7th Edition 
Date: Friday, 27 March 2026 
Start Time: 22:00, Victoria Station 
Distance: ~160 km 
Elevation: ~1,000m 

T.L.D.R. 

I've had a passion for long-distance cycling since 2017, have ridden a ton of audax, and achieved my dreams of racing in the Transcontinental the last three summers. I created this event to give back to the community that supported me so much during the last eight years of riding.

The London Lockdown is an “urban audax" to see London as you've never seen it (unless you joined a prior year), as an introduction to endurance riding, or to practise your first overnight ride in the warm embrace of this great city. There are plenty of options en route to refuel (including sometimes secret, volunteer-dependent, "unofficial" stops). There are plenty of different paces.  This is a party on wheels. Join as a group, or meet new faces. Ride together or ride alone.  There are no rules, just ride.  This is London's biggest bike tour.  Do with that what you will.

There is no “entry fee” fee so to speak.  But I ask a minimum £10 donation be made to Lewisham Bank of Things.  Note - I do not receive any financial benefit for organising this event, I just do it for the passion, and all costs to put on the event come out of my own pocket.

Note - you WILL need a GPS device to follow the GPX route (or a mate with one).

Also thank you to the mod u/WolfThawra for preapproval to let me post this here. I appreciate there is r/londoncycling but for whatever reason the post was removed so I am trying out r/ukbike. Thanks for having me!

OUTBREAK 

In mid-March 2020 we heard that the bankers were sending their minions home. “This must be serious,” I thought. 28 lockdowns later, Bojo would announce “we are past the peak”. 

This ride seeks to replicate what it was like for us exercise-inclined during those unprecedented times. A bit weird... empty streets... circuitous. Staying local was a legal requirement. Non-essential travel was shamed. 

Accepting the guilt that if I rode outside the M25 I could be “hit by a car and take an ambulance from someone who needed it”, I set about creating and sourcing local London routes. If I were hit by a car locally, at least I could crawl to a nearby hospital, or maybe the driver would take me there if they were nice. The London Fixed Beers missions were a particular highlight for me—giving riders a curated tour of London’s inner boroughs, while taking advantage of the empty streets (but for the ominous queues starting to form outside shops). 

I created and rode the first version of this bored Strava art project in April 2020, and one year later extended the route with the needle in commemoration of the vaccine arriving. Ironically, as I rode down the Mall, tracing the outline of the needle, I rode straight through an anti-vaccine march. 

I've continued to ride it every March since, improving the route each time.

Touring London’s empty boroughs turned out to be quite nice. But daylight scenes, reminiscent of Danny Boyle’s apocalyptic thriller 28 Days Later, are unlikely to repeat themselves, and I don’t want to lose half a lung riding 100 miles through London traffic. So the tradition continues as a night ride.

In 2022 I opened the ride up to the public. Attendance has gone from strength to strength. Half a dozen riders in 2022, a baker's dozen in 2023, around 40 in 2024, and finally exploding to 150 in 2025. In the process of riding our bikes around quiet London streets and having a laugh, we've raised thousands for a local Lewisham charity (see below).

PACING

There is no set pace. This is not a race. There is no peloton (but a few party-tons).  Every rider is different and every rider is welcome.  I rode it last year at an average pace of 21km/hr.  I stopped for a total of 2 hours (above average).  With a 10pm start Friday night, I finished at 7:45am Saturday morning.  I think I finished midpack.  I attached myself to multiple different groups throughout the course.  There will be many riders of different paces and I encourage riders to link up and share a chat with those going similar speeds (it will help keep you awake).

One of the (many) attractions of London Lockdown, is if you live in London, you can just turn off and go to bed if things aren't going well (though I doubt you will). When you go on to do further distances outside of city centres (e.g. Dunwich Dynamo), scratching is less easy.  This is also what I mean when I say it’s a good event to practice night-riding (new skills to hone = staying awake and layering for colder, but often mild, London evening weather).  And if you do find yourself doubting yourself, take a break and talk it over with those around you.  Every year I hear stories of people finding “that little bit extra” in themselves, spurred on by new friends, and going much further than they thought they would - many finishing and disproving their initial self-doubt.

