Victorious in the Tour de France, fresh from a stellar Olympics, Britain is bossing the bike track. Eager to get a backie on this bandwagon, we spoke to Andrew Diprose, sometime art director of Wired magazine and full-time cycling nut. He’s one of the boys behind The Ride Journal, the visually fantastic magazine aimed at everyone from freeriders to BMX bandits, and he has divulged his five-star London bike shops to Editer, so you can be sure you’ll be more Wiggo than BoJo when you’re on two wheels…
Push Cycles, Newington Green
35c Newington Green, London N16 (pushcycles.com)
Push is a great example of a new-school neighbourhood bike shop. All the guys who work there are super-friendly and not at all intimidating. It’s the ideal spot to get your first commute bike.
Condor Cycles, Farringdon
49–53 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 (www.condorcycles.com)
Condor is a proper London institution. It’s been going for years, and is a real father-and-son family business. A top place to get yourself that pedigree road bike, it’s excellent for everything skinny-tyred. Great to see they’ve got a racing team again.
Tokyo Fixed Gear, Soho
4 Peter Street, London W1 (www.tokyofixedgear.com)
Max was stocking quality Japanese track bikes before pretty much anyone else. This very ‘London scene’ shop sells frames by Brother Cycles and beautiful mountain bikes from Singular. You’ll also find beautiful limited-edition Nitto parts, casual bike clothing and backpacks.
Rapha Café, Soho
85 Brewer Street, London W1 (www.rapha.cc)
Once you’ve bought yourself a righteous keirin steed you might want to pootle round to the Rapha café for one of their high-end Hardshell jackets and a really good espresso. It also has a library with loads of bike magazines, including The Ride Journal; it’s a really good place to do some work or have a meeting and still be able to soak up bike vibes.
Sargent and Co, Finsbury Park
74 Mountgrove Road, London N5 (www.sargentandco.com)
Rob Sargent is a brilliant guy. He’s got this treasure trove near Arsenal football ground that’s piled high with old steel frames and peeling paint. He’s even got his cat in there. It’s an ace place to pick yourself up a vintage town or road bike.
You can get The Ride Journal delivered to your door for £10.50, or download past issues as PDFs for free.