There are many options for hiring a bike for the 2022 ride on 11th June. Here are some we recommend. For the benefit of everyone, please cover the saddle if you have a bare bottom!
You can find an interactive map of our start locations and main stations here.
London Bicycle Tour Company (LBTC)
Note that LBTC moved in 2018 to a location near the Imperial War Museum
London Bicycle Tour Company (LBTC) is offering a range of bikes for the ride (Saturday 11 June 2022) with a 15% discount off normal prices, including a WNBR seat cover which is yours to keep. Use the Voucher Code: WNBR1522. Bikes must be pre-booked and collected from their premises, which are around 20 minutes by bike from the Central London start points.
LBTC’s hire centre is at 74 Kennington Road, London SE11 6NL, near the Imperial War Museum. Telephone: 020 7928 6838. Nearest tube/rail: Lambeth North or Waterloo. See londonbicycle.com/directions to view directions from all the closest stations.
Please try to collect bikes early (from 11:00) in order to avoid a rush. LBTC will be staying open later than usual until 7pm to receive returned bike
You must pay in advance by credit or debit card. This way LBTC are able to do two jobs at once: capture the hirer’s bank details for the deposit on the bicycle, and pay for the bike hire at the same time.
You can see the location on the interactive map here. Tower Hill is the easiest start to find from LBTC.
 | “It’s easy to find us at Tower Hill from the London Bicycle Tour Company. Go east on Lambeth Road, past the Imperial War Museum, and straight across a roundabout onto Borough Road. When you are under a large railway bridge turn left onto Southwark Bridge Rd. Cross Southwark Bridge then turn right onto the cycle superhighway to carry on east until you get to the Tower of London – and we’re there on your left.“ |
TfL Cycle Hire
Another option is Transport for London’s Santander Cycles, sometimes still known as “Boris Bikes” after the mayor who introduced them. Regular users get a key and account, but anyone can use them with a credit or debit card. You do not need an app – just follow the instructions at the docking station.
These are intended for short journeys, so please make sure that you understand the charges. You pay £2 for the access fee for up to 24 hours. The first 30 minutes of each journey during that day are free. If it is a longer journey, each extra period of up to 30 minutes costs another £2. So, if you have the bike for 3 hours, it will cost you £12 (£2 plus 5x£2). This is quite plausible, since the London ride assembles around 14:30 and finishes at about 17:30.
However, if you end a journey by docking your bike, then wait 5 minutes, you can start a new journey with 30 minutes free. In theory you could ride all day for £2 in short journeys with 5 minute breaks. On WNBR, you might not want to be left behind waiting 5 minutes, but you might be able to do this at the rest breaks.
The scheme operates in Central London. Currently there are docking stations near Clapham Junction, Hyde Park, Regents Park, Tower Hill, Victoria Park and our afterparty venue. There is no coverage near Croydon, Deptford, or Kew Bridge.
You may not be able to collect or return a bike at the nearest docking station, if it’s empty at the start and full at the end, so you need to allow for extra travelling time.
You can check locations and availabilities here.
Dockless Bikes
There are also some “dockless” hire services where you can find a bike then leave it at any location within their coverage area – all tracked by technology and accessed through an app on your phone. These have not been fully successful. Each year we find some have gone and some new ones have arrived. Operating areas vary across the different London Boroughs. There have also been problems with blocking public spaces, vandalism and theft.
In 2022, it looks like only two types are operating. Both use electric assisted bikes. The Ofo and Mobike services have closed down.
| Lime (lime-uk.co.uk/) now incorporates the bikes that were previously operated by Jump and Uber. Access is via Lime’s app. Citymapper has a working map. Bikes must be left in designated zones. |  |
| We’re seeing many Human Forest (www.humanforest.co.uk) e-Bikes in Central London, with plenty near the central London starts. They must be left in designated zones. Access is via an App. The Citymapper app also has a workable map. |  |
| The Freebike website is still operational but shows very few bikes in our area. |
Other cycle hire options
There are many other cycle hire shops. Here are some we are aware of:
On your bike (www.onyourbike.com/rental.php) has a minimum hire duration of 3 days. Road and hybrid bikes.
3 – 4 London Bridge Walk, London, SE1 2SX
Phone : 020 7378 666 Email: london@onyourbike.com
London Green Cycles (www.londongreencycles.co.uk) have cargo bikes and bakfiets.
4 Chester Court, Albany Street, London NW1 4BU / hire@londongreencycles.co.uk
London Recumbents (www.londonrecumbents.com/) Recumbent bikes. Open weekends & school holidays 10am – last hire, 4.30pm
Battersea Park, SW11 4NJ. Telephone: 020 7228 6843 recumbents@aol.com
Brompton Bike Hire (bromptonhire.com/) operates via a pre-registered app with 24-hour hire as standard. Return the bike to any dock. There are several docks, eg at Euston, Russell Sq, Kings Cross, Paddington, Leyton etc.
Seat covers
If you are hiring or borrowing a bike, and you have a bare bum, you should cover the saddle. This will protect you from any dirt, as well as being polite to the next person who uses the bike. You can purchase a 2019 edition WNBR seat cover for £2 at the start points. You might alternatively use some of your clothes to make a temporary cover.
You could also buy yourself a comfortable gel saddle cover in advance. Cheap ones are available on eBay and in the pound shops – yes, this one cost £1!