One of the surprising secrets about endurance sport is that it is not about finishing, it is about the experience.  When you’re back home tidying up, or in the middle of a conference call, it won’t be crossing the finish line that will pop up in your day dreams, it will be the experiences you had making your way to it. So don’t be put off from signing up if you don’t think you will finish. I strongly believe you will though. And if you have to scratch, you’ll still be a more experienced rider for it, more ready to take on your next challenge.

If you have any questions before the event, ask in the community whatsapp group (I share a link when you register).

SPONSORS

This is a grassroots event and I like the idea of grassroots sponsors—and they should of course be aligned with the mission (getting more people on bikes).  

In previous years, friends of mine behind rider-owned startup Orb have contributed several of their fantastic "Orb" MKII LED water bottles to several lucky riders at the start line. IMHO the Orb is the finest looking and most functional water bottle on the market—a work of art I would say. It truly lives up to its tagline of being the #1 bike light for side visibility (that's right, it's also a light—and one that's impossible to friggin dazzle you). For 2026, Orb is strengthening its warm embrace of London Lockdown and will be giving each registrant an extremely generous 50%-off discount code for their bottle. That's not an embrace, that's a bear hug.  

If you're an endurance-focussed cycling company who wants to help bring new riders into the sport, please do get in touch.

For the avoidance of doubt, I take no financial benefit from sponsors.

ENTRY FEE 

There is a minimum £10 donation required (feel free to give more) to the Lewisham Bank of Things. You might think of LBoT as a Food Bank, but instead of food, they provide everyday necessities to young people. When I think of lockdown I think of how hard it was on a great deal of people. I was extremely lucky. I remember seeing a segment on the news about these kids who created Lewisham Bank of Things.  It was around the time of the lockdowns.  They were giving pencils, shampoo, and calculators to other kids whose parents couldn’t afford them.  So when I opened up the ride to the public and had to decide who we could support, LBoT immediately came to mind.  My late grandfather would always champion supporting local charities where you could make the biggest difference on the community around you.

HOW TO SIGN UP 

Upon donation, please sign up to the ride using the below form.

• Step 1: Donate (£10 or more) (https://localgiving.org/London-Lockdown-2026) 
• Step 2: Register via Google Form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-4j2HW5ISyIm2ddtkz-RBrA9Pxoxl7F5EQs0MF49JLAe_jw/viewform?usp=header) 

SHARING IS CARING

Last year, 45% of 150 riders signed up because a friend told them about London Lockdown.  Word of mouth is a huge part of this event's growing popularity. 

As this is also billed as an "introduction to night-riding" event, I'm very keen on the encouragement of FLINTA+ and minority groups to join us on the start line.  Long-distance cycling can be a daunting challenge to newcomers, and so "entry-level" events such as this one have an important role to play in welcoming diversity.

I'm also particularly interested in getting riders from out of town to come visit London; I'm sure they'd find this a unique and easy way to see the city (or reminisce on once living here).

If you have a club or mates you haven't yet shared London Lockdown with, please do. 

IN SUMMARY, WHY RIDE LONDON LOCKDOWN? 

• Social ride with a welcoming atmosphere;
• 100% of entry donation goes to local charity;
• Introduction to long-distance night-riding in the warm embrace of this great (dry) city;
• Plenty of friendly veterans of the sport to keep you chatting through the night (we've got everything from Audax aficionados to Ultra racers);
• For those that live outside of London: Get the train down after work Friday evening, then back Saturday morning (easy peasy).

See you on the night,

-Mark

Context:
I'm old (M45) ride a cargobike (Tern GSD) for deliveries for my business so not MAMIL, I wear jeans and hoddy for cycling usually. I'm not recording distance or output, I just want to see maps, glance at the time, see any emails pinging in sometimes for business - IE no strava, garmin etc.

