It starts on 30th July
The hire-bike has at last come to London. So late after the pioneers of Paris.
It is not hard to bike in London because it is built on a river plain and all the interesting bits are on the flat. It should be a brilliant experience. You can follow in fascination a StrollOn tour, coast quietly along the river, pedal coolly under the trees, park thirstily outside the pubs and finish refreshed at a docking station.
Are they going to be any good? Jon Snow in the FT was very doubtful. They are slow and expensive. They are so heavy that however hard you pedal you can be overtaken by a burger in trainers doing a power-walk. But so what? Are you trying to be Lance Armstrong? No, you have come to see as much of London as you can.
They do sound expensive: you sign up for a day for £1 and then pay £1 for an hour (OK) but £6 for 2 hours! You get more from StrollOn but you go further with a bike. Therefore I suggest you take it for an hour in the middle of London and then go back with us to see the best bits.
A warning: avoid roundabouts and cyclists.
Cyclists are killed on roundabouts. White van drivers are like fighter pilots – the roundabout is the perfect battleground. They surround, squeeze and then dump the cyclist. Each scratch on the van represents a smashed cyclist. Don’t stop to count the scratches otherwise you will be one of them.
Messenger cyclists are just as dangerous but they aim to maim – they do not kill. Traffic lights are challenges – how many red ones can they jump on a road. If you go at a proper speed then you get in their way and nothing will stop them. They cut in front and leave you floundering. Just watch out and keep to the lane. You might survive to be a miracle.
I promise to keep you up to date on this story. I will battle to find a bike and report back.