Bikability

We're often asked what replaced the Cycling Proficiency test. Well this is it. With on-road training the Bikeability scheme is a much improved cycle training course.
Ask your school if they can arrange training if they don't do it already. Note that for children, the usual age for training is from 9 years old. The council subsidises training for Adults that you can book at any time. We thoroughly reccommend it - especially if you're a beginner, but even if you have cycled for years, you will probably learn something that will make you safer on the roads. You can expect to pay £5 for a two-hour lesson. To book a lesson, contact Cycle Training Ltd on Freephone 0800 093 6454, and mention that you live in Ealing.

Bikes on Trains

All train companies on the National Rail network carry bicycles, but their rules vary. For instance, most bikes, with the exception of foldables, are not allowed on trains in the rush hour. Before travelling, check well in advance with the National Rail Enquiry Service Tel: 0845 748 4950. Thanks to an LCC campaign, Eurostar now allows you to take a bicycle on the train you're travelling on, but you need to book a space in advance.
For timetables of trains and coaches try Traveline.

BMX

The nearest BMX track is the Lake Farm BMX Track, Dawley Road, Hayes. This is free and open to the public at all times except when it is being used by the local club, the Hawks. Beginners are encouraged to go along to an organised event when the Hawks can provide limited club bikes, safety gear and advice on how to get started.

In 2012 Ealing Council opened a skatepark at Gurnell Leisure Centre, Ruislip Road East, Ealing W13 0AL.

Canal Towpaths

Some of the quietest off-road cycling in Ealing is along the Grand Union canal. In places the path is good, in others, in particular the stretch in Southall north of Bull's Bridge, it is very rough. Occasionally you will find gates designed to prevent motorcyclists using the canal. They are designed so regular bicycles can get through, but if you are on a recumbant, towing a trailer or on a bicycle with a high-backed child seat, you probably won't be able to pass. Many of these have been removed recently, or adapted to improve access for cycles. Information on cycling along canals is on the British Waterways website. www.waterscape.com
British Waterways, Norwood Top Lock, Poplar Avenue, Norwood Green, Southall, Middlesex UB2 4PN Tel: 020 8571 8900

Cycling Proficiency Scheme

The fondly remembered training scheme stopped running several years ago. The new training scheme is called Bikeability and unlike the old Cycling Proficiency it prepares you for the real world with on-road cycle training. See Bikeability above.

Cycle Sports

Ealing's cycle racing club is the Westerley Cycling Club. If you want to take part in competitive riding, or like the idea of long, fast club runs, then this is the place to go.
www.westerleycycling.org.uk

Further afield London Dynamo is a club that meets in Richmond park every Saturday.

If you fancy some thing else competitive on the road then there is also The Gregarios Superclub Ciclist, a road racing club based in West London, Middlesex and beyond. Sunday club routes and more. www.gregarios.co.uk

The Minet Ladies Cycling Club is based at the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit and offers local women a mix of cycling for fun, fitness or competion. They can provide training and you can bring your children during the school holidays. Minet Ladies Cycling Club

For children and teenagers up to 16, then Hillingdon Slipstreamers is a great place to start. They run training sessions on Saturday mornings at the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit. Check out www.slipstreamers.co.uk for more details.

For competitive mountain bike riding, see West Drayton Mountain Bike Club

For BMX Cycling, see the Hawks the Hayes BMX Club based at the Lake Farm BMX Track, Dawley Road, Hayes.

Cycle Theft

Cycle theft is a big problem in London. One of best ways to prevent cycle theft is to use a good lock - we recommend a D-lock. Criminals can easily cut through thin cable locks. Always lock the frame of your bicycle to an immovable object, and never leave your bicycle out on the street overnight.

Ealing Police recommend marking your bike and registering it with Bike Register. You can do this at: www.bikeregister.com. If your bike is stolen and recovered, the police will be able to return it to you.

Once you have the bike marked, it is also worth logging the details at the UK national property register www.imobilise.com . This is another database the police will check to enable them to return stolen property to its owner.

The Police used to stamp postcodes on bicycles so that they could be returned to their owners. Now they hold local sessions to mark bicycles. Look out for one in your area.

