Questions about Oxford cycling scene..

Hey guys, I goin to Oxford Brooks this Sept just wonderin hows the cycling scene (road racing & fixin) there..

1) Are there any cycling clubs that organize rides or small graded races?
2) In Oxford wheres the best bet to do shopping for higher end cycling parts?
3) Is there alot of fixed gears & road riders around the area?
4) How the roads for longer loops? Gravel or smooth?
5) If there is an cycling event in London. How is it possible to go to London with bus and take my bike along?
6) How long will the bus ride be to London? Whats the fastest option for pub transport?

Thanks guys, might see you in Oxford soon.

Cheers

1 - Already answered better than I can. Don't forget bike polo on Wednesdays.

2 - Walton Street Cycles, the little bike shop on the intersection of Turl Street and Market Street (they have limited edition brooks saddles and so on), Beeline also.

3 - Yes. Along with all of the 'grown-ups', there's the University team carving people up in term-time, and the massive numbers of students, some of whom ride hipster fixies, others retro fixies - the whole place is crawling with bikes.

4 - loads of great rides - cycle N or NW (towards Charlbury, Birmingham, Milton Keynes) and you hit the Cotswold ridge, S or SE (London, Reading etc) and you get Chilterns, but within 10 miles of Oxford is pretty much completely flat. Loads of quiet back roads if you know how to use a map, and the A40 has a good cycle path all the way to Witney, which is a good starting point for some rides.

5 & 6 - TRAIN! If you're under 25, an advance single to London can be £2.65 each way a week in advance. Otherwise, it's £4 each way. Those are for slightly antisocial hours, but still, beats the coach. The train takes an hour to get to Paddington. When I go to london I catch the train out at about 10am and the train back at 19:22 (after the rush hour) or 16:22 (before), depending on what I'm doing.

Did I mention, TRAIN! Although, if there's less than a week notice, you may pay less catching the Oxford Tube, which I think will take bikes in the cargo if you're lucky, but it'll take 90mins non-peak, and at peak times...... :-/