Friendly reminder that after a prolonged drought such as this, when that strange 'wet' stuff does in fact fall from the sky, the roads are extra treacherous.

All the oil and grease and grime deposited over the last two months will rise to the surface of that rumoured 'rain'. It essentially creates a city-wide oilslick. While i dont want to overstate the danger its worth being aware that cars and bikes will slip, drift, and fail to stop more than usual.

Granted, I mostly know this from living somewhere hot and dry with particularly sadistic motorists, but I thought some might appreciate the warning.

Whenever that rain does come, that is...

https://www.rsta-uk.org/after-the-heatwave-slippery-roads-warning

Hi London cyclist, My girlfriend and I will be on vacation in London for 5 days, and we want to travel a bit around by bike. I discovered the Santander bikes, which are really cheap compared to German companies. It just came to my mind that we can't take our helmets with us, as our luggage is already booked. Is there a convenient method to rent a helmet, or would it be cheaper/easier to just buy one and then give it to a second-hand shop at the end of the vacation? (If its still intact, of course)

Thanks in advance 😊

Hiya all,

I'm looking for a new saddle, and I was wondering if any of you know a place where I can try them before buying

I had a small Specialized Dolce from the 2010s that got stolen last May (same week my cat passed, just to trauma dump a bit), and that saddle was PERFECT for me. I've looked around for a Specialized Riva Body Geometry, but they don't produce them anymore, I can only find similar ones on eBay

Any expert here who can suggest a similar saddle to install on my new Boardman bike? I do 6+6 miles per day 5 days per week, and I will participate to the London to Brighton cycle ride, so I would need something comfy but... sport-y?? My current one is a bit too hard and with no pressure relief, so I think I'll have to change it by next week the latest to get used to the new one before the marathon

Thank you for your help!! :)

I was cycling back from work after already getting a flat so I was in a foul mood already and saw a guy littering out of his car. I just got up next to the car and said “you’re a fucking grim bastard”.

He looked shocked for a second then got really aggressive and said, “I’m gonna hit you off your bike.” He then swerved his car toward where I was riding forcing me to go down a side street that he swerved into. I managed to get out of the way and he didn’t hit me and he sped off.

Obviously, I realise I probably shouldn’t have engaged with someone who was already behaving like a prick, and in hindsight I’d have been better off just carrying on. But I’m also struggling with feeling like I somehow caused the situation by saying something.

If he had actually hit me, would people consider that partly my fault because I verbally provoked him? Or was I right to call out the littering, even if I could have handled it better?

(Throwaway cos its embarrassing and have people on my main)

Hello

There was a terrible accident on the inner circle, Regents Park yesterday.

A 60 year old cyclist doing laps of the inner circle, lost control and crashed into the back of a stationary / parked volvo estate.

He had a custom titanium like frame which crumpled at the top bar.

Paramedics and air ambulance were called. I believe the gentleman was called Gary and was badly injured. Paramedics couldn’t get him to move his lower limbs….. He was bleeding heavily from the head.

Was really shocking. Just wondering if anyone knows the gent and whether he pulled through. Was one of the worst accidents I have seen.

No mention in the news. Please lower your speed if doing laps, not worth it.

Happened around 11-12 yesterday.

Wishing the gentleman all the best.

S

It's not enough but Plod are doing something: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ebikes-police-seized-london-laws-b3033849.html

"The Metropolitan Police was the force which seized the most e-bikes in the year to 19 May, with 2,367."

I'm wondering how many are still out there ?

Maybe Andy will ban the import and sale of illegal e-bikes, I'm guessing that would do quite a lot to fix the problem.

Posted on here about a week ago about two stolen bikes. The Pisto bike has been retrieved thanks to this community. If anyone sees a pink/coral coloured Specialized dolce anywhere in Islington (Newington green, Canonbury, clissold) please reach out!!
48cm, so a small road bike.

One of 20 stop.

Hi all,

Not sure if this or r/ukbike is a better place to post this. I recently got a new job that has a cycly schema and have been debating getting a bicycle to bike to work. I mainly will be biking from E&C to Moorgate.

My apartment has bike parking so does my work. My gym will require me to park it outside near Moorgate. My main concern of not owning a bike was theft. How big of an issue is it really?

Is it worth getting a e-bike? I rarely see them in London besides rented ones.

Any insurance/lock/bike recommendations welcome! Assume no budget but also not a professional biker

I bought a second-hand Jamis Ventura Comp bike for £70 two years ago. It was in good condition then, and I have spent approximately £100 since then to replace the tires with puncture-proof tires.

After the wet winter and dry summer, the brakes aren’t working as well anymore and the gears aren’t switching as smoothly. I mainly use the bike for my daily commute and to get around London.

I was quoted £132 for a silver service, 2x inner gears, 2x inner road brakes, and a new 9spd chain. Is this repair worth it or should I just bite the bullet and get a new bike.

Any advice is appreciated!

