Edinburgh Cycling Links

This page contains links to other sites that might be of interest to our visitors, friends and fellow-cyclists.

All the links are my personal choice, but don't let that stop you suggesting other sites that you know about or would like to recommend (my contact details are near the bottom of the page).

All links checked and updated September 2011

Cycling in general

Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation
If you're concerned about whether helmets will improve your safety - or have the opposite effect - you'll find lots of facts, figures and research material here to help you make up your mind.

Bike Hub
Useful articles on various  aspects of cycling, including etiquette, security, training, tax breaks and route-planning.

Cycle-Friendly Employers
If you want to encourage your employers to encourage cycling, this site is the ideal place to get started.

Cycle Maps Directory
This useful site hosts several dozen maps of cycle routes in various parts of the UK, mostly published by local authorities to publicise a particlar route or area. Many of the maps can be downloaded as PDFs; others are viewable within your browser.

Cycling Shoes Direct
An on-line shop dealing exclusively in cycling shoes, with some very competitive prices.

Stop At Red
A campaign to persuade cyclists to respect traffic lights, mainly for reasons of safety, but also to counter what the organisers see as "a rising tide of hostility towards cyclists - evident on the streets, in the media and in the political process." An interesting point of view.

Sustrans
These are the people behind the National Cycle Network, which includes some of the best bike routes in Edinburgh. The site has lots of leaflets and maps, an events calendar (but not many Scottish events), technical information about the design of bike paths, and a custom route-finder (enter your postcode to see all the NCN routes in your area).

Cycling in Edinburgh / Scotland

City Cycling Edinburgh Forum
A busy discussion group on all aspects of local cycling. Worth visiting regularly, either to join in the chat or just to observe. Open to all.

Cycling Edinburgh Info
A site containing comprehensive information and advice for local cyclists. There's a vast amount of information here, tirelessly kept up to date by local bike activist, Chris Hill. Browse the photos (you might see yourself in some of them), and leave your comments at the bottom of the articles.

Cycling Scotland
A Scottish Government-funded project to "bring cycling out from the fringes of everyday life and into the mainstream", which sounds good to me. They achieve this by promoting public participation in cycling events, giving training to help people build confidence, and providing engineering services to ensure that cyclists are catered for on Scotland's roads and paths.

Glentress Bike Bus
A bike-carrying bus service, running between Edinburgh and Glentress, with two services per day on weekends and one on Wednesday evenings.

Go Bike
The Strathclyde cycling campaign. The group campaigns for better cycling facilities in Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire, and also organises regular bike rides in those areas (a sort of west coast equivalent of Spokes).

Laid Back Ligfiets Scotland
David Gardiner is Edinburgh's resident specialist in recumbent bikes. He imports the bikes from Germany and Holland, hires them out, leads tours, and can arrange purchase of new or ex-rental models from his associates in Amsterdam. His 90-minute recumbent tour of the Meadows and Holyrood provides an excellent introduction for those who never ridden this type of bike before.

More links

Veg World
Although not directly related to cycling, I hope that my extensive collection of vegetarian and vegan recipes will appeal to health-conscious cyclists everywhere.