Anybody from the UK or London area?

STIDriver · 06-25-2012, 04:55 PM

Next week I'm London. Visiting my sister.

I'm considering renting a bike and ride around the south of england just for the fun of it.

Riding a bike in Europe is on my bucket list, so why not?

Aside from the fact that they drive on the WRONG side of the road over there (ha-ha), anybody here is familiar with that area and/or bike rentals in Europe?

Any tips, suggestions, best places to ride to, etc?

Dodsfall · 06-25-2012, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STIDriver

Any tips, suggestions, best places to ride to, etc?

Ride on the LEFT side of the road!

Biker Dash · 06-25-2012, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STIDriver

Next week I'm London. Visiting my sister.

I'm considering renting a bike and ride around the south of england just for the fun of it.

Riding a bike in Europe is on my bucket list, so why not?

Aside from the fact that they drive on the WRONG side of the road over there (ha-ha), anybody here is familiar with that area and/or bike rentals in Europe?

Any tips, suggestions, best places to ride to, etc?

Let me know if you head up to Birmingham lol...

chefonahonda · 06-25-2012, 10:06 PM

Watch out in the Roundabouts!

Biker Dash · 06-25-2012, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefonahonda

Watch out in the Roundabouts!

Those would kill me there! I'd probably end up going counter-clockwise, where they go clockwise over there...
Yeah, playing dodgeball with lorries sounds a little too exciting LMAO!

SpitefulHam · 06-26-2012, 08:50 AM

I never rode a bike over there but I lived there for 3 years while in the Marines (2000-2003) so I had a good bit of driving experience. The times when you REALLY need to concentrate on what side of the road you're on are when you're pulling onto another road or into a parking lot. Once you're ON a road, it's easy, you just stay in your lane. But when you're turning onto another road (from a stop sign or whatever) your brain is processing a lot more information (other cars? animals? kids?) and that's when it's REALLY easy to forget to be on the left side.

Also, for round-abouts, remember that the lane you use is determined by where you are getting out of the round-about. A lot of people here take round-abouts like a small sweeping curve... they start on the outside lane, switch to the inside lane halfway through the round-about and cut back to the outside lane as they're exiting. There, if you're taking the first or second turn, you do it from the outside (left!) lane. If you're taking the 3rd turn, you start on the inside (right!) lane and move to the outside after the second turn. That's on a normal 4 exit type of course. There are usually signs as you approach that show which lane is for what turn. London has some HUGE round-abouts with stop lights in the middle of them.

Do your research in regards to what kind of documentation you'll need. You don't want to get there and then find out your insurance doesn't cover you for whatever reason or that the rental place won't rent to anyone from outside the country or something...

06-25-2012, 04:55 PM	#1
STIDriver Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: New Jersey Posts: 357	Anybody from the UK or London area? Next week I'm London. Visiting my sister. I'm considering renting a bike and ride around the south of england just for the fun of it. Riding a bike in Europe is on my bucket list, so why not? Aside from the fact that they drive on the WRONG side of the road over there (ha-ha), anybody here is familiar with that area and/or bike rentals in Europe? Any tips, suggestions, best places to ride to, etc?

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06-25-2012, 10:06 PM	#4
chefonahonda Lead, follow or get out of the way. Life Is Good! Join Date: May 2011 Location: Zolfo Springs, Florida Posts: 743	Watch out in the Roundabouts!

06-26-2012, 08:50 AM	#6
SpitefulHam Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 315	I never rode a bike over there but I lived there for 3 years while in the Marines (2000-2003) so I had a good bit of driving experience. The times when you REALLY need to concentrate on what side of the road you're on are when you're pulling onto another road or into a parking lot. Once you're ON a road, it's easy, you just stay in your lane. But when you're turning onto another road (from a stop sign or whatever) your brain is processing a lot more information (other cars? animals? kids?) and that's when it's REALLY easy to forget to be on the left side. Also, for round-abouts, remember that the lane you use is determined by where you are getting out of the round-about. A lot of people here take round-abouts like a small sweeping curve... they start on the outside lane, switch to the inside lane halfway through the round-about and cut back to the outside lane as they're exiting. There, if you're taking the first or second turn, you do it from the outside (left!) lane. If you're taking the 3rd turn, you start on the inside (right!) lane and move to the outside after the second turn. That's on a normal 4 exit type of course. There are usually signs as you approach that show which lane is for what turn. London has some HUGE round-abouts with stop lights in the middle of them. Do your research in regards to what kind of documentation you'll need. You don't want to get there and then find out your insurance doesn't cover you for whatever reason or that the rental place won't rent to anyone from outside the country or something...