Unstoppable.

In reply to SimoneMichelle’s (two names for the price of one!) post, here’s 10 top tips:

1. To master London traffic, ride fast and alert. No music in the ears or lazily cruising along.

2. Don’t cycle in the gutter, ride at least one metre out from the kerb – it forces other road users to actually do something to get past you rather than try to squeeze past.

3. Never undertake (pass on the left of) a large vehicle, like a bus (bendy or otherwise) or truck. Many of the cyclists that get seriously injured or die do so through getting caught between a large vehicle and a hard place. They can’t see you – so overtake them on the right like everyone else.

4. In the damp or wet watch out for manhole covers – they are metal and incredibly slippery. Try to only ride over them with your front wheel vertical – i.e. not turning.

5. Put skinny tyres on your bike. Through the winter I have been commuting with 21mm (less than an inch) wide near-slick tyres – it makes it more enjoyable, more satisfying experience. You don’t need mountain bike tyres (the chunky, knobbly ones) on roads. 23-25mm semi-slicks should suit most riders.

6. Ride assertively. You have as much right to be on the road as anyone else, and by being assertive and consistent you force other road users – i.e. cars – to respect you and not take the p*ss.

7. Watch out for pedestrians. Sometimes it seems that London’s pedestrians are a suicidal bunch, frequently walking out directly in front of you – this is because many people rely on their hearing when they’re crossing the road, and they can’t hear you coming. The only accidents I’ve had in 17 years of cycling on London’s roads have been with pedestrians doing this.

8. Watch out for car doors opening onto you. Assume that a parked car has someone in it and they are about to open their door. Cycle outside this range.

9. When you know what you are doing and feel confident, put clipless pedals on your bike. They allow you to be much more efficient and it means your pedalling stroke is better for your knees (less up-and-down, more round-and-round).

10. Don’t try to do what bike couriers do. They are the coolest cyclists around, but are complete nutters and pride themselves on taking incredibly high risks. (Most couriers now ride fixed-wheel track bikes, many of which don’t have brakes.) When people say “go play with the traffic”, couriers take this as an enjoyable challenge. For them it is a game, for the rest of us the risks just ain’t worth it.

wheelie saying something

Advice for a new cyclist in London…

1. Watch out for pedestrians, especially in central London. Many of them, as I mentioned above, have a lovely little habit of stepping off the pavement before turning to look at the oncoming traffic; and I don’t mean at pedestrian crossings, but at random spots along the road as soon as they decide they must cross at that precise moment. Most perform a nervous little hop back onto the pavement, but a few freeze in the road, transfixed by the sight of an approaching bike like deer caught in the headlights; you’ll need to do a quick little swerve round them.

2. Don’t try and overtake bendy buses on the outside – they’re never-ending caterpillars of doom. Also, if a bendy bus has stopped at a red light and you’re not sure how long you’ve got before the light changes to green, don’t risk cycling up the outside to get in front of the bus – if the light changes as you’re inching your way up, the bus will start moving and you’ll get squished.

3. Signal with your arms. I’ve found this seems to be appreciated by car drivers, who are understandably quite nervous to be behind a cyclist who suddenly, with no prior warning, swerves into another lane or down another road. This signal is also appreciated by other cyclists if they happen to be right behind you.

4. Watch out for gaps in stationary queues of traffic to let cars through into side roads. This is how I was caught out once, my only fall in four years of cycling in central London. I saw the gap – and the motorbike pulling through the gap right ahead of me – too late. No injuries apart from a big beautiful grey-purple bruise on my thigh which according to my flatmate “Looked like a planet. Man”.

5. You have every right to be on the road: don’t feel like somehow you don’t belong there. If you’re a good, level-headed, intelligent cyclist, you do.

And, not really a tip, but in my experience at least, cycling in London is not as scary as a lot of people make out. Happy biking!

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