A Guide To Cycling In London

Sunday, November 13, 2022

Advice on Cycling in London

This is a guide on Cycling in London (or really any major city for that matter).

The bottom line is: Just Do It (but also Ask for Help and the No. 1 Rule is: Eye Contact).

Ask for Help

Individuals that work in bike shops tend to be extremely willing and able to help newcomers cycle in London. I went to Evan's Cycles near St. Paul's and I had a great experience asking all sorts of dumb questions to a chap named <>.

No. 1 Rule: Eye Contact

The best piece of advice I got, when I asked, "What is the most important thing about cycling in London?" was simply: "Eye contact." As a rule, if they can see you and you can see them you're good. If not, tread carefully. This includes drivers of vehicles (most notably) but also pedestrians and even other cyclists. You've heard of defensive driving? It is like that - be on your guard and do not assume that they have clocked you. There is a reason the "start seeing motorcycles" bumper stickers exist - and the same goes for cyclists.

My Kit

For those of you wondering, my cycle kit is as follows:

  1. Bike: Gray Pinnacle Neon 2
  2. Front light (usb rechargeable)
  3. Back light (usb rechargeable)
  4. Gears: Swapped out
  5. Helmet:
  6. Mudguards (front & back)

Wear a Helmet

Always good advise: Wear a helmet when you cycle or motorcycle

Some Other Thoughts

Insurance

Insurance can be good, as bikes bet stolen in London a lot, but also you need to make sure you do things every time you lock your bike such as locking it perfectly and taking a geolocated photo of the bike locked.

Locking Your Bike

You need to get a lock that is compatible with your insurance policy. If you don't have insurance don't worry about it. If you DO have insurance, you need to make sure that your lock is "strong enough" to meet the criteria that, if you bike is stolen, your lock was strong enough such that it theoretically should have prevented the theft. Or, put another way, your insurance policy attempts to reduce the likelihood that they have to pay for your stolen bike by adding a bunch of T&Cs such as lock quality. In my insurance policy it reads:

"TODO"

Passing Others

Pass on the outside, not on the inside.

Cycle to Work Scheme

If you have not yet, you should see if your employer does anything for the Cycle to Work scheme: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cycle-to-work-scheme . I went for £950 all-in, which wound up being plenty for my needs.

Just Do It

In summary, you really need to "dive in" and just do it if you want to cycle in a major city like London.