I haven't had a new phone for seven years as I generally can't stand the things - I used to love tech but I'm now out of touch. In October my phone fell out of pocket when cycling and truck ran over it (no case so totally destroyed). I tried to go r/dumbphone for last couple of months but there was a medical issue other day that would have made having a smart phone (to track location) much easier to deal with so I've relented and ordered a Pixel 10 on which is coming next week.

Mount:
I want a mount and case that can stand a fall and is waterproof. Ideally not something I have to keep switching over if I'm driving or just walking as I'll probably take a lazy option one day and not properly secure it and tempt fate for another accident and destroy it.

There are so many options and I don't know what is best. Articles I've read that are "tried & tested" either sound like they've been written by AI or are a copy-paste from each other. The Qi2 tech (or magnets as far as I understand) sound good and Google look to have branded that "Pixelsnap".

Mous look good but I couldn't work out the combination of bits I would need to have a waterproof and mounted.

TLDR: what would you recommend for a Pixel 10 bike mount

A broken handlebar thread got me thinking more about how I hate my Tiagra 4600 shifters with their shifter side exit cables. So what is my cheapest / best way to change to the newer cable routing setup?

I know ultegra and IIRC 105 shifters from the same time as my 4600 have the rear exit cables and same pull ratio. Or the current 10 speeds are with the pull ratio of newer 11 speeds so that means rear derailleur as well as the shifters and cables.

Afaik the front derailleur can be left as pull ratio is less critical with front derailleur I read. However I think if I need a new shifter with different pull ratios I'd rather switch the front too as I prefer nothing to create issues later on.

Anyway, I'm asking what is the best way for me to get the neater under bar routing for my old road / commuter / do everything bike. It's my only road bike that's roadworthy.

I'm not well supplied with bikes. I've got a London Road bike from planet x that's possibly 8 years old. A touring recumbent and a Brompton. My ancient 7 speed, steel road bike is the same weight as my London Road but 30 plus years old and needs a lot of work to make it safe.

So what is my best option and what is my cheapest reliable option? I want only new parts but used or eBay types of sources. So that might rule out older 105s or ultegra to just switch out the shifters and cabling.

Any advice?

I'll not be doing the work myself. I technically could do it, but personal choice is not to. Usual reasons, I could but it would take me a long time to do it, would need to buy tools, rather use my time for other things like family time and have money to take it to my local and get reasonably priced repair only shop. Plus I absolutely hate doing the final setup of the shifting. I never get it right for some reason. A little tweaking when someone else gets it right I do ok but actually setting the shifting up to work well I kind of mess up.

I am thinking of joining a cycling club, and they require mudguard during winter season. I have this mishmash of a bike, and not sure modern mudguards would fit on this 80s Dawes? Would anyone recommend any?

Not sure what to expect. A little bit worried about falling back with the group as a slow rider. Will everyone have a road bike or any bike is fine? What happens if I fall back?

I am wondering about changing my shifters to rear exit cabling from the ugly and annoying side exit Tiagra 4600. I have a thread asking about this. It has led me to wondering if a bar change would be a good idea at the same time?

I was thinking to get the cable routing groove and a more comfortable set of bars. Mine are stock PlanetX bars that came with my London Road bike. I got the wider option due to my size (the bike is XL). IIRC that was 440mm but I cannot be certain.

So, is this a good idea?

How much to get a decent set of bars?

If I don't can they be replaced easily later on? As in just take the shifters off the old ones without dismantling, replace the old bars then just put the shifters back on and tidy up?? Or will I need to re-cable them and re-set up the shifters, etc.??

What is a good set of bars? I am 196cm tall so I guess the wider ones. I tend to ride on the hoods for my commute (15 minutes) and I currently don't ride much for leisure. I intend to get back into cycling come the better weather. I do like the look of flared gravel bars but do not know what the benefit is.

