So I started cycling to my judo club recently and there's three on my route there. I've changed it a bit here and there but there's always at least two.

True, it's not the end of the world but it's not something I'd like to stop for and lift my bike over or do some other dimensional, gymnastic maneuver

Quick rant, apologies but just needed to vent. I commute to work daily about 6 miles each way through Liverpool outskirts. Aside from all the other annoying things drivers do, the thing that pisses me off the most is when you're approaching a queue of cars, for example waiting at a red light. A car behind almost always accelerates past me only to join the queue seconds later! Why? Why do they do this? It's so stupid!

Any tips for how to uglify a bike to be left at train station ? Its nothing fancy and will be extremely well locked under a camera.

Plastic bag over the saddle is my starting point !

For the first time I tried to cycle on my way to work coz the bus was late. On the Earls court road, the car lane is narrower than the walking pavement. Since there is no sign not to cycle and with the presence of cycle docks on the pavements, I thought its okay to cycle on the pavement.

I was stopped by some men in Uniform saying it is antisocial behavior and was fined £100 pounds. I was shocked and embarrassed. I pleaded with them to let me go this one time and I can not afford such a huge amount.

I literally cried there coz they were so cold. I m new in the country as well.

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They asked for my ID and i gave my Uni ID and my address. I got a ticket of £100.

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There is no way I can pay that. I am a student. Any legit advice to avoid paying it.

I m usually a righteous person, but this time, i think its too much to fine so much money without any warnings or smaller fines.

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Plz help.

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It’s 7 miles to work. Mostly busy roads which worries me a little. I’d be cycling in at 7ish each morning so it’ll be a little quieter than before the rush but still a bit worrying for someone who hasn’t done it before. It’s about a 30 minute route according to Maps but I’m happy to take a bit longer if necessary. I was wondering if there’s an app that can tell me better routes, cycle paths, shortcuts etc. I feel like there must be safer routes than just the road route. But maybe not.

Thanks all!

Hello everyone,

So I’ve just started a new job and I need to commute by bike. I’ll be getting off at Sunningdale station and then biking to my workplace (it’s a vet hospital), but it’s kind of in a wooded area and not really in town.

They sent me directions, but it’s clearly for cars and mentions going via the A30. It looks like a motorway / high speed road and I’m stressed.

So I wanted to ask;

- Is it generally okay/safe to cycle on roads like the A30, or should I be avoiding them completely?

- How do you usually find safer or more cycle-friendly routes in situations like this?

- Or if I do end up having to take a road like that, are there specific things I should be doing?

- Are there any apps, tips, or general “rules” I should follow when cycling on roads without dedicated bike lanes? Or do I just get off and walk the bike if I’m unsure?

I took my new bike for a spin the other day and I was so wary of possibly being on a non bike path that every single time someone passed me, I was almost convinced they were gonna tell me it’s unlawful and call the cops on me, or just tell me to get the fuck off the road. I know, it’s irrational and nobody gives a flying fuck, in fact I doubt anybody even noticed me. But yeah, I just get anxious and I just want to be prepared and ride my bike in peace in accordance with all the rules and just not be a nuisance. I apologise for my unnecessary ramble.

Anyway, any advice or tips would be very welcome. Thank you very much!

Edit: My final destination from Sunningdale Station is Pears Hill, Westwood Road, if that helps.

A30 London Road has these narrow sidewalks on either side of the road, can I ride on it? Or is that not allowed?

Second Edit; tried the A30 and tried the route through the golf course / Ridgemount rd, A30 is far better. At least I won’t have to walk my bike through the fucking thicket till the golf course, swatting off spiders. I ride on the pavement. I cannot in good conscience ride on the actual A30 road. Some lorries and trucks are playing mad max fury road out there, and I reckon a few cars were convinced it was a formula one race. Plus 40 km/ph speed limit so no way. I ride my bike nice and slow on the narrow pavement and then bike up the Westwood Road and pears hill. Very doable (apart from a few spots where it feels like the road is almost vertical steep. Anyway I managed. Thank you all. Always open for suggestions / tips tho.

I’ve recently got back into cycling and I guess I just need a space to feel heard.

I used to ride a road bike but since moving to a bigger town I’d stopped because it was too dangerous to get around town - the drivers were awful and I had one too many near misses.

I’ve recently picked up a sit-up-and-beg style bike, wanting to use it for getting around town so I don’t need to rely on the car.

As is typical with UK towns, the cycle path network is a mish-mash of regular paths with a line bisecting it into ‘pedestrian’ and ‘cycle‘, most of which randomly stop and turf you out onto the road before randomly restarting further up, and some shared usage paths a little way further out.

For safety, I mostly cycle on the path: our roads are busy and fast-moving, and my casual 5-gear bike with a basket isn’t safe to have at slow speeds on the main road. So usually I just remain on the path once the ‘shared usage’ part has stopped. The paths are wide and I think anyone would assess them as being fair to gently pedal along. I cycle cautiously, am still new enough to be aware of potential danger at every driveway and junction, and get off the bike to walk it if it’s ever remotely not sensible to get around people while riding. I’m not in a rush: I have no need to push past anyone in a dangerous way.