Cycle Training

The council offers on-road cycle training for children, adults and groups. See Bikeability above.

Cycle Workshops

You can learn how to maintain your bicycle at the Ealing BikeHub run by Ealing Cycling Campaign on the first Saturday of every month. The hub is based in Greenford. Visit the web site to find out more and book a place.

Ealing Borough Council

Responsible for maintaining the roads, providing cycle training for children, transport planning, etc. They have a number of help lines to report pot-holes, broken street lights, etc. which are listed separately below. For cycle training, contact Ealing's Cycling Officer (see below) The web site www.ealing.gov.uk has general information about Ealing and listings of events in the borough.
Perceval House, 14-16 Uxbridge Road, Ealing. W5 2HL Tel: 020 8825 5000

Ealing Cycling Campaign

The Ealing branch of the London Cycling Campaign.

General Enquiries: info@ealingcycling.org.uk
Borough co-ordinator: Nick Manthorpe. Tel: 0795 649 0714, e-mail: bc@ealingcycling.org.uk
Secretary: Tom Hartwell
Treasurer: Tim Greg
Council Liason: Peter Mynors
Rides Organiser: Paul James

Journey Planner

Transport for London have a journey planner at http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk . Click on 'Search more options' to bring up the cycle journey planner. To make sure you arrive on time, allow 50% longer than the estimated journey time - at least the first time you make the trip.

Maps

You can order free cycle maps of London from the Transport for London Cycling website.
A useful online map is streetmap.co.uk

Mountain Biking

Sadly, there are no mountains in Ealing. The best MB riding territory in south east England is said to be the network of trails around Leith Hill. Contact local bike shop, Nirvana Cycles for details: 01306 740300. www.nirvanacycles.com. They also organise rides.

The nearest MTB club is West Drayton Mountain Bike Club, based in Uxbridge.

If you want to do your own thing. This site has a map and details of a nearby ride in Colne Valley.

Reporting Problems

Bus Drivers
To report dangerous bus drivers, go to Transport for London Cycling and click on one of the 'Contact us' links at the bottom right of the page.

Parking in Cycle Lanes
To report persistent problems with vehicles parking in Ealing's cycle lanes, call the number below. Note that parking may be allowed in cycle lanes at certain times. This is particularly true of advisory cycle lanes (those with dotted white lines). Please check that offences are being committed before calling. 020 8825 6677.

Street Faults in Ealing
To report potholes and other street faults in Ealing and get them repaired, and get broken glass cleaned up, telephone 020-8825 6000. It is important to note the name of the road and the precise location - e.g. opposite house number ... Between 17.30 and 08.00 you can contact the emergency reporting number: 020-8825 5000. Or if you want to report potholes using the internet, go to fill that hole.

Street Faults on major roads and all traffic signals
To report faults on the following roads: A40, A406, Church Rd between Target and White Hart roundabout, The Parkway and Ruislip Rd between White Hart and Polish War Memorial roundabout, go to www.streetfaults.tfl.gov.uk To report a fault that is serious and very urgent, call the Street Faults Contact Centre on 0845 305 1234 (open 24 hours)

Street Lights
To report faulty street lights in Ealing, and get them repaired, fill out an online report form available at Ealing council's web page on street lighting. If it is an emergency or needs urgent attention tel: 020 8825 6000.

Safe Routes to Schools

This organisation gives you the information you need to develop a safe cycle route to your, or your child's, school. There is excellent web-site information at www.saferoutestoschools.org.uk
Safe Routes to Schools Information Service. Head Office: 35 King Street, Bristol. BS1 4DZ Tel: 0117 929 0888.

Westerley Cycling Club

Ealing's cycle racing club.
Contact Vince Dey: 020-8864 0643 www.westerleycycling.org.uk

Ealing Cycling Campaign hold monthly social rides from Ealing Town Hall on Sunday mornings. See our Rides Page for details. Other London Cycling Campaign rides are featured in the monthly LCC magazine, London Cyclist.

The Cyclists' Touring club also organise social rides around London. The nearest branch is West London CTC. Central London CTC also organise rides.

More challenging rides are organised by the Westerley Cycling Club, the Old Actonians Cycling Club, and, for under 16's, the Hillingdon Slipstreamers.

