in the capital.

"Overnight racks have been filled with thousands of gleaming machines that will transform the look and feel of our streets and become as commonplace on our roads as black cabs and red buses.

"My crusade for the capital to become the greatest big cycling city in the world has taken a gigantic pedal-powered push forwards."

London Assembly Green Party member Jenny Jones said: "The bikes should have locks and bigger baskets. A target date should be set for people to be able to use Oyster (travel) cards to pay for the bike hire.

stfu Jenny Jones.

Don't really see the point in having a lock, just put it back in another docking station, get another bike when you're done. If you really want to worry about finding somewhere to secure a bike and hope it's still there when you come back, buy a bike. It's part of the fun (otoh it might force London to wake up to the fact there relatively few secure cycle parking locations around). The bikes are free for the first 30mins (apart from the access/membership fees) so why would you want to keep one longer? A proper basket would be good though.

I think the Oyster thing sounds sensible, but I don't want to have to put a £300 deposit on my Oystercard tbh.

Saw a few this morning, they do look very heavy, and I was wondering what happens if, say, you get to a station in time, but there's no room, so you have to go to one of the other ones nearby. Is there any leeway? (Go to the website Gamaliel).

From a slightly pious cycling safety stance I worry slightly about people hurrying to get to a docking station before their 30 mins is up as well.

yeah you get +15 mins if your destination station is full.

Right, thanks ledge.

bikes for similar schemes in paris + lyon are heavy too, would guess it's just to deter theft.

Yeah, durability as well. No problem with at in the slightest, wouldn't expect carbon frames or anything. But did see one girl this morning and I wasn't sure whether she was going to achieve motion. (Some problems with brakes being overtight apparently, so maybe that was it).

I still think that, having seen the way people drive, if you cycle in London you are borderline insane and Boris's bike scheme isn't going to make me change my mind.

I feel not too bad on London roads, and cycle most days from Stoke Newington to Brentford across the centre, in rush hour. Half of it is making sure you don't get shoved on to the margins on the roads and generally taking your time. That said, two days ago, on my way home, while waiting at red lights drivers drove into my back wheel on TWO different occasions, the first quite deliberately, the second perhaps accidentally (but how). I was still shaking with rage two hours later.

They hit one of those new bikes they'll stove their bumper in tho.

Only wusses cycle.

I was out in the West End last Saturday at 2.30am & that is already a scene of hell - drunks, very drunks, buses, cars, RICKSHAWS – and I tried to imagine what would be happening once you added carefree revellers on very heavy bikes into that mix. Deaths, was my conclusion.

I'm a slightly irregular London cyclist - love my bike & pootling around, but don't often commute (bus reading time + laziness + cowardice) - and think the new stuff is looking good. I won't try the rentals till I know it's all working properly (I'm just assuming as big British public project, it'll start broken, & I'll be charged for 8 lost bikes after renting one & returning it properly), but took a look down Cycle Superhighway 7 at the weekend and liked it - clear, wide-ish, visible, Elephant bypass looking a bit more assertive.

Seen a couple of people on the new bikes. They looked happy. Fiddled with them a bit at the stands near my office. They're nice and solid.

casual (turn up and go) access is "coming soon", membership (no fee necessary) is supposedly available now but i just tried twice to sign up and it failed. so i dunno how all these people using the bikes now got hold of them.

Registration's been open for a week. From what I've read today it's been easier to sign up on the 'phone rather than online.

I've been really cynical about this for ages, so didn't register (plus I've already got a bike, so couldn't immediately see the point), but last two days I've been going out after work and realised I could've used a 'casual' bike to cycle between work and pub or wherever. Seeing trailerloads of bikes been driven about to fill the racks up was quite moving, in a way.

bona fortuna london. i see the denver bikes all over town. tbf central denver is pretty ideal for riding- flat, dry, on a grid.

http://denverbikesharing.org/
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/going-green/24430531/detail.html

they're trying this in melbourne. two factors getting it off to a slow start imo - i) lol winter, ii) lol mandatory helmet rules (so you have to either pack a helmet with you or go acquire one).

Be interesting to track the rate of accidents as London's other road users get used to all the bikes.

I signed up to this yesterday after discovering the free first half an hour option that I can use to get from charing cross to soho when I'm late for work.

saw some kids nicking one of these in islington yesterday.

fyi hyphens in passwords cause online application to fail, although it doesn't indicate that that is the problem.

HEY GUYS I STARTED A THREAD FOR THIS ALREADY GAWD

watch for un/nwo black helicopters london, they're like flies here in denver

I still think that, having seen the way people drive, if you cycle in London you are borderline insane and Boris's bike scheme isn't going to make me change my mind.

Geir, you changed your username?

I went for a ride on one of these at lunch. Total shite but quite fun that I can just ditch it pretty much anywhere and not worry about it being stolen.