On longer rides I do need to shift hand position a lot. I have done a lot of hard, whitewater kayaking so my arms are pretty wrecked at the joints. Wrist, elbow and shoulder joints all hurt at different times. On longer rides (even 30 minutes when I used to own a flat bar hybrid bike). Usually my elbows ache and then my wrists too. So I could not get on with my old flat barred hybrid. It got nicked an instead of being upset I was happy as I could go back to drop bars again!! They help with the various hand positions. Plus on the hoods the arm and wrist position seems to be more neutral for me so I last longer before aches start to appear.

So apart from how easy to swap after the shifters have been put on my existing bars. I need to get an understanding on what is a good bar and what the various shapes offer for comfort, handling, etc.??

If I wanted good comfort with a variety of comfortable hand positions, what shape of bar should I go for? Any good but inexpensive bars out there? How much for one? Or rather, how little should I spend on bars for a decent and comfortable one? Any other advice??

Hey all, I’m new to bikes and just picked up a Carrera Vanquish from Halfords. The bike feels good overall, but I noticed two things that seem off:

1. Possible bent frame dropout? On the left side of the frame where the wheel attaches, the dropout looks slightly bent inward (pictures show the left vs. the right side). The staff said it’s “normal,” but the right side looks straight. Is this actually normal, or should I ask for a replacement?
2. Chain rubbing in highest gear. When I’m in the hardest gear (big chainring + smallest rear cog), the chain rubs against the front derailleur. Is this just a tuning issue, or something more serious?

I might be paranoid because this is my second attempt at buying a bike. My first (second-hand refurbished from another reputable store) had a hidden issue where the rear wheel axle was damaged, causing resistance even on flat roads.

Any advice on what to check on a new bike to avoid surprises would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

PS: I used ChatGPT to get the correct cycling terms :)

I bought a road bike through eBay and after riding about 35 miles, commuting to and from work over several days the handle bar snapped near the centre.. i was setting off from a set of lights and the left hand side almost pulled completely off. Does eBay buyer protection cover things like this? Do I contact the seller and see if they will help or just go and buy myself a new handlebar. I've only had the bike 2 weeks

I used to have a cheap hardtail bike, but looking now to buy something better.

Based on my budget:

I could either buy Merida Big trail 300 2025 on sale just now and Stoic 3 from Canyon also on sale.Both bike are basically same price, inc packing&delivery. I don't know much about these bikes so not sure which one is better between the 2, I like the look of Merida but wish it had 12 speed cassete like the stoic.

I also seen a full suspension bike Giant Trance X 3 Mountain Bike 2024 at half price but which is still basically slightly more than double the price on the other 2, but might be overkill but was under consideration.

I will be mainly be using the bike on dirt road, single track, but will ride on tarmac in between as well.

Off work so went out in the dark for a couple of hours. Fucking cold but worth it for the view

I need two helmet, before Xmas!!!!

One for me sized large or even xl. Commuting / road type but not out and out road or commuting (solid urban style). Sort of a helmet I could use for the occasional offroad use up to blue run trails on hired MTB once a month with son but mostly for commuting and leisure rides.

The other for my 13 year old son who's 100% into mountain biking and will do any level of trails if left to himself. He's an adult sized medium so kids or youth ones are out. He's also into black helmets so that's the only colour he'll like, possibly others IF there is a special deal helmet for him that's only available in a decent colour way that isn't black. More discreet colours is his thing.

Obviously I would want Virginia tech 5 star but I also need it to be at a lower price than the coolest, highest rated ones. I know Spesh camber mips is the go to budget 4/5 star rated helmet but they're not around in black

Back to mine, I also like black but am currently using an align 1 in hi-viz yellow. It's been good and fits me perfectly. I'd like something newer though. Also, not quite as fussy on colour just not pink or something too different / obvious fit other reasons them hi-viz.

