We are part of London Cycling Campaign (LCC) and they have lots of really useful advice to get you started and cycling during the coronavirus crisis. Two thirds of all journeys by Barnet residents are less than 5 miles and can be cycled in under 30 minutes.
Here are some tips for starting or returning to cycling in Barnet:
Cycle Training
You will want to have some cycling skills to be confident riding in Barnet and joining our organised rides.
Barnet Council provides free cycle training for adults and families as well as for groups of children through Cycleconfident. If you live or work in Barnet you can choose basic, urban or advanced one-to-one training, or book a family training session.
Membership
If you cycle in London please consider joining. Barnet Cyclists is a friendly group of leisure cyclists who promote cycling and campaign for better cycling provision in Barnet. Our Home page has details of how to join LCC and your local Barnet borough group as a member.
You’ll add your voice to more than 11,500 others and over 300 in Barnet, so when we campaign for more investment in cycling, better segregated cycleways, action on dangerous junctions and decarbonised streets by 2030 – you’ll help make sure we create a real impact.
In return you get free liability insurance and discounts in bike shops across London. In Barnet you can join our rides and lively evening meetings. Look out for special joining offers too.
Leisure cycling routes
This is our map of leisure routes around Barnet. We adapted and mapped out some short, easy circuits based on Barnet Council’s Active Trails, mostly in parks, ensuring they were suitable for cycling by beginners and families. To these we added some pleasant, linear routes in parkland and away from main roads.
See LetsRide for inspiration on other leisure routes in the Barnet area.
Local Group Rides
We are not a racing club and all our rides are leisurely. We offer monthly mixed gender scheduled rides for all capable riders – Please see the Home pages for announcements of rides and how to join.
Women-only rides
Through Breeze Barnet we lead fun, free rides for women only of all abilities. They will help you build confidence as part of a friendly, inclusive group.
Barnet LCC Cycle Buddies Scheme
Are you a new cyclist feeling nervous about riding on London’s roads?
Or are you a confident cyclist who would like to help another rider experience the joy and freedom of getting about by bike?
Cycle Buddies puts new riders in touch with experienced riders. Buddies can then meet up and ride together – to work, to the shops or just to the park for a bit of practice!
Tell Me More
We are seeing more people want to get around by bike. Londoners are trying to avoid public transport where possible. Cycling is a great alternative: it helps you stay healthy; it doesn’t fuel air pollution and it doesn’t cause congestion.
New and returning cyclists can sometimes be uncertain about cycling on London’s roads. Some are concerned about how they will manage with traffic, or how to cycle their commute, or maybe they just feel they need for some practice time on the road.
That’s where Cycle Buddies come in. Experienced riders can ride with you as you get used to your local streets, help you plan a longer journey finding the right route for you, and just give you moral support.
How do I get involved?
For new and experienced cyclists please it’s free. SIGN UP HERE (https://forms.gle/Rfy5Nj6YSmFm7zdQ7)
We will match you with a rider in your local area and give you advice on how to meet up and ride together.
If you have not ridden a bike at all before or are very uncertain about riding on roads, then we recommend you seek training before you start – your local council runs free Bikeability training. After you have completed training, you may want to sign up to Cycle Buddies to get more experience on the road.
For experienced riders, we don’t expect you to have completed training, but we do expect you to be confident on the road.
We would expect new riders to be riding at Bikeability Level 2 and experienced riders at Bikeability Level 3 – you can see the skills required here: https://bikeability.org.uk/bikeability-training/
More information about Cycle Buddies Scheme can be found on the LCC (London Cycling Campaign) website: https://www.lcc.org.uk/groups/cycle-buddies-faqs/
Local Bike shops
Barnet has several bike shops and some give discounts to LCC members. See our map of bike shops and servicing in Barnet.
Safety checks and minor adjustments
Cycleconfident run free ‘Dr Bike’ sessions to check bikes for safety and do minor adjustments.
It’s easy when you know how. These simple maintenance guides from Cycling UK guide you through essential basic maintenance checks.
Money saving tips for cyclists
Money Saving Expert has some useful tips on how to buy a cheap bike, cycle hire schemes & more.
Be prepared
- Is your bike safe to ride? Learn how to do a quick M-Check.
- Check out this quick guide on what you should carry with you should a problem arise.
- Bike Radar provides a step-by-step guide to patching an inner tube, so you don’t get caught short.
- Safely lock up your bike. It sounds obvious, but there are recommended ways to lock your bike to ensure you make it as hard as possible for someone to steal your bike.
Security marking
Police’s Barnet Safer Transport Team will visit you free to get your bike security marked. Call 0208 733 5570 or email: STT.barnet@met.police.uk
Planning your own route
Cycling can be the best way to commute work or study locally or into central London – it’s easier than you may think to plan a suitable cycle route.
Cyclestreets Journey Planner is one of the very best. It will suggest the quietest, fastest and balanced routes from A to B; with illustrated route sheets and an option to download a route file to a GPS device or phone. The CycleStreets routing engine is also in iPhone and Android apps of the same name.
Cyclestreets Photomap contains a useful collection of geographically located photos made by cyclists to illustrate infrastructure features and problems.
Google Streetview lets you check features and junctions on your route in advance. Drag the pegman onto the map to pan around a 360o image of a chosen location.
Transport for London’s cycling page offers advice on routes, cycles on public transport, cycle parking and bike hire.
Commuting with confidence
Commute Smart is a series of videos by British Cycling, covering all aspects of commuting by bike on the roads of Britain, whether you’re an experienced commuter, or cycling into work for the first time.
Reporting potholes
TfL is directly responsible for repairing potholes on roads shown here: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/red-routes/red-route-maps and for all of London’s traffic lights. Use their webform to report problems: https://tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact/contact-us-about-streets-and-other-road-issues You can also report using Twitter to @TfL
Barnet Council is responsible for repairing all other roads and paths. Use their form at https://www.barnet.gov.uk/citizen-home/report-a-problem.html – you will need to register an account. They also accept reports from FillThatHole and FixMyStreet, or you can email them HighwaysCorrespondence@Barnet.gov.uk Provide the exact location: door number, street/road name, postcode, nearest junction.Fill That Hole: If possible, we suggest you also report all hazards on https://www.fillthathole.org.uk/ and include any references from Barnet Council or TfL. The map on this site provides proof that a hazard has been reported and is useful evidence in subsequent claims.
Barnet Cyclists 