Urban Touring?

[mercalia]

Are there any more like me who mostly do Urban Touring? (and I dont mean commuting )
I like wandering around towns and cites - doing the roads between towns or cities no longer appeals

[iandriver]

Don't know if you.ve ever done audax, but the London Sightseer is a spectacular event. A bike is often the best way to see a city by a long shot, able to easily see parts that are off the main tourist trail. I think lots of us have the urban tourer in us. I can very easily see how hopping on a train or something with a Brompton would be a fab way to have some good times.

[Heltor Chasca]

And how do you get from one to the other? So you stay put in one city and just ride about every day?

Or ride from Den Hague to Amsterdam, Utrecht etc? (Example)

Confused.

[meic]

My first reaction is a resounding NO.

On the other hand a cyclist can pass through a city on a path not followed by cars.
Along rivers, canals, railways, through parks seeing some great graffiti and other things of interest.
Then the best bit is leaving again after a few hours of that.

[Gattonero]

Are there any more like me who mostly do Urban Touring? (and I dont mean commuting )
I like wandering around towns and cites - doing the roads between towns or cities no longer appeals

Very early weekend mornings, or very late schooldays evenings/nights is the best time.
It works better in spring/summer when days are longer and you can get the sunrise on quiet streets before cars and people would spoil it.
For me, a single-speed bike works very well for this. A Brompton adds flexibility to the journey

[Si]

Urban touring:
Lots of traffic free routes,
Lots of interesting architecture/parks/history/culture to see
Loads of cafes
Less likely to hit a head wind
Easier to get train home if knackered, wet, late, etc
Lots og group rides going on.
....leastways this is applicable to my local urban environment.

Downsides:
Distance is much harder due to all the stop start
The traffic free routes arent great for lightweight road bikes
Always end up in some traffic
Air isnt as fresh
Dont get the feeling of being away from it all
Etc etc

Also, i would include commuting....my old commute was about 10 miles by a reasonably straight route, but i have managed to stretch it out to 90 miles due to wanting to go look at stuff on the way.

[mercalia]

And how do you get from one to the other? So you stay put in one city and just ride about every day?

Or ride from Den Hague to Amsterdam, Utrecht etc? (Example)

Confused.

You take a train? or if you are lucky and have a car or van use that?

[Heltor Chasca]

And how do you get from one to the other? So you stay put in one city and just ride about every day?

Or ride from Den Hague to Amsterdam, Utrecht etc? (Example)

Confused.

You take a train? or if you are lucky and have a car or van use that?

Ok. I get you. Thanks. So day trips really. Works well in NL. Until you get to the museum you read about in the Lonely Planet that you really wanted to see and find it’s gone bust

[ChrisF]

I tend to avoid cities when touring. Apart from the extra traffic, one reason is I feel that my bike's more likely to be stolen if I leave it locked up to visit a café / shop / museum etc, because a city will have a higher chance of people looking for bikes to steal.

[mercalia]

I tend to avoid cities when touring. Apart from the extra traffic, one reason is I feel that my bike's more likely to be stolen if I leave it locked up to visit a café / shop / museum etc, because a city will have a higher chance of people looking for bikes to steal.

well its the nooks and crannies: the parks and green spaces, cycle and pathways that traverse the town. Nice ones in Leamington Spa and Warwick recently found when I was there. Similarly in Stratford upon Avon.

[Tigerbiten]

I don't mind the center of big towns and cities.
It's the miles of constantly fighting the traffic on the way in and out I dont like.
So I'll either try and sneak around the edge or it I need to go in to the center then I'll try and pass through as quick as possible.

[nirakaro]

I certainly like it as a change from countryside. Last year I spent a day crossing Paris from east to west - loved it. Most city sights to my mind - Eiffel tower and such - are definitely worth seeing, but not really worth stopping for.

[PH]

I've been on several guided City tours, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris,Rome, Naples, Madrid, Manchester, Oxford. They've all been a great way to get a feel for an unfamiliar city's layout, some more entertaining than others, and all good value. I've sometimes hired a bike for additional days to explore further, but in most cases I've preferred to use public transport, looking out the window rather than having to concentrate of navigation and traffic.
Most of my multi days cycle touring avoids the urban, or uses a city for a day off the bike. The bike I'd use for it isn't something I'd be comfortable leaving parked for long while I go exploring.

[mjr]

Don't know if you.ve ever done audax, but the London Sightseer is a spectacular event.

I've done audax. Having required intermediate points with time limits would take some of the fun out of a tour for me.

I tend to avoid cities when touring. Apart from the extra traffic, one reason is I feel that my bike's more likely to be stolen if I leave it locked up to visit a café / shop / museum etc, because a city will have a higher chance of people looking for bikes to steal.

It probably is, but a "more likely" is still "very improbable" and cities are more likely to have secure bike parking (sometimes free in the Netherlands and Belgium) or at least decent parking stands instead of the flimsy rubbish found out in the countryside.

[meic]

It probably is, but a "more likely" is still "very improbable"

Hmm, this forum is packed with people locking, securing and losing their bikes and bits of them and it is mostly in urban areas.
On an average Pembrokeshire Wheelers ride the bikes do not get padlocked at all when we go in the cafes.
Swansea CTC on the other hand lock them up for every stop.