‘I would love to cycle to work, but I lack the confidence.’
This is what my colleague recently said to me. I have been riding a bike 9 miles into central London a few days a week for a while now. I wouldn’t be able to say that I had not had any anxiousness or jitters about city cycling, but I definitely felt mostly confident. It likely helps that I am also a driver, a car less driver at present, but in the past I regularly drove through London, so I know how to navigate the roads.
That does not change the fact that I am just on a bicycle, not in a car that is designed to take the weight of another car colliding with it should an accident happen. For this reason I do my best to ride as carefully as possible, and whilst I cannot offer city cycling lessons (more on that later), I can certainly give you some tips to help you put your best foot (or wheel) forwards.
1. Dipping a Toe in the Water (Or Placing a Tyre on the Road?)
If you already own a bike, skip straight to number 2! I am writing an article about cycling on a site about cycling without owning a bicycle, isn’t that scandalous! I have a Forest Bike subscription through Cycle2Work, which makes it much cheaper for me to commute in vs catching the train as I used to.
My home is not bicycle owner friendly, I have no room indoors, and my only outdoor space is a leaky shed. If I owned a bike it would be at risk of rust or theft. Others, maybe you, do not own a bike, as asides from commuting they would not use it. However, they would be happy to buy one if they were confident enough to use a bicycle for commuting. If this is you, before mulling over buying a bike too much, I would use a fleet bike, such as a Lime or Forest bike for a test run. We have an article on the range of options here.
2. Safety Safety Safety
Regardless of your bicycle ownership status, it’s important to at the very least wear a helmet. Even without any skill improvement, it’s going to make you feel much more in control. In the future, we will have some ‘best of’ articles on this site where we cover the best helmets for cycling. For now, we are going to suggest that when looking for a helmet you ensure that any helmet you purchase meets EN 1078 standards, and has the CE mark. There are unfortunately too many sub-par models on the market where you go down the route of less reputable marketplaces. In lieu of a whole article, we wanted to provide some options that we know pass the test!
Newlane Foldable Bike Helmet – This helmet folds down to fit into most bags, and is perfect for fleet bikes, as it allows you to transition from Lime to Bus without the burden of a massive helmet.
ABUS HUD-Y ACE Helmet – This is a massive helmet, complete with rear light, and visor. This is great if you want solid protection from a – z.
ABUS Hyban 2.0 City Helmet – Perfect for the everyday cyclist who does not want to splash out.
3. Cycling Lessons
Many people across London can get free city cycling lessons. These range from beginner to advanced. I don’t think these are needed before you start commuting in all cases, but if lack of experience is causing you not to, then this could be the ticket. TfL have a list of options, many of them free here. If this does not suit you, there are plenty of other paid options available, Google is your friend here.
4. Weekend Practice
The rush hour commute can be daunting, I completely understand that. Luckily, if you can do the trip on the weekend, the roads are likely to be quieter. You will still get a feel for the roads and the routes, then when you have built up some confidence you can tackle that rush hour traffic. Even if you own a bike, this is where fleet bikes excel, as you could for example, jump on a Lime Bike outside your home, ride it to the nearest tube station, then get the tube. The next week you could ride it to the second nearest tube stations, and so on. Then if needed you can switch up your ride once you’re comfortable doing the whole trip. Anything, including city cycling can be broken down into small steps.
5. Suitable Clothes
Please do not go out and by all of the Lycra. Whilst you might like the look, if you don’t gel with cycling to work, you may have wasted some hard earned cash. Do however think about how you want to tackle your commute. It’s all too often that I see people schlepping away with their heels to the pedal, looking like Bambi on Ice. Wear some nice comfortable flat shoes, have sufficient wind cover. This is not about accessorising, but being comfortable.
City Cycling is Great!
Genuinely, if you can follow these tips, you’re unlocking a lot of enjoyment! Let me know in the comments what you would add to this list to get people’s city cycling confidence up!
