Cycling try before you buy

If you live, work or study in Enfield, you can loan a bike for four weeks at a cost of just £10. Helmets, bike locks, retractable lights and high visibility vests are available so you're ready to ride off safe and securely. Signing up to the scheme is easy – fill out an online application form and someone from the London Cycling Campaign will contact you and discuss your needs and give you a time and date for you to collect your bike, all you need to bring is £10, some ID and proof of address and the bike is yours for a month. Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment Chris Bond said: “This is a great opportunity for anyone to get involved and give cycling a try. With Enfield having so many large, green open spaces and Greenways, why not give cycling a go and see where it takes you? “The scheme is easy to sign up to and I recommend anyone who’s not sure about it to give it a try. A number of free help and training days are available, so there’s no excuse not to try it out.”

Marcia is trying the scheme for the first time and will be using a folding bike on her commute from Freezywater to Brimsdown . “I need to try a folding bike because I have nowhere to store a regular bike at home,” she explains. “This is a low-cost way to try out a folding bike.”

New to the scheme, Gary Kilby, 43 of Winchmore Hill said: “I used to ride my bike every so often around the local park, but I haven’t done so for a very long time. I hope that the scheme will bring more of a balance between drivers and cyclists so that both can get along on the roads together. It’s brilliant that all of this is just £10, I even have a child seat fitted for my little one at no extra cost. We will definitely be having fun in the sun with the new bike loans this summer.”

Liam Horne, 35, Ponders End, said of the scheme: “I heard about the scheme on twitter and it was an easy process. I wanted to try the scheme because my old bike broke and I couldn’t afford the full cost of a new one. I have actually used this bike a lot more than my old bike and it has saved me around £15/£20 on my travel costs. I bought the bike today because the scheme enables me to pay for it - not only at a reduced cost but in instalments which is a much better way for me to buy the bike. I’ve been really impressed by the scheme.”

Ranmal Burkmar, 34, Cockfosters said she: “Heard about this by picking up a leaflet by chance at the local library. The most daunting part of the bike loan was riding the bike on the roads. It was actually as scary as I had imagined and it has made me want to take part in one of the free training sessions offered by Enfield Council to help me build my confidence. I won’t be buying the bike today, but I hope to try the scheme again or possibly invest in a bike to train on.”