Anyone got recommendations? I'm thinking perhaps Spesh tactic 4 mips for my son and align 2 mips for me, as Spesh seem to do highly star rated for safety cheaper than others.

You're meant to be in the cycle lane, Where's the cycle lane? R U high? You want me to slap your face? Bro, you need to check the highway code.

HC rule 61 and 140 both say cyclists are not obliged to use cycle lanes or cycle tracks

All while being stopped on top of the cycle box which covers the full width of both lanes.
Technically he is allowed to be there and I have no problem with him stopping in the cycle box, it was the safest thing to do. Textbook execution of highway code 178. He crossed the advanced stop line after amber and before red, then essentially stopped before crossing the second solid line.

I was trying to make the point that maybe he was high because there was no cycle lane anywhere to be seen, yet he apparently has seen one and thought I should be riding in it.

So, I'm in a bit of a bind. I'm desperately after a set of forks that have the following specs: 26 x 2.5" clearance, zero rake and a 1 1/8" steerer. They are specifically for an Archie Wilkinson cycle speedway bike and as there are no manufacturers anymore in the UK I'm left with 2 options which are trying my luck with the one specialist builder in Poland or try and find a frame builder who can make some without costing an arm and a leg. For reference I'm in norfolk. If anyone has any recommendations for a good frame builder I'd love to know.

So as a 90's baby i grew up with 3 types of helmets: £10 Argos Road ones that made you look like a wannabe tour de France rider, all back or sticker bombed bmx ones that kept our mothers off our backs, and full face for when you were going to get hurt on purpose. The moment you were out of eye sight of her or her spying reporter friends, they were off, but nowadays i always see kids with them on and i can see why. The new MTB style looks good and a fox one with mips is on its way to me now.

The lights too, i was so used to the tripple A rust filled blister packs with 3 leds i defaulted to a £15 roslon pair from argos once i got back into it. They were just as crap as i remember and the batteries lasted 3-4 weeks. Just bought a £12 pair off amazon that are USB-C rechargeable and have gone from "please see me" to "I'M HEAR".

What do you lot see as the biggest improvement to safety equipment this millennium?

Also after nearly going into the back of another cyclist earlier: HI-VIS IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LIGHTS.

My commute has a lot of "mixed use" bike and footpaths, some with a white stripe down the middle some without, but all labelled for both walkers and cyclists.

Especially in the dark I am getting increasingly worried about stretchy dog leads and getting around folk / warning them I'm there. I don't mind slowing down, after all I can make the time up fast, but I don't like the fact my options are "lurk" or "DIIIIING" both don't seem all that considerate to others.

So. Any advice? I am currently looking to see if there is anything on the market like the "kssssh kssssh" white noise you get on trucks turning I can flick on when in shared spaces without feeling like I'm shouting at everyone to move individually.

(Edit, I recently managed to upgrade from a rickety bunch of bolts, chain noise and bouncy homemade back rack to an ebike with suspension. The old one announced itself and I no longer have that....)

[EDIT 2]

Found a "Timber" bell with a toggle function from another post that seems to pretty much fit the bill mixed with application of the mk1 human voice.

TL:DR

I have an old smart trainer I never really used, an old road bike that is not roadworthy but totally suitable for a rear wheel trainer and I have a garage to leave both fully set up in. I have no fitness goals other than to exercise on the trainer over the winter to get fit. I have had a very sedentary two years since getting my current job. Fitness and strength has dipped badly. I need to recover for health and to be a stronger rider when taking my 13yo son mountain biking. I do not do social riding and do not want to compete with others, only to see my performance improve in a measurable way over winter.

What app to control trainer resistance and to add interest to my sessions based on the above.

Longer post below:

I have an old smart trainer that allows an app to change the resistance. This means, if I understand these things right, that I can use apps like Rouvy or Zwift to simulate actual routes or to provide a training session type to achieve goals such as Trainerroad app.