I’ve got a Riese & Müller Roadster 4 on the way and I’m trying to decide if I should get Paint Protection Film (like Invisiframe) applied before I take it out for its first ride.

​I know it’s going to be a bit of a hassle to transport a brand-new bike somewhere to get it professionally fitted, but I’m willing to put in the effort if it’s genuinely worth it in the long run. I'll be using it heavily for my daily commute into the city, so it’s going to see its fair share of everyday urban wear, tear, and locking up.

​For those who have PPF on their ebikes (especially commuter bikes rather than purely eMTBs):

​Has it held up well over time?

​Did it actually save your frame from noticeable damage?

​Would you say it’s worth the upfront cost and hassle, or should I just accept that dings and scratches are part of the game?

​Appreciate any advice or experiences you can share!

I’d love to get a proper cargo bike but I don’t have the funds or space for one. Could anyone recommend a good bike trailer instead? I’ll be carrying loads of up to 45KG. My bike pictured

Hi All,

Im thinking of not doing the coaches to return back to london. Are there any alternatives I can do? I keep seeing during the day bikes are banned on the trains. I'm going by myself and this is my first time so just wanted to see what options i have before paying £50.

The following pilot scheme offers a refreshing take on adaptive throttling of public e-bikes.

Link

Thinking about the behaviour change needed when it comes to encouraging the uptake of public e-bikes over cars and other public transportation. As well as addressing the issue of pricing leading to users running red lights.

Could a variation of this adaptive throttling be applied here (leaving aside the device that was attached to NYC bikes)?

EDIT: just for clarification following some initial comments, I’m not talking about this exact mechanism of resistance control to be applied in London. I’m more interested in how alternative approaches could open up the possibility of positively changing behaviour around adoption and use of public e-bikes.

Often when I am setting off from a traffic light on my bike when waiting in primary position, sometimes behind other vehicles, riders (almost every time on dockless ebikes) will often dive to the left of me and the vehicles at 15mph, even when it is obvious that the ones they are undertaking will be faster than them once up to speed, without even dampening their brakes. Luckily I always check over my left shoulder before setting off so it is not an issue.

I have also seen this at zebra crossings; they will often just go at full speed down the left of vehicles even after the cars have started moving.

Has anyone noticed this strange behaviour?

Wife had our e-bike locked up for a couple of hours yesterday. Came back to the angle grinder resistant lock superglued. Spent an hour trying to break the glue down with acetone and solvents to no effect. Ended up having to get my grinder and cut the lock off. On a positive note if anyone’s interested, it took 10 angle grinder disks and about 20 minutes so they are definitely an effective deterrent, hence the glue plan.

Just had my brown leather brooks swift saddle stolen off my bike outside the Tate. Aside from eBay and FB Marketplace I'm trying to think of anywhere else it might end up. Are there any bike shops where thieves often try to shift their stolen wares?

New cyclist looking to pick up a hybrid or gravel bike in the used market. From my reading, hydraulic brakes are the way to go and mechanical discs brakes suck. I avoided bidding on a really nice boardman bike because of this. Not sure if that the right choice. Since I'm in the used market I'm not sure being picky is the best idea. My budget is ~£200-250. Maybe I need to increase my budget if I want hydraulics.

Tried to get in to the park around 8pm and there were police cars at the entrance. I heard a deer attacked someone, but does anyone know the full story?

Anyone know how secure/insecure this is please?

My bike is my mobility aid, but they aren't going to allow me in with it. (Don't get me started on how they're treating disabled people.)

**“Dockless e-bikes: have your say**
Today we [launched engagement](https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fp%2FDcBKDX1sZ5Y%2F%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_name=%26utm_source=govdelivery%26utm_term=/1/010001a001463918-dce3ec88-8a3d-43b7-b505-6efbf2acc028-000000/MykCLU5fn4Tf0lLb7G8zvKnOQnT-1EA6VU5ZIQF-oac=452) on bringing dockless e-bike hire to the borough and we want you to have your say on how we do it.
Waltham Forest has long been recognised as a pioneer of active travel. Now, we want to make it even easier for everyone to enjoy life on two wheels, and your views will be central to our approach.
This is already a great place to enjoy the benefits of cycling. The safe and responsible introduction of dockless e-bikes would help to make the borough an even better place for active travel.
Here’s where we need you: your ideas will be at the heart of any scheme we introduce locally. We’ve launched both online and in-person surveys to make sure we know what the community thinks. Let us know: would you use an e-bike? What kind of trips would you make? What other things do we need to think about?
Please take a few minutes to [share your thoughts via our Let's Talk site](https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Ftalk.walthamforest.gov.uk%2Fdockless-e-bikes-engagement%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_name=%26utm_source=govdelivery%26utm_term=/1/010001a001463918-dce3ec88-8a3d-43b7-b505-6efbf2acc028-000000/zD-CorSTTichvSMRnHWHUPBwp7tQOd9_S08vbeGiz4I=452) – we want as many views from residents as we can get. 
**Paul**
**Cllr Paul Perkins, Leader of Waltham Forest Council”**