From May I’m going to be working in London 4-5 days a week, and am thinking of doing a rent-a-room arrangement. Having recently experienced commuting on the tube, I will definitely be doing a London bike commute.

To avoid me getting killed, and make the experience a bit more pleasant, could the STW collective lend me the weight of its experience.

What sort of bike? I have a slicked up rigid MTB (a lovely steel Team Marin from the early 90’s) would this be the best bet.

Carrying stuff advice. Leave suit, shirts, pants & socks in office and tube in on Mon & Fri?

Routes? Should I avoid big roads, try to use approved cycle routes?

I intend to dress in the most garish lumo colours, and be lit up like a Christmas tree after dark (or before light in the early mornings), I do know a bit about defensive riding. Any other staying alive tips?

My commute is 5 miles ish. My suit, shoes & ties stay in the office, folded shirt in backpack along with Business Socks, change at work. The creases drop out in 10 minutes.

If it’s very cold, I might wear the shirt under a jacket. As it gets warmer, I’ll probably bring in a spare pair of undies, and if it gets stinking hot, maybe a towel for a quick shower.

Try different routes. You might find that the big routes don’t bother you as much after a while, and you’d rather stay in bed 10 more minutes than go the long way.

I’ll be extending and niceifying my route home as of this evening, but probably stick with the same ride in.

Presume everyone else within a mile radius is an idiot and you’ll be fine.

Get a no-nonsense bike that you are willing to ride in sun/snow/rain/wind.

I purchased a Spesh Langster, and the only thing I changed in 2 years was…. the brake pads!

Look on the TfL website, and it can give you a recommended route, which follows the London cycle network. I used to ride from north Islington, to Charing X… and only went on a few major roads. The rest was signposeted back roads.

Wear plenty of reflective gear – for both cars AND pedestirans to see you coming!

akira – Member
Presume everyone else within a mile radius is an idiot and you’ll be fine.

I read a similar warning on here a little while ago: “assume that no-one has seen you, and if they have, they’re actively trying to kill you!”

Just take the easiest routes. There are no bad roads in central London. Outer London is the the only part were cycling can be a bit trick when you don’t know where you are going and end up on big roads with roundabout onto the M25.

Cycling in central London is much easier than in most other urban areas due to the congestion and large numbers of other cyclists. Just ride predictably, don’t race cutting people up like a dick and you will be ok. To be honest the biggest problem in central London is usually bad cyclists. Worst offendeder is middle aged man on hybrid or road bike trying to race everyone, pushing to the front diving in gaps, trying to over take you as you are moving out round a bus e.t.c

Have two good locks for you bike if you are wanting to leave it outside. You can always leave that at you parking place so save carrying them backwards and forwards all the time.

I second Ned’s comments on clothing and leaving stuff in the office. I’m lucky in that I have lockers, showers, secure parking at work.

As for which routes to ride, I head from Euston towards Paddington on a really busy part of the urban dual carriageway. Traffic’s almost always heavy, so the cars don’t tend to get much over 30mph between the lights. Keep as much speed up as you possibly can and the big routes are fine; less chance of a numpty pulling out of a side road into your path.

To be honest the biggest problem in central London is usually bad cyclists. Worst offendeder is middle aged man on hybrid or road bike trying to race everyone, pushing to the front diving in gaps, trying to over take you as you are moving out round a bus e.t.c

Sort of agree, but I’d argue it’s the hopeless slow riders who meander around, don’t commit to a line and stick to it, and then sit there between lines of traffic when there’s a space you could get a bus through. Said the middle-aged man on the folding bike.