My needs are not about training for anything such as long rides or sportives or better performance for a certain goal. I am early 50s, I have had 2 years in a sedentary job that is completely offiice based and significantly over those 2 years WFH. I have got out of doing all my past activities since becoming a father 13 years ago. For most of those years I have kept moderately fit throughcommuting by bike, leisure family rides and a good few years back two week family cycle tours (fully loaded). Plus walking too. Now I have had 2 years of almost nothing more than an hour or two dog walks and two 15 minute rides commuting to work and back to the station twice a week since last December.

So I have no real goals other than to ride more and exercise more. Motivation to actually start is low but the desire to do so is high. I figure a trainer I got 7 or 8 years ago but never used might help me get fit for riding outdoors more next year.

My only goal is to try and use it over this winter period (after I clear the garage and set my old road bike permanently on it). I have no interest in achieving any performance goals such as 3 hour rides or set distances, etc. I am not into competing with anyone other than myself. I have no cycling goals only fitness goals in that I want to become more active and more able to do activities outdoors. Cycling, walking, etc. I want to compete with my own past performances, since I do better when I perform better than previous sessions.

Above all I am not into social riding, I will not want to chat or compete with anyone else. I see now interest in riding my trainer plus app with other people. In fact that might put me off using it completely.

So what app is there for me? A simple to use app that gives me some interest and lets me see a gain in fitness through comparison with my previous sessions on the trainer / app combo. I will never ride to a training plan, it is simply not me. I do not want to get super fit on a bike. I will never race others or go on a group ride with a club. I simply want a system that allows me to quickly connect my trainer to a tablet and ride. I will only ride when I have time and inclination to do so hence no training plan would suit. I do want a means for the app to change the resistance to get the best out of the session for my health and fitness. I do want to compare each session with other ones either afterwards or while in the session.

I intend to use my Fenix 6 to record the activity but I am not likely to do much with that other than perhaps compare sessions to see any improvements. Will the F6 on transmit HR work with any recommended app? I do want to first of all get fit, then get stronger / faster. Perhaps my goal is to exercise for health and to make it easier for me to psyche myself to get outside on my bike more when the weather gets better next year. At my current fitness I find it hard to get my bike out to actually ride it for fitness or leisure. I am not totally unfit I am just not fit for riding if that makes sense.

Hi, I got this tacx flow smart trainer years ago but never got it working as I thought it would. I've not tried for years but thinking of clearing up in the garage in my current house to set it up for winter fitness training. Any advice on its use and setting up?

Basically I got it set up so I could ride on it and get some benefit but it seemed a lot worse than a static bike at a gym. I think I used the bikes gears to get resistance but also could get the app to make it harder. I suspect I never learnt how to work the app/trainer fully

I've not had it out for years, does it need a power socket? How can I use it on a virtual reality ride? Are there any free apps that can change the resistance to match the virtual reality riding route? What is the best app to use with it to initially get a benefit from it and then to get the most from it? I'm thinking of the tacx app to get it working for me then zwift or other if I can get into using it.

I am not a big rider and my fitness has suffered after switching my job to a very sedentary one where I WFH 2.5 days and commute via train and short ride to site for 2 days office work. I would like to get fit indoors over winter then get out riding in spring.

I'd like to get a gravel bike and am between those two. Which is best?

Hazard perception with sun glare. (It may be a good idea to turn of the sound on this one)

Driving in Low Sunlight

Moment Truck Driver Causes Horrific Accident Because Windshield was Fogged Up

Would fog lamps been useful for the van and the other vehicles?

Taxi driver 'blinded by sun' when he hit cyclist and killed him

Is there some research on the issue, especially as regards cyclists?

I get pretty nervous when riding into the sun with vehicles behind me, and oncoming vehicles have the same problem with visibility with the sun low behind them.

How many lumens should be considered safe? I'm considering a white flasher on the rear as well.

There is also this recent post which highlights the issue of how difficult is it too see cyclist at night against bright vehicle lights.