I registered and got my key in the mail, but i thought i'd just pay for one day's worth in order to check it out before lumping out for the full £45 annual fee. so, i used my one day's credit, presuming that it would charge me another pound whenever i next used it. except when i tried the day after, it doesn't grant me access. neither can i find a way to top up my credit on the site. is my key now 'expired'? do i have to get a new one?

There is a simple tick box on the site that allows you auto-top-up - I did the same as you, but clicked the auto-top-up box *before* taking my first ride and that was fine.

If you sign into your account, click on "cycle access details" and then click the "change" link if it says no by "auto-renew cycle access". This bring up the relevant tick box.

thanks Mark. i did kinda rush it. i am an incredibly simple man.

anyway, it won't let me change to auto-renew because my account has expired. walking is underrated, imo.

This is bollocks.

# You can give additional keys to family and friends
# There is a £3 issue fee for each key
# You will need to pay the access period fee for every key

I don't want or need another key, just reactivate this one ffs. Worth phoning them up?

you too, eh?

the phone lines have been extremely busy, but i read elsewhere that they're able to reactivate your keys. just don't let them tell you they'll call back.

they won't.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/augmented-reality-iphone-app-points-you-to-every-nearby-london-bike-share-hub.php

(terrible flashy site with tons of that rollover junk. app looks ok though.)

better link

http://www.reghardware.com/2010/08/13/london_tube_app_augmented_reality/

Millar TTs around Richmond Park:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cycling/13698367.stm

Bikesnob:
http://a.yfrog.com/img740/2715/3o6zc.jpg
"Wow, Cat 6 is no joke in London!"

My money is on the Boris Bike rider.

(cat 6ing people by boris bike is the absolute best)

http://www.muddyhell.cx/

Am Planning on going to this for some hot beer and frites action if anyone else fancies it, indeed it may be a whole family trip if it's not too freezing cold. I think one of my cow-orkers is coming too. Also the rapha cross thing hhe next day at ally pally.

http://lcc.org.uk/pages/people-friendly-blackfriars

vs

http://lcc.org.uk/articles/transport-for-london-blackfriars-designs-looks-pretty-but-are-only-skin-deep

TFL really seem to be doing their best to fuck things up for cyclists. Also saw a link recently for a design for a combined pedestrian/cyclist bridge at Greenwich, which was trumped by the stupid cable car. sadface.

blackfriars never seems that bad to me. i love that chicane leading to new bridge road/farringdon st.

there's the same issue crossing 2 or 3 lanes on london bridge and plenty other places in london.

anyway think ppl are gathering at 5.45 @ doggett's to protest against the changes

That Blackfriars thing is such a monumental fuck up, putting something in place it seems there was considerable political opposition to because of battling to do with committee chairmanships and nothing to do with transport.

There's all sorts of other bollocks that affects this sort of thing as well. 'Transport neutrality' (=allowing people to make the choice, rather than telling them what to do - ie not encouraging cycling, because that would be telling people what to do) and also bogus value of journey metrics, calculated on the basis that trips by motorised vehicles are of greater economic value than trips by bicycles or pedestrians, or even public transport and therefore need prioritising.

xp yeah i don't mind multi lane changes either but not everyone is as balls-out gung-ho aggressive as we clearly are.

this blackfriars thing seems to have been going on a long time. outside of the political aspect of it all, i don't see how the changes are that bad. when i first heard about it i got the impression they were getting rid of the cycle lanes or something.

the proposed re-design is awful imo. confusing, more traffic lights, more stop start, looks like it would slow traffic down considerably, backed up traffic is not good!

are there more lights? looks like each design basically maintains the current set up of two sets, for the north and south entrances. the lcc design certainly looks simpler.

lights for right turning cyclists!

Ok. I never turn right there :)

revive!

Are you coming to see us SS? Group ride? Or extended cake stop at least? If you need a big frame, my sadly up for sale felt might be available if I gaven't flogged it by then.

Oh, and I am most definitely at both cyclocross events in London this weekend. Beer and frites ahoy

http://londonist.com/2011/10/amazing-escape-in-cyclistlorry-crash-in-london-bridge.php

I just booked my trip! Should be fun, not sure if I'll have time to cycle (esp due to winter travel) but I will be stopping by Condor for sure.

lookmumnohands FAP?

london people, my friends open their bike shop today, you can like them on f/book or whatever if that's your thing :)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/East-Central-Cycles/202644613165785?v=info

That is fast becoming London's densest concentration of Bike stores. I can count 6 between Exmouth Market and Lambs Conduit St.

TfL has three consultations open about various cycle routes at the moment, may be of interest to the cyclists among you:

CS5 extension from Oval to Belgravia
new north-south route from E&C to King's Cross
CS3 extension from Tower Hill to Acton

https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/advanced_consultation_finder?st=open