Birmingham to Southall Charity Ride

Each summer the Sikh community in Ealing organises a ride from Birmingham to Southall to raise money for local charities. Details normally available from June at: www.charitybikeride.com

Sponsored Cycle Rides

For details of the major national sponsored cycle rides (London to Brighton etc.) held during the summer, contact Bike Events. PO BOX 2127 Bristol BS99 7LN    0870 755 8519 www.bike-events.com

Discounts with LCC Membership

We have some great independent bicycle shops in Ealing. Membership of LCC automatically entitles you to discounts on bikes and spares at Woolsey of Acton, and There Cycling of Hanwell. For a map of all the shops in London offering LCC discounts, click here. For cycle shops, repairs and other cycle services in Ealing, see below.

Woolsey of Acton (offers Discounts to LCC members)


281 Acton Lane, Acton, W4 5DH. (020 8994 6893). Offers a generous 10% discount on bikes and spares for LCC members. Also does repairs, has a large range of accessories and sells a wide selection of bikes. Long established family shop with friendly owner. Opens early and closes late (except Weds when it is closed). Well worth checking out. map

There Cycling (offers Discounts to LCC members)


60 Boston Road, Hanwell, W7 3TR (0208 568 8828)
Opened in February 2011. Owner Jim Kent aims to bring the best of European urban cycling to Ealing: from Dutch-built cargo bikes for the school run, to Danish children' sbikes and classy British brands like Cooper and Pashley. He also sells stylish cycle clothing and runs a workshop for bike repairs and servicing. Opposite Wickes in Hanwell. map

The Bike Shop


67, The Broadway, Greenford, UB6 9PN. (020 8578 7863). A decent range. Services and repairs bikes. A couple of our members reported that they had good service at this shop. map

Ealing Cycles

9 Bond Street, Ealing, W5 5AP (020 8567 3557). Handy for swift repairs, for choosing from a range of bikes including Brompton folders, and it has a good range of accessories. Friendly staff. It opens early so you can drop off your bike on your way to work for repairs and servicing. map

Bicycle Repair Station

2A Goldsmith Road, Acton, W3 6PX. Opposite Acton Town Station. (t: 0203 556 5384, m: 07950 732341) The classic Monty Python sketch, 'Bicycle Repair Man' is reputed to have been filmed in Churchfield Road, Acton, and now the street has a genuine repair man. Martin Potter, a former builder, set up the business in April 2011. As well as repairing bikes, the Repair Station sells accessories and new and second-hand bicycles. map

Bicycle Repair Shop

17 The Vale,Uxbridge Road, Acton W3 7SH (t: 0208 749 7344)
The people who run the Bicycle Repair Station opened this second shop not far from the first in June 2013. They share the same web site.

My Velo
The Perfume Factory, 140 Wales Farm Road, East Acton, W3 6UG (020 7199 8181). A new company offering personalised bikes made to order. Essentially they sell only two types of bike - a men's or women's hybrid. You just get to change the colours. You will find more choice in the bike shops above which sell many different styles of bicycle. map

London Joggers
112 Broadway, West Ealing, W13 0SY. (020 8566 0044). Half sports shoe shop, half bike shop, this unusual hybrid has a small selection of bicycles for sale, and a small range of spare parts including tyres and inner tubes. They also service bicycles. We have no feedback on this shop yet so, if you've used it, let us know about their service: info@ealingcycling.org.uk. map

Cycleserve

Hanwell, W7 2EN (07940 381617) Not a bike shop, but a mobile bicycle repair service. James Nelson a Cytech qualified mechanic can collect your bike from your home, fix it, and deliver it back again - all by bicycle and a special trailer that carries up to two bicycles. Call him for quotes, or visit his web site: cycleserve.co.uk.

The Bike Whisperer
185 Pitshanger Lane, London W5 1RQ (020 8998 7271) Not a bike shop, but a bike servicing and fitting specialist. Scherrit and Corinne Knoesen set up the business in 2004 and since then have focused on servicing premium road bikes, and fitting bikes to customers. If your bike doesn't feel right, they can help. If want to get the best out of your bike, check out their web stie.