Useful Info

Bicycle Training
We thoroughly recommend this. It will give you the skills to cycle on the road. To book a free session go to Cycling Instructor or call 0845 652 0421. For children, you should ask your school if they do training. If they don't, ask them to arrange it with the council. They should email the council’s school travel team at sta@ealing.gov.uk. Note that the usual age for lessons at school is from 9 years old. You can also pay for tuition. Search for local providers.

Bicycle Workshops
You can learn how to maintain your bicycle at Ealing's own workshop, the London Bike Hub. Based in Greenford it offers a wide range of maintenance classes for everyone from beginners to advanced - or you can just book a work stand and tools to fix your own bike. It also offers cycle training and recycles bicycles. 

Bike Rental
You can rent Brompton bicycles from 4 docking stations in Ealing: Greenford Quays, Copley Close, Ealing Broadway, and Acton Town. See Brompton Dock for details. Lime operates deckles electric cycle and scooter hire in the east of the borough. Dott and Tier rent out scooters in the same area. Access via their apps. To request rental bikes in your area, or report an issue go to the council page here.

Bicycle Repair Stations
The council has installed pumps and a selection of tools for doing simple repairs at a number of locations around the borough. You can find the locations here.

BMX
The nearest BMX track is next to Gurnell Leisure Centre, Ruislip Road East, W13 0AL. It is free and open for anyone to use. It's the home of the Ealing BMX ClubFurther afield, is the Hawks BMX Club in Hayes. 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. London BMX has details of other clubs in the capital.

Canals 
Some of the quietest off-road cycling in Ealing is along the Grand Union canal. Overall the path is fine. 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 recumbent, towing a trailer or on a bicycle with a child seat, you probably won't be able to pass. Many of these have been removed recently, or adapted to improve access for cycles. For more information on cycling along canals contact the Canal and River Trust. For details of our campaign to improve the towpaths see Canals in Ealing A vision for the 2020s.
Cycle Parking 
Ealing Council has started installing bike lockers on residential streets. You can check the location of your nearest locker, or request one at Cyclehoop Rentals.
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.
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.  
A smaller, newer club is Saddledrunk. Founded in 2013, this runs regular Sunday club runs and less regular women-only rides  
For children and teenagers up to 16 the Hillingdon Slipstreamers is a great place to start. They run training sessions on Saturday mornings at the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit. 
For competitive mountain bike riding, see West Drayton Mountain Bike Club 
For BMX Cycling, see above under BMX.

Cycle Theft
Cycle theft is a big problem in London. One of the 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, even when parked in a shed, and never leave your bicycle out on the street overnight. It's worth reading this police advice.  
Ealing Police recommend marking your bike and registering it with Bike Register. You can do this at: Bike Register. 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 Immobilise. This is another database the police will check to enable them to return stolen property to its owner. 
If your bike is stolen, report it to the police. There is a fair chance that it will be sold online, so you may be able to spot it being advertised. See the police advice for help on this.


Ealing Council
Responsible for maintaining the roads, providing cycle training for adults and children, transport planning, etc. See Ealing Borough Cycling for useful information about cycling in Ealing. The council is keen to hear about any suggestions you have for cycle facilities or improvements. You can email your suggestions to them directly at: cycling@ealing.gov.uk.  You can also contact them on: 020 8825 5000.

Journey Planning

One of the best route planners is the London Cycling Campaign's Journey Planner.  This offers you a choice of direct route or a slower route along more cycle-friendly roads.  
Disappointingly, in 2018 TfL stopped printing its free cycle maps of London. 
For leisure rides around the Ealing area, have a look on Ride with GPS. We've posted a few mainly on-road routes. Search for ECC.

Mountain Biking
The best mountain bike 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. They also organise rides.The nearest club is West Drayton Mountain Bike Club, based in Uxbridge.


Reporting Problems
The best way to report most problems is to use the Love Clean Streets 24/7 App. This works in Ealing and surrounding boroughs. You can download this to your phone from Apple Store or Google Play. The app allows you to send a photo and details of the problem directly to the council, and the department responsible for fixing it. Use this for potholes, other road defects, damaged streets signs, lights, etc. Sometimes they are repaired within two days. This app also works for many other issues, from obstructions in the road to broken glass - which is treated as a street cleaning emergency. You can also report problems on the council website.
Abandoned Bikes 
To get an abandoned bike removed from a cycle stand, use the Ealing Council Love Clean Streets 24/7 app and choose the 'Abandoned bicycle' option. It may still be possible to report it the old way by calling the council on 020 8825 6000 and asking to speak to Envirocrime. 
Note that the council no longer puts notices on bicycles warning that they will be removed, so it is not advisable to leave a bicycle in the same place for a long time. A bicycle is classed as abandoned if it meets one or more of the following criteria:
It is secured in a dangerous position (i.e. blocking the public highway)
It is secured to a council cycle rack and in an unroadworthy condition
It is secured in an inappropriate place (i.e. illegally parked or chained to street furniture) and in an unroadworthy condition.

A bicycle that is defined as not roadworthy will have sustained two or more of the following:
Missing wheel
Buckled front or rear wheels
Bent forks
Seized or damaged brakes
Rusted chain or gears
Missing chain  
Bus Drivers
To report dangerous bus driving go to TfL Cycling and click on the 'Help and Contact' link at the bottom left of the page, then click 'Enquiries and complaints - Buses'. Or you can call Tfl on: 0343 222 1234 (charges may apply). 
Dangerous Driving
You can report close passes and road traffic incidents to the police online at: https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/rti/report-a-road-traffic-incident/
Vehicles blocking Cycle Lanes 
To report vehicles parking illegally, call the Ealing Parking Enforcement hotline: 020 8825 6677. Option 1. (9-5 Mon-Fri) Outside of these hours, call 020 8825 5000.    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. 

Potholes and other road defects.

To report these it's best to use the Love Clean Streets 24/7 app. See the links above. If the problem is outside Ealing, then use the Cycling UK's website: Fill that HoleThis will send your report to the relevant council. It also allows you to tick a box if the problem is on a canal towpath and the report will go to the Canal and River Trust. A final option is Fix My Street. This also sends an email to the relevant council. 
School Streets
To make it easier and safer for you and your children to walk to school, many London schools now operate school streets. The road outside your school is temporarily closed to motor vehicles at the start and end of the school day. To find out more and how to request one for your school, see School Streets

Second-hand bicycles
The London Bike Hub, based in Greenford, sells second hand bikes. See our Bike Shops page for more info.

Tubes and Trains
You can take a folded bike on the Underground anywhere, any time. As a general rule, you can only take unfolded bicycles on tube trains outside of the rush hours, and only on trains running overground. For details see cycles on public transport. 
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 using National Rail's Planner - cyclists or call 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.