Emma Gordon from Bicester Green explains why the town is such a great place to cycle.

Everybody has heard of Oxford as a Cycle City, but if we look on our doorstep and explore cycling in Bicester, we are in fact well furnished with our own bike scene.

Yes we moan about the lack of cycle lanes and insufficient racking to lock our bikes to and all the theft that has become so prevalent recently - but those could be seen as symptoms of a healthy and growing bicycle culture.

If we explore all the elements of cycling we can see just how well furnished Bicester is, should someone like to take advantage of being able to get around this relatively small, very flat town by bike.

One can buy a new high-end or electric bike from Broadribbs at the top of Sheep Street, or find a large range of prices and styles at Halfords.

One can buy secondhand bikes, which have been fully refurbished, from independent people on facebook like Robbies’ Bikes Bicester, or from the social enterprise Bicester Green, which is now on Launton Road and at the weekly Friday market.

If you lack confidence then Bicester has its own Bikeability trainer Lyn Taylor. In fact she is so busy with people wanting to get on their bike that she is looking to train up a new instructor. So if you are a confident and competent cyclist who thinks they could train others then also get in touch with Lyn at cyclelyn.co.uk

If you fancy getting out and about then a great way to get fit and potentially loose some unwanted pounds is with Bicester Social Cyclings’ Health Rides.

Or if you are a bit more hardcore and like to wear Lycra and go very far very fast, then The Bicester Millennium Cycling Club may be more you bag.

So now that you have your bike, are confidently riding it and have traversed the near and far streets of Bicester, what happens when it breaks?

Both Broadribbs and Halfords offer comprehensive repair services and sell all manner of parts, while here at Bicester Green we have a supply of second hand parts for sale. However by far the best way to be a cyclist is to learn to maintain your own bike.

Bicester Green offer volunteer positions where people can come to learn from our mechanic on Fridays, as well as being open to the public one Saturday a week where one can bring ones own bike and using our tools to be taught how to fix them yourself. We will also be offering courses, so watch this space.

For more details on the workshop sessions see bicestergreen.org.uk