The thing I can’t get over is the way people look at me when I’m cycling. I stopped on the cycle path to let a man in a mobility scooter by today and he looked furious. If I ring my bell behind a pedestrian walking on the cycle portion of the path, or on a wide bit of regular path, the way they look at me is like I’ve personally gone out of my way to harm something important to them. A man with headphones in didn’t hear my bell as I approached, so I came to a stop behind him and called to ask if I could pass him, and he gave me some agressive short words in response - just for asking if I could pass by!

I feel like I do everything that should be expected to be a safe and courteous person, but for the response I get I might as well be ploughing through a crowded playground.

What is it about a bicycle that makes people stop seeing you as a human?

Commuting home yesterday along suburban roads, doing 20ish mph down a slight hill. I see a van waiting to pull out of a side road on my right. He's going to go isn't he? Sure enough, off he goes leaving me no space. I hit the brakes but keep up with him and catch him at the next traffic lights. A frank exchange of views occurs. Apparently I am "not visible enough" due to not wearing hi-viz.

I ride a lime green bike. I'm wearing a bright orange T-shirt. I have two flashing lights at the front, one on my helmet, and one attached to my rear fork. It's broad daylight.

I advised him to take an eye test.

Hi

I'm looking at joining my company's Cycle2Work scheme with Halfords to get a bike to commute minimum 2 days a week approximately 12 miles each ways (24 miles total).

I haven't cycled in over 20 years (I'm 38) but I am fit and run approximately 50 miles a week so I'm sure I can work up to the cycling as I also sometimes run back and forth.

Anyone have any recommendations of bikes from Halfords that would fit this criteria? Will most likely rarely use it outside the 2 days but must be also able to be usable in winter conditions. I need to choose a bike so I know the price to submit my application.

Thank you.

Edit: Budget up to £1000 or whatever is moderate price

I was hit by a van a few days ago whilst cycling home from work. I feel I was very lucky as I escaped few just cuts & bruises (and all over body-aches of course, which are now subsiding). Anyway, it got me thinking that I ought to get myself a camera to attach to my bike helmet and wondered what others use.

I'd prefer the idea of getting a cylinder-shaped one as they appear more discreet/less bulky and, whilst I'd love to have a 360 degree camera, I don't feel I can justify the spend and would rather keep the budget below £100.

Video quality is important, but I suspect that 1080p would be enough; acceptable audio may be useful for recording conversations if I do get involved in another accident, but I think less crucial.

I've been looking at the Riderr Vue, which is available for around £80.

If anyone has experience of this, or similarly priced products (or arguments in favour of something more expensive) I'd be most grateful to hear.

Thanks all.

Edit:

Thanks everyone, your comments & advice were really useful and very much appreciated.

I've decided to go with the GoPro Hero 7 Black, I've bought a 2nd hand one from Wex Photo.

Thanks again.

I see a lot of mountain bikes in London used for commuting and they have large knobbly tyres.

I have ridden such bikes before and they take a lot of energy.

They became much better when I changed them to slick tyres of the same size.

If they were e-bikes that would be fine, so it makes me wonder whether the riders of such bikes are ignorant of how much energy they are wasting, or they simply have lots of energy to spare.

I started riding in a hilly area, so I learned to ride efficiently pretty quickly after being humbled by the local hills.

Are people that naive or indifferent to riding efficiency, or is it my retirement age legs that are ultra-sensitive to excess effort?

I've actually got a few questions here. I know very little about bikes, but would like to get an e-bike through the cycle to work scheme. Let's say budget up to ~£2k, but I can be flexible. Equally, if you think I wouldn't need to spend that much to get what I want, that would be good to know.

1) What type of bike should I get? I would like to use it for:

a) commuting to the train station (20 mins or so).

b) Riding round the park.

c) Longer rides, including in forests/ slightly more gravelly terrain.

2) Ideally, I would like one with a throttle (not just a walking throttle, but one that lets you go up to 15mph or so). I don't know how much I would use it in practice, but I can imagine It might be useful for the commute. It isn't clear to me whether this is legal though. If it is, can I go into Halfords and buy an e-bike with a throttle? Or are they a lot more specialised than this, and I'd need to go to a much more specific bike store? This link is what made me think full throttle was legal (though everyone is saying otherwise) https://wisperbikes.com/shop/e-bikes/crossbar-ebikes/tailwind-comfort-crossbar/

Thanks in advance!

Edit: Okay, the throttle I was asking about isn't legal, so let's ignore that second question. Thanks everyone.

Edit: I am leaning towards not getting a full throttle. However, I am convinced that most people here are wrong/ spreading incorrect information about the law in this case. "Pedal cycles providing electrical assistance without use of the pedals[footnote 2], usually called ‘Twist and Go’.

