Pedalling the Second City Forward
Birmingham winters are not for the faint-hearted — or the under-prepared. We've gathered hard-won wisdom from local year-round cyclists, along with honest advice on gear, grit, and knowing when the bike should genuinely stay in the shed. Consider this your no-nonsense companion for the dark months ahead.
Birmingham didn't just build the industrial revolution — it left behind a skeleton of canals, cuttings, and corridors that urban planners are now threading with bike lanes and greenways. We explore how the city's gritty past is quietly becoming its most exciting cycling asset. From Digbeth to Dudley, the transformation is already underway.
From grassroots campaigners to council chambers, Birmingham's cycling community is punching well above its weight in the fight for safer streets, protected lanes, and a city that genuinely works for people on two wheels. We spoke to the activists, planners, and everyday riders who are quietly — and sometimes loudly — rewriting the rules of the road.
Forget the obvious stuff. Birmingham's most devoted cyclists have spent years quietly mapping routes that the average visitor — and plenty of locals — will never find. From ancient green lanes threading through the Lickey Hills to glorious canal-side detours through the Black Country, these are the rides that keep riders coming back week after week.
Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice — and a growing number of cyclists are quietly discovering that these waterside corridors offer something the city's roads simply can't: a genuinely car-free route through the heart of the Second City. We explore the best towpath rides, talk to the people making them better, and make the case for why this network deserves far more attention than it gets.
From Handsworth to Hall Green, a quiet revolution is happening on Birmingham's roads and cycle paths. Women-led riding groups are growing fast across the city, building communities that feel nothing like the traditional cycling clubs of old — and in doing so, they're opening up cycling to people who never thought it was meant for them.