If you can fit in some of the canal paths to your route ,it can make it more enjoyable (Spring/Summer months).
I used to do a 7 miler in from Walthamstow to The Angel and you hardly had to go near a road .
Of course then you had to worry more about who you met on the way ,I never had any bother ,but heard a few scary stories. 😯

i use my 90s slicked up rigid steel kona for my 7 mile commute, its great fun, handles quick enough to avoid the inevitable bus/car/taxi/pedestrian trying to take me out and deal with the more brutal kerbs and potholes
its 1×9 with a superstar chainguide

recently moved onto schwable marathons for added puncture protection and theyve been great so far, lots of brken glass and junk on the roads

i leave jeans and shoes in work and throw in fresh tshirt socksnpants in my backpack every day one of these is handy for extra visibilty and waterproofnessa(altura nightvision one)
oh and if you have no showers at work buy a bag of wetwipes and give your self a freshen up in the toilets 😉

route finding can involve lots of getting lost at first till you suss out the best one
a cut through one of the parks, a cemetary along the river can be worth the detour for a respite from rush hour madness and some nice views

oh yeah i leave one of these at work 365 days a year as its too heavy to carry

and a cable lock through the wheels
also have no QRs on the bike
have these

but if your wheels are nice maybe get some of those antitheft ones

It all depends upon where you’re going from and to. However, as most otheres have siad, on the whole London cycling is OK as most drivers have actually seen a cyclist before and have some vague thoughts on how to react when they pass one.
Unless you’ve got reasonable secure storage then don’t have a shiny bike, and have 2 locks as well. I variously use a Brompton (with S-bag) or a Portland (with panniers & sometimes a bob-yak). The Brompton is handier as I can take it in pretty much where ever I’m going.

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. I’m really looking forward to it now.

I did this for about three years. Had an old slicked up rigid MTB with a 1×8 drivetrain and that was perfect. As many reflective clothes as you can wear. Also found some stuff that stuck to the bike that lit up amazingly brightly whenever a light hit it.

Shirt/Socks/Undercracks in the rucksack. Everything else at work. Assume everyone is going to kill you, some on purpose, some accidently. Taxi Doors are lethal.

Some cyclists are idiots as well. It’s not a universal brotherhood. Don’t run red lights or make stupid moves, what’s the point to save 10 seconds.

Oh and you will have an accident. If you ride in London long enough you’ll get t-boned or some such like.

It’ fun tho in a gladiatorial kind of way. Esp in spring/summer/autumn. Can be a bit grim in Winter but it’s never really cold.

I chose to ride every day rather than get the tube. Never regretted it.

I’ve commuted into central london every working day for over 3 years, so here’s my 2c …

Despite what people say, London is a very cycle-orientated city – there are many many cyclists on the roads and the drivers are largely used to the lycra hordes whizzing about.. so tend to be looking out for you.

It seems like 70% of cyclists in london will jump lights given the opportunity – this is due to the ‘courier culture’ and many new cyclists assuming this is “OK”. I jump the odd light, but only if there’s no cars/peds about .. there are a lot of junctions!

Plenty of people use a proper roadie bike – the roads in zone 1 are good, but outside of central they can vary.. a rigid mtb is a popular choice.

Don’t bother with 2 locks – just get one good one to secure frame & rear wheel and get a PITLOCK locking skewer for the front wheel (pretty much impossible to open without the key) locking hex skewers are hardly a deterrent.

Riding style – I try to act like a motorist, ride with the flow of traffic (speed wise) and show drivers respect. ALWAYS assume the worse when approaching a junction – YES that car will pull out, YES that truck will turn left without indicating and consider it a bonus when it turns out OK.

I have never come into contact with another vehicle in 3 years – (Although I have fallen off of my own drunken accord and knocked over pedestrians aplenty – they will dart out when they see a bike coming – many dont realise how fast a fit cyclist goes)

Join British Cycling or CTC.
Worth it for the discounts you get in bike shops and for the insurance. If (or when) someone hits you, you’ll be glad of the insurance cover!

Actually I commuted for years in and around London and never had anything other than a couple of near misses but then I didn’t ride like a muppet and (generally) didn’t jump lights. It’s better now as there are FAR more cyclists and more provision for them, drivers usually know to expect them and also how to handle being around them.