coming to London 2 weeks - can't decide on bringing bike

fairweatherbiker

I've been commuting over a year in Birmingham, and I'm in London for 2nd/3rd weeks in July - I'll be staying with a relative near Swiss Cottage, and commuting to Blackfriars - Looks like Regents Park would be nice to commute thru? (Or lock up bike on the south side and get a bus if I wimp out!)

Well its Summer - who'd want to go down the tube - and I've heard Blackfriars is closed for engineering works so Should I bring the bike with me? - would be a bit awkward to get from Euston to Swiss cottage with bike and luggage. After that the LT website reckons the journey time is 30 minutes by cycle, but its right across the centre - so thats the congestion zone - does that mean very little traffic?

My wife thinks its a mad idea, so any encouraging advice would be welcome.



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Roastie

You will regret it if you don't bring the bike.

owenlars

Absolutely do it. I'd rather cycle through the centre of London then on some of those raceways you've got in Brum

Oddjob62

Euston to Swiss Cottage in 30mins? I could probably walk in that time.

EDIT: And congestion zone just means you have to pay, doesn't mean any less traffic i'm afriad.

EDIT2: Definitely bring your bike.... the tube in summer is NASTY!!

il_principe

fairweatherbiker wrote:

I. After that the LT website reckons the journey time is 30 minutes by cycle, but its right across the centre - so thats the congestion zone - does that mean very little traffic?


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Very little traffic

Your wife is wrong. Bring the bike, 2 weeks of the tube will drive you mad, and taking the bus will be worse; you'll be able to see all the cyclists! That route is very doable, and will easily take less than 30 I'd have thought.

Chewy Cheeks

Do it - it's fun

biondino

Euston to Swiss Cottage - get a cab - black ones are usually fine with bikes, and it'll cost about a tenner. It's a no-brainer tbh - you'll save the best part of £50 not having to take the tube.

fairweatherbiker

Right its settled. The bike is coming.

Very little traffic I'll tell the missus

The commute is from Swiss cottage to Blackfriars, - thats the LT website 30 minute estimate -

The Euston bit is just arriving in town with luggage and going to digs.

Know what you mean about the Birmingham raceways - anything with a central reservation means floor it to most brummies.

I'm just checking the Google streetview for the gold-plated pavements!

Oddjob62

fairweatherbiker wrote:

The commute is from Swiss cottage to Blackfriars, - thats the LT website 30 minute estimate -

Ahh ok that makes more sense.

lost_in_thought

Also, if you're about on the 18th of July, bring yourself and your bike to Richmond for the summer drinks!

fairweatherbiker

lost_in_thought wrote:

Also, if you're about on the 18th of July, bring yourself and your bike to Richmond for the summer drinks!

Hi. Thanks for the invite. I guess you mean somewhere near Richmond park? Is this a regular forum meet? It looks like a long way - but lots of green bits en route (from a quick google overview).

Oddjob62

fairweatherbiker wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Also, if you're about on the 18th of July, bring yourself and your bike to Richmond for the summer drinks!

Hi. Thanks for the invite. I guess you mean somewhere near Richmond park? Is this a regular forum meet? It looks like a long way - but lots of green bits en route (from a quick google overview).

It's not that far... London seems big at first, but once you start cycling around it'll feel a lot smaller.

cjcp

Oddjob62 wrote:

fairweatherbiker wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Also, if you're about on the 18th of July, bring yourself and your bike to Richmond for the summer drinks!

Hi. Thanks for the invite. I guess you mean somewhere near Richmond park? Is this a regular forum meet? It looks like a long way - but lots of green bits en route (from a quick google overview).

It's not that far... London seems big at first, but once you start cycling around it'll feel a lot smaller.

+1. It's only about six miles tops to RP (Roehampton Gate entrance) from Cheyne Walk/start of Embankment.

roger_merriman

fairweatherbiker wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Also, if you're about on the 18th of July, bring yourself and your bike to Richmond for the summer drinks!

