Recreational cycling in London

Anywhere in central london thats good for a fun(ie not horrendous traffic) that has cycle hire near by thats available on eveneings...

Im going to be travelling down quite a lot this summer(from derby) ands will miss my daily commute! that plus eating out or in hotel room means im liable to gain weight! not good.

so looking for a bike hire and then 20-30 mile riding area.

my other option is Buy a cheap bike and leave it on canary wharf! is that a ridiculous suggestion? would a really crappy bike get nicked if left for 4 days each week?

actually as I say this im starting to like the second idea.. ;)

You can ride up the canal from Canary Wharf (well, Limehouse) out of London. It's not a bad ride. I wouldn't use a hire bike for that kind of riding, though. Just buy something cheap and get a good lock for it.

http://www.cloud9cycles.com/
http://www.velorution.biz/
http://www.londonbicycle.com/

Yeh thanks Skive i had considered that but hadnt really thought seriously about it. I suppose the price is very reasonable and i could travel out to a station via tube and then cycle some of the parks/greenways.

are the bikes awful though?

Horatio yeh im seriously considering that option.. especially as could leave it at canary wharf which seems as secure as it gets.

thanks Skive had a look at those and also a few others and the cost realistically seems to much at aroun 20 per day or £35 for a couple of days!

4 weeks in and i can have bought a shitty bike which will do me.

To be fair i should have expected price to be an issue know one is going to be lending a bike for 2 days at around £20.

The bikes are great for quick jaunts, I suppose. I've only been on one once. But if you're looking to do 30 mile rides on them you're risking mechanicals resulting is very long walks back which will cost you money. And I doubt they will remain comfortable for that length of time.

Are you getting the train down from Derby? Comes into St Pancras doesn't it - Kings Cross (and probably some other mainline stations) has cycle parking on the platforms (0 and 9), reasonably secure for leaving beaters at for a few days. I suppose you might have trouble getting onto the platforms without a ticket, usually the gates are open but they've just installed new barriers...

Actually, I was going to ask a very similar question about cycle hire for a friend who's visiting in a few weeks. Also wondering about cycle parking at hotels. Not hopeful there.

yeh I am but have suitcase with me when arrive so would leave bike on canary wharf (5 mins from the hotel) then collect bike after work and head out.

think an old beater that is comfortable off road might be the best bet so ican do some of the greenways and parks.

Or looking at the amount of thefts in london i could just steal a new bike each day and be at low risk of getting caught!....(JOKE!)

I've found hotels to be very helpful with storing a bike over the weekend in the luggage room. Not tried in London's famous London, though. But I can't imagine they'd put up much of a fight if you're going to be there for a number of weeks.

I suppose the price is very reasonable and i could travel out to a station via tube and then cycle some of the parks/greenways.

Do you mean to take a bike on the underground to further out of London? You might struggle with that as they don't allow bikes on a lot of the lines. I think you can do it on the overground from canada water, best to check tho. I had to strip a bike down to parts one time at Old Street, right there in the entrance to the station. I'd just bought it as a resto and wasn't rideable. WHat a fookin nightmare. >:(

cycle along from canary wharf along the river as much as possible, up over the bridge all the way to old st., into Look Mum No Hand cycle cafe for a coffee, up to angel, pick up the canal there, follow it back along to thames lock, cycle back to canary wharf :)

Cheere all and thanks kips will give that a go.

Going to take a very old knackered MTB down initially and then leave it locked up on Canary wharf to see how i get on... i wouldnt be upset if it was stolen! well a bit annoyed that my lock had been broken!

Do you mean to take a bike on the underground to further out of London? You might struggle with that as they don't allow bikes on a lot of the lines. I think you can do it on the overground from canada water, best to check tho. I had to strip a bike down to parts one time at Old Street, right there in the entrance to the station. I'd just bought it as a resto and wasn't rideable. WHat a fookin nightmare. >:(
Map of where bikes are allowed on London Underground [pdf]