I just bought a bicycle recently. I think I have spent much more money than I originally intended but it's really worth it. What are your experiences with riding a bike in the UK? I understand it is against the law to ride on pavements, but is it not to dangerous (even with helmet, reflectors and bright colours) to ride on the roads? I find it even dangerous with a car so going on a bicycle sounds very dangerous. I will mostly do offroad on bridleways and trails, but also use it on workdays to get to the workplace.

I got a nice bike last year for 250quid. I don't wear a helmet because I've read results of tests that have found that they don't really protect against anything but the gentlest fall.

As for experiences: most of the time I have no problems. If you obey lights all the time (and don't zip through them like those idiots in fluorescent cycling shorts), you shouldn't get into danger. The most common problem is cars not slowing down at junctions, or going through red lights, but these are a minority. Most days everythings fine.

Buy a raincoat, though

Cool. Where do you store your bike over night? I get funny looks from other tenants when I'm entering the lift with the muddy bike.

I followed your advice and bought a raincoat this afternoon - £50. Then I bought an airpump (£12), bicycle gloves (£20), a ribcage for a bottle (£5), a plastic bottle (£4) and dehydration drink powder (£7) . Now I'm ready but it's raining like mad.

Tomorrow morning I'll hit the street again.

i just bought a new bike 2 weeks ago. it's a folding bike. i've been wanting a new bike since 5 years or so. always thought i'd get one when i finish my masters, and earn a proper wage. but when i did start earning, i also applied for my PhD and knew i'd have to save every penny to get by. so, no bike. but now since february this year, i'm funded, and i was paid a good chunk of extra money for writing a working paper on a collaborative project, so i decided it was time to finally get that bike!
and i'm loving it! i feel so "cool" when i get to the train station and pack up the bike in a few short movements. people actually approach me and start conversations about it. interestingly, several people have asked: "that's not a british make, is it?" and when i told them, in fact, yes it is - they were all surprised. why is that? do brits not believe that they could design good stuff?

Funny that you say that. In fact, I was originally thinking about buying a folding bike, after reading a newspaper article in a which was about this British company (Brompton)who make folding bikes which are so popular that some customers are willing to wait up to 12 months for their bike to arrive. In the end I ended up buying a mountainbike but folding bikes are great, I think.

anyway, i've been cycling around london (on my old bike) for about half a year, from and to work was 35 minutes each way. i put safety first (before speed). that means i will sometimes take detours in order to avoid the ugly crossings and busy, narrow streets (i avoid streets with lots of traffic, and bus lines). i found that there is actually quite a good network of cycle routes in london. but a lot of cyclists are quite mad, if you ask me - they take the busiest routes just because they are the most direct ones. on my trip from southeast to central London i never once had to ride on a busy road. totally doable! if you know how to read maps...
only once did i have a situation where i was frightened. on fleet street there were cars stopped/parked on the side of the road, forcing me off the cycle lane. after passing such a car, another car from behind overtook me and turned left, cutting me off. i only just avoided an accident there and was quite in a state of shock for a while.

oh yes, folding bikes are fun. provided you don't get a cheap supermarket version! which will break soon. mine is not a brompton but a mezzo. it was a tough choice - as reviews say that the mezzo is the "only real alternative" to the bromptons. i wanted a brompton because i prefer their bags to the mezzo bags (i know, a bit irrational...) but the mezzo was on sale - down £240 from its original price. and i'm very happy with it!

what i find a nuisance in london is oftentimes not the motorists, but the people on foot. there is this nasty habit in london (i admit i've picked it up too) to just walk out on roads if there is no car coming, no matter what the traffic lights say. unfortunately, many people make their judgements by hearing only. so, beware! people will constantly be walking out on the road just in front of you!

about the helmets: i wear one - i saw a study that showed how much less serious the injuries from accidents are.
the downside of the helmet is that unfortunately, studies have shown that motorists leave less space when overtaking you when you are wearing a helmet than when you are not.

i'd say wear a helmet when you go singletrailing. surprisingly, most bicycle accidents don't actually involve cars but are simply cases of cyclists slipping, falling, crashing into something, or similar. a helmet could make all the difference. you never think you'll fall until you do...

Mezzo bikes are really cool. They look good and are stylish. I'm sure they get a lot of attention.

I'm also wearing a helmet, mainly because the guy in the bike shop gave it for free when I bought the bike but also because of possible injuries which may occur when the parts of the own bike could possibly hit the head in the case of an accident. In particular on the trails with drops and rocks. And now, I'm off into the forest

I store mine in the lobby of my flats (locked of course). A few other people keep theirs there too.

I really like cycling now; before I didn't get much exercise so I was quite unfit, but within weeks I could feel an improvement in my stamina - useful when you're going uphill. Jouri, you're much better equipped than me now

yes, cycling can be addictive!

i store mine in the shed or in our living room - as it is so small, it doesn't really get in the way. the living room is more convenient as i don't need to lock/unlock anything. at university, it comes inside with me to my office - i figured that one advantage of a folding bike would be that it is less likely to be stolen, as you can take it with you just about anywhere you go.

hope you had a good time in the forest yesterday, jouri!

I did, thanks. Only fell down once in a 4-hour ride..

I love cycling, it's a great way to stay fit as well as being economical if you don't stay too far from the university you're at. I cycle a lot - 20 - 50 miles a day, but the cycling I do isn't normal as such. I do stadium and track cycling. Only started it about 18 months ago but I'm quite into it now. Last month I equaled what was the world record until 1972 for 60 mins on track (31.7 miles). Now unfortunately the record is about 5 miles more than that, which I find hard to believe is even physically possible as I nearly killed myself!! (as well as damaging my right knee)

Respect, you are really deep into the stuff! Haven't tried track cycling yet, but I might in the future.

I love cycling, too. The last three days I even got up at 6 o'clock in the morning to have a two hour ride to the beach and back. Despite the fact that I am more of a night owl I just love it in the morning. Sunrise, nobody around and the day will be a good one. It also helps to clear the mind from the usual stuff we face every day.

Yeah, I find it is very good to clear your head. It's quite funny actually because I find once you know the route you're cycling sometimes you just 'zone out' half way through and just start thinking about other things. It's only after about 5 minutes you realist that you've just been cycling on 'auto-pilot'. Or maybe it's just me! Track cycling takes a bit of getting used to, but not as much as stadium cycling which is just plain scary. The gradient on the surface is shocking to see in person - it is REALLY steep. Seeing it on tv doesn't do it justice. I've always been an exercise addict, so I've found it a great new challenge!