Cycling City Break in London

Anica85

I am considering a cycling city break in London, but unsure if this is a good idea, as I never cycled in London. I found a few off the beaten routes here https://city-cycling.expedia.co.uk/london Still quite central but off the main roads. I think. Any of you tried them before, or tried something similar?
What are your thoughts on cycling for leisure in London?

Browntoa

if you are not on the cycle super highways during the day its a nightmare , I'm a born and bred Londoner and wouldn't ride a bike in the centre of London these days , done it at the weekend and its bad enough


if you do it , helmet , stick to the inside , don't jump lights , don't "wrong Way" down one way streets .


Santander Bikes are easiest

Anica85

Thanks! How about the routes? Do you recon they are safe?

Browntoa

elements of them , the Brick Lane one for example , Commercial Road and Leman Street are busy but then the part from there and round st Katherines Dock and Wapping is quiet ..

EconomicsGirl

Not a cyclist but wouldn't recommend it unless you are very experienced at cycling. Quite dangerous in places, one of parents in my child's class killed in December on a bike here.

Some places safer than others. Central London in congestion zone may be safer and there's the free bikes.

Oxford/Cambridge may be good.

usernameisvalid

I used to cycle in London 30 years ago and it was hell then

But doable

The worse is the traffic pollution, you not only smell it, you taste it, and you stink of it

veryintrigued

No way.

Did the Prudential Ride London last year on 100miles on closed roads and the scariest thing was biking to the start on the open ones - and that was early on a Sunday morning!

Other London road users seem to have a genuine hatred of cyclists and some cyclists hardly look to help their cause!

novelty-socks

I cycle regularly in London. If you're a confident, sensible cyclist, you'll be ok. But do keep in mind that while there are lots of things you can do to minimise the risk to you, the actions of drivers around you are out of your control.

I'd take issue with the idea that London feels more dangerous than other cities. With so many cyclists here, drivers are used to seeing them on the roads. Honestly, I find Manchester more intimidating - although I don't know what the statistics say about which of these cities is actually safer.

There are also a few blackspot junctions that I would go all-out to avoid! And if you don't know your way around, it can be easy to get lost, even with GPS.

If you want to cycle here, I'd say start small and take it easy. Using the bike hire scheme to pootle round Hyde Park is a great way to start.

You could also follow the new east-west superhighway which is getting there, fully segregated and therefore awesome to ride on: https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/cycle-superhighway-east-west

Or try cycling the canals: the towpath along Regents Canal, from Paddington round to Camden and King's Cross, or follow the canal out east through Hackney. (Take it slow though, towpaths can get busy with people, especially on summer weekends.)