The last day when I was in London I decided to try their public bike rentals. I was worried it was going to be a bit complicated riding around a city I didn’t really know but it actually turned out to be a lot more fun that way. First of all the bike are very cheap to rent costing one pound for 24 hours and no other costs if you use the bike for 30 minute intervals. The rental process is automated using a touch screen and credit card and once you’re done paying for the bike you get a code which you punch into the bike to release the lock.
Me and Nat picked up our bikes from the corner of Hyde Park and rode across to the other side before returning the bike to another bike dock. We then crossed the street to shop a bit and when we were done we picked up new bikes from a different bike dock further down the street. Since I had already paid for 24 hours worth I just placed my card in the machine which recognized me right away and printed out new codes to release 2 new bikes. We then rode down passed Buckingham Palace where we stopped to watch a ceremony and then proceeded to head down towards the river.
Because we were on bikes we were covering a lot of area much more quicker than if we were walking. We also rode in areas we would usually skip by taking the subway so that allowed us to see and discover new things. The fact they have a lot of bike docks all over makes it easy to pick up a bike when you need one and drop off the bikes when you’re done. So next time you’re in London try renting a bike, it’s worth trying out.
16 replies on “Next time you’re in London, rent a bike”
You should try them in Antwerp too 😉 these are our way of life in Europe so much healthier and more fun than ‘giz’ing :))0
Would love to see this in Kuwait. The only problem is that during the summer time it’s too hot and there is no routes for bikers to travel. Very limited places to bike and experience Kuwait as a foreigner on bike. Heck, even some citizens here have trouble figuring out bike routes. If you live in inner areas like jabriya, bayan etc… it’s almost impossible to bike out to gulf without having to do intense detours to find pedestrian bridges to cross highways. During the winters this isnt too but, but would never attempt in the summer time.
wouldn’t work here and it’s not because of the heat. the lack of bike paths I think is the biggest problem. I actually ride more in the summer than I do in the winter but I only ride on the Gulf Road walk path since there isn’t anywhere else I can ride. Even that path isn’t proper since the path is shared by both bikers and pedestrians. I actually rode into a kid once who out of no where jump straight into my path. Luckily for him my bike has pretty good brakes, I managed not to hit him (that hard) but also ended up flying off my bike.
do they accept certain kind of cards maybe only london banks, i mean can i use my NBK card ?
any credit card will work, i used my nbk visa
maybe we need camel docks..
Where there dedicated paths along the roads? Also, did any of they have baskets to carry groceries etc?
yes and no. depends where you are going. if you’re planning to ride on oxford street then you will ride on the main road which is shared between buses and cabs. Hyde Park has bike paths and from the park to buckingham palace and past it to near Big Ben there was a bike path but it kinda ended. BUt it was fine since there was just a short distance i traveled before hitting the path again parallel to the river.
so generally it’s fairly easy.
The front of the bike there is a place to put a bag which you can then keep there with the help of a rubber band. will add another photo to the post showing that.
Do the bikes have a holder on the handlebar to clip on a GPS unit or mobile? Is it easy to navigate around on a bike if you’re a newcomer?
yeah u can clip on a gps unit without a problem. i navigated without a problem. i mean i didnt really have a destination i was going i just rode to a direction i felted like riding to and just ended up somewhere.
I found these in Paris and Valencia as well, but in both places a deposit of about 120euros was required. Is there no deposit here?
How do they ensure you give the bike back?
They have your credit card info
Quick q: are you required to wear a helmet when riding bikes there? they have a similar system in Australia but most of the bikes (that usually come with helmets) don’t have them so either you bring your own helmet or you can’t use the bikes.
No don’t think so.
They have em in TORONTO tooooo………!
https://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/15875.aspx , has all info including vid