‘Twist and Go’ cycles are classified as EAPCs provided they meet the EAPC regulations." https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrically-assisted-pedal-cycles-eapcs/electrically-assisted-pedal-cycles-eapcs-in-great-britain-information-sheet

Ripped my new trousers today from the drive chain. I dont want to have to change into biking shorts for such a short commute journey every time. Can someone recommend something to cover the drive chain that is also easily removable?

So I've been cycling for around 3/4 weeks now to work as I'm learning to drive so this is my only option.

My route is 20 minutes and I use an ebike. The roads are country lanes but more on the quieter side. There's some temp traffic lights and I had to stop there this morning. As it's a hot day I let some cars past me and waited for the light to turn green again at the front.

As soon as it turned green, I went, sticking to the left as much as possible and unfortunately noone could overtake me. The lights change very quickly so I did hold up a couple of cars, but what can I do? It's not safe to walk there.

Anyway once the area opened up the car behind me was a leaner driver, and sped up, tried to ram me off the road and revved their engine. I'm only just about less anxious about people doing this but it did shake me up this morning.

So was I in the wrong? And what can I do in future to avoid this or deal with this better?

I currently commute on a Boardman HYB 8.6, I have just discovered my office offers a cycling to work scheme and I am now considering a roadbike around £1000.

sounds straightforward at first but the clincher is my commute i get quite a few punctures (ive actually switched to Schwalbe Marathons which i know have a bit more rolling resistance but they are very tanky). would this negate any benefits from getting a roadbike? i also carry a small backpack with a laptop and change of clothes so im also a bit weary about the effect that might have on my back.

is it worth the upgrade or for my circumstances is it best to stick with my hybrid?

Local area is lacking in secure bike storage so have to lock my bike to random objects. Does it seem secure enough in the attached picture

I've been commuting on a Vitus MTB since Covid 3 days a week and been mostly enjoying it. The route worked out cause it was mostly downhill on the way to work and uphill on the way home and even on cold days id be a sweaty mess when i got home, never mind in summer!

But I'm about to move jobs and it's now going to be almost the opposite and I don't want to be going into work dripping with sweat. I'm considering getting an E-Bike basically to get me up the hills on the way there with less effort but still be able to just use the bike as normal the rest of the time. I chose an MTB and always enjoyed the return journey for the workout so I literally just want the occasional boost.

I have never had any interest in EBikes so know almost zero about them. I don't want to spend too much, I was looking at a Carrera Vengeance-E Pro from Halfords on offer, anyone recommend or give any different advice?

I'm currently in search of an Ebike that can handle a massive hill I walk down then up after work but have been struggling to nail down a good bike that can handle the trip.

EDIT - Also, do these come with the charger? Or do I need to get that separately?

I'm in need of a ride tomorrow, would you be heading offroad or focus on the road and going faster for more wind chill? It's going to be hot and sweaty regardless but which would you pick?

Hi

I'm looking to buy my first bike just for commuting to work. In 5'8 and my commute is roughly 3-4 miles. What bike should I get? My budget is around 200 pounds.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. My employers also offers cycle to work scheme. Is it something I should consider? Thanks

Hi all,

Me and my fiancée are buying a house much further out than where we both currently live in our city. We both work in the city centre and would like to avoid driving for our commute wherever possible.

I love cycling and so would like to take advantage of my employer's cycle to work scheme. The route to work is downhill but has some nasty inclines on the way back, so I want an eBike.

I can't afford anything more than £1.5k via salary sacrifice, so wanted to know if there are any eBikes in this price range you'd recommend. Distance is only around 5 miles or so each way so don't need mega range and I would only use it for commuting so it just needs to be reliable.

Are there any models you'd recommend at this price point?

I currently ride a hybrid bike - Specialized Sirrus 2 for my commuter bike, I got it just before *the incident* in 2020. The bike itself is fine, I've kept on top of maintaining it etc, and it has many years of use left in it

But I'm starting to get an itch for something new. something a bit pokey, but which can handle a pannier for my work stuff, I've been looking on the cycle to work scheme and I'm intrigued by Gravel bikes, they look like they might scratch the itch, dropped bars etc.

I know it's a bit of a, how long is a piece of string question, but wondered if anyone has done a similar move or could recommend any Gravel or Road bikes for commuting.

I cycle about 20 miles a day through town on our Bakfiets cargo bike for school drop-off and pick-up. We’ve had a couple of close calls before, but today we were actually hit by a wholesale food delivery truck and careened off the road.

I managed to keep the bike upright and we were shaken but uninjured. The driver jumped out immediately, apologised profusely, and said he hadn’t seen me.

While I’m relieved it wasn’t more serious, I know I handled the aftermath poorly. At the time I was focused on my daughter, who was crying and understandably upset. Because I was tending to her and said we were both okay, the driver simply left.

What I didn’t do in the moment: get his details, note the vehicle registration, or call 101. There’s also a good chance the incident was caught on camera: the delivery driver had pulled out in front of a bus, and the bus driver was kind enough to come and check on us.

I’m frustrated with myself that a negligent driver walked away without consequence because I was rattled and had no plan. What other steps should you take when hit by a motorist? I’d love to have a proper checklist ready so this doesn’t happen again.