Hi. Thanks for the invite. I guess you mean somewhere near Richmond park? Is this a regular forum meet? It looks like a long way - but lots of green bits en route (from a quick google overview).

the thread you want is this http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12620785&start=100&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

it's about 10miles and while there are lots of lights etc london is flat city so easy going.

chewa

I'm in the same situation, moving into digs in London early August my commute will be Queens Park to Holborn, supposedly just over 5 miles by Googlemaps.

I'm certainly bringing a bike and have decided I'll bring the Holdsworth - the route looks flat and riding fixed/ss will help my fitness for returning at the weekends to the hilly north!

I'll be looking for some longer routes (my commute used to be 13 miles each way) and as I'll be away from family plan to spennd a lot of time cycling in the evenings.

Looking forward to mixing it with London traffic - the drivers CANNOT be any worse than Edinburgh ones!

fairweatherbiker

roger merriman wrote:

london is flat city so easy going.

I like it even better!

0scar

Take it but let the train company know - they have a bike rack in the last carriage and you can book a free place on it.

I was once thrown off the train at 9.45pm in Doncaster for chaining my bike up in an empty restaurant car. They know no mercy.

Jeremy Parker

fairweatherbiker wrote:

I've been commuting over a year in Birmingham, and I'm in London for 2nd/3rd weeks in July - I'll be staying with a relative near Swiss Cottage, and commuting to Blackfriars - Looks like Regents Park would be nice to commute thru? (Or lock up bike on the south side and get a bus if I wimp out!)

[/i]

Get the free bike map. You can probably pick one up at the London Transport information place on the concourse at Euston, or phone the bus map number 020-7222-1234 and ask for the Central London map, or ask for all 14 maps, if you like. Maps 7 and 14 cover central London too, a larger area but at a smaller scale, the normal A-Z map scale. Only map one (not labelled as such) shows all the one-way streets, rather than just one-way streets on routes that it recommends

Map 7 goes out a long way east and west, map 14 a long way north and south

I think that you can order on TfL's web site too, <www.tfl.gov.uk>

Taking a bike in a taxi costs the same as taking a suitcase.

Bikes sometimes get stolen in London. It's best to keep it indoors if you can

Jeremy Parker

Bassjunkieuk

roger merriman wrote:

it's about 10miles and while there are lots of lights etc london is flat city so easy going.

Oi! No it ain't - we had a hill climb on the first stage of the TdF when they did the Prologue in London, admittedly that was Tower "Hill" but none the less it was a slight incline ;-)

As you seem to have already decided I guess it's not really worth me trying to sell you on the idea anymore except to say that a bike is probably the best way to get around in town! The tfl maps are fantastic and I can easily stow one folded in half in my back jersey pocket when out on rides :-D

laughingboy

I can see you're sold already, but I'll add that cycling is one of the best ways to get to know London, and how it all fits together.

Because of over-reliance on the Tube, there are some Londoners who only know London as lots of isolated pockets of streets around the Tube Stations. These folk have no concept of how near one station is to another...

discurio

laughingboy wrote:

Because of over-reliance on the Tube, there are some Londoners who only know London as lots of isolated pockets of streets around the Tube Stations. These folk have no concept of how near one station is to another...

agreed.

when i 1st started commting by bike i couldnt believe how close some of the stations really are. i think leicester square to covent garden is the shortest at about 200m, one of the papers a while ago said per meter it would be cheaper to hire a limo.

oops i just admitted i read the sun didnt i? :oops:

Bassjunkieuk

laughingboy wrote:

Because of over-reliance on the Tube, there are some Londoners who only know London as lots of isolated pockets of streets around the Tube Stations. These folk have no concept of how near one station is to another...

I think I'm almost the opposite, when it comes to navigating around London via the Tube I just glaze over as my workmates plan out a route! Thankfully I have a mini map in with my Oyster card........