looking for some advice from seasoned commuters on this one…

I’m starting a short term contract in canary wharf in a month’s time and being alergic to the london underground [especially in the warm weather] I am considering cycling to work. I live in reading so will be catching the train to paddington and then cycle across town from there.

how long would take me being of average fitness to get between paddington and the wharf and how easy/difficult is it going to be to get a bike on the train in reading?

You won’t be allowed to carry a normal bike on the train at rush hour from Reading. You might get away with a folding one. Riding from Paddington to Canary Wharf – 25mins?

It would be easier to get to Paddington and hire a Boris Bike.

It would be easier to get to Paddington and hire a Boris Bike.

living quite close I normally drive in but the wharf is a bit too far and time consuming to do regularly – what’s the score with bbikes? do you just turn up and insert a card, money etc and what do they cost?

I would say 25mins would be quick and 45mins slow.

folder is the only way to go on a train.

Circa 9 miles depending on route, could take 30 minutes or more as there will be plenty of traffic and will be hard to maintain 18mph average speed.

It’s great though, do it!

Google maps has the trip at 8-9 miles and isn’t one I’d relish. Not sure if Boris Bikes would be the way to go due to journeys over 30 mins not being free + bike availability at your journey end points. If you did use BB’s then you could get to Tower Hill and pick up the DLR to complete the journey as the bike docking stations don’t extend to Canary Wharf.

So either a folder on the train or get used to the tube IMO 🙂

I keep a bike at paddington. There are sheffields in the station, under cover, between platforms 8 and 9.

There’s a couple of nice routes across to the Wharf depending on how much time you have and what you want to see. I pick my route depending on which buildings I want to look at as I go by 🙂 but 30-45 minutes is about right.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/11598.aspx

is a simple aid as well.

My london bike is a singlespeed conversion of a 70s falcon. Its fast, comfortable but utterly un-nickworthy.

EDIT, my london bike

what’s the score with bbikes? do you just turn up and insert a card, money etc and what do they cost?

You can just rock up with a card and hire but if you’re going to use them regularly it’s a PITA so register for a key. I’ll let you look up the charges on the TfL site. I’m registered as a “24h” user which means that I pay £1/day only on days I actually hire a bike and for that £1 any journey under 30 mins is free and I can make as many of those free <30min journeys in the 24hr period as I want. Alternatively you can register as an annual user and pay £45 for the year, the same <30 min journey time being free thing applies to that scheme also. Any journeys over 30 mins start incurring additional charges.

wot stoner said, except gears ftw

stoner – do you go for the “sister’s jeans” look when riding that ? And you should have neon rims really 😉

“utterly un-nickworthy”….I thought that about my old steel Peugeot.. 🙁

thanks chaps – will do some more factfinding next week but this looks like it will fly. Stoner – what do the sheffields cost and how secure are they?

A “sheffield” is the bog standard metal hoop thing and usage will be free at the station.

Even with a beater-bike like Stoner’s (Nice saddle, BTW!), a good lock is essential, as it is in any major conurbation.

Problem with the Wharf is there’s no “nice” routes I can think of to get there.
Oh, and no good bike shops when you’re there.

do you go for the “sister’s jeans” look when riding that

Oik!

I ride in my shirt collar and trouser clips with a Carradice saddlebag. More like great uncle Wilberforce, than little sister really 🙂

Use of the sheffields is free. I use a £80 Abus Granit on my £60 bike. Go figure 😉

This will take about 1hr max has you have to go down one of the worst roads in London
and then you have to cut across to Aldgate East and Aldgate then onto Wapping High ST
then slip off to Narrow ST and in front of you will be Canary Wharf.

I’d go down through Hyde Pk, constitution hill,the mall, northumberland ave, embankment, tower hill, then highway or bike lane in cable st, cross butchers row and along narrow st…there,s worse commutes

has you have to go down one of the worst roads in London

really? I can think of several routes that dont include the A13 or the Marylebone Road so you dont have to take a rubbish route.

EDIT: lazybikes route being one of them. Its in fact the route I take to the office at Trafalgar square. 75% “off road” commute for me.