New to cycling?

You might never have ridden a bike before, or not have ridden since childhood. Don’t worry, it’s as easy as… riding a bike!

Roads can feel intimidating if you’ve never cycled on one before, so if you can, start off on a fully-protected cycle path to get your confidence up.

Training is a good idea, to build confidence and make sure you know the rules of the road.

Training courses

Bike For Life

Cycling and maintenance courses for all ages and proficiencies.

City Cycling Skills & Training

A range of courses from Brighton & Hove City Council, including learning to ride, experienced riding, cargo bikes and maintenance.

School cycle training

Bikeability courses run by Brighton & Hove City Council for school years 5 to 10.

Route planning

Getting from A to B by bicycle in Brighton & Hove gets easier every year. There are hundreds of ways to cycle quickly and safely across the city and it can take time to discover the best routes. These free online tools which will show you the way to go.

CycleStreets gives three options of routes to choose from – fast, quiet and balanced. As well as the distance and likely journey time, it also tells you the hills you’ll have to climb and descend, how many traffic light junctions you’ll encounter, the calories you’ll expend and the amount of CO2 you’ll avoid. It’s available through your web browser and also as a free app.

Brighton & Hove City Council has a free route planner which works on any web browser. It uses CycleStreets so the routes are the same but it doesn’t tell you about traffic light junctions or how busy the roads are. It does offer the opportunity to customise what is shown on the map so you can save or print one that meets your specific journey needs.

CityMapper suggests fewer possible routes between two points and it seems to think Brighton & Hove is a suburb of London! It’s usable on a web browser and also as a free app for mobile devices.

Google Maps gives similar routes to those shown by CycleStreets but less detailed information. Use it through your browser or the free app.

Of course, Bricycles members have gathered a lot of knowledge and experience over the years and may well know even better routes, perhaps with short cuts or quieter sections. Feel free to ask us for help by emailing info@bricycles.org.uk

Information and advice

Sustrans is a a charity that aims to make it easier to walk and cycle in the UK. They have lots of great information, including tips for cycling in the dark, cycling with a disability and how to do your shopping by bike.

Cycling UK is a charity that promotes cycling for people of all ages, backgrounds and ability. They have plenty of advice for beginners.

Our top tips for getting back on your bike

  • Build your confidence on quieter roads and separated cycle paths and tracks
  • Look behind you regularly, to see if anyone needs to overtake. Always look behind you before moving off and when about to stop or change position in the road
  • Use clear hand signals to indicate when you’re about to turn
  • Don’t cut corners at junctions – you never know what might be coming into your path
  • Cycle in as straight a line as possible – don’t nip in and out of parked cars as this can make it hard for other road users to see you
  • Keep at least the space of a car door away from parked cars in case someone opens their door without looking
  • Be polite! Use your bell if you really need to, to warn people of your presence, but don’t use it to shove others out of the way. In shared use areas, respect pedestrians and go slowly. Be patient with pedestrians who have accidentally strayed into a cycle lane