Discover London’s street art by electric bike
We enlist the help of Alternative London to unveil some of London’s greatest works of art from the comfort of an electric bike.
London was made for bikes. As electric bikes have become more popular, it’s common to see commuters, tourists and families using them to get around the capital.
Some of our favourite rides around London take us to lesser known parts of the city. London is brimming with hidden gems from secret little walkways leading to unusual buildings to beauty spots hidden in plain sight.
We wanted to show a few people around some of these unique parts of London and to do that, we had to ask an expert. Cue Alternative London's Gary Means for a street art tour with a difference.
Our host for this trip is Gary Means, a passionate Londoner whose ambition is to share his knowledge about the arts and culture scene around London. When he’s not racing on his triathlon bike, he can be found revealing some of the capital's best kept secrets.
A tour of London on electric bikes
We mounted our electric bikes and took to the streets of East London for an exclusive tour of some of London’s most prized street art. Our tour would weave around quiet backstreets, cycle paths and parks finishing at Alexandra Palace (affectionately known as Ally Pally to locals) where the London Cycle Show was in full swing.
We began our journey from Shoreditch, an area home to many young creatives. Just a few moments later, our small group paused for the first selection of artwork. Within minutes, we’re treated to the first of two Banksy pieces. Behind a Perspex screen lies one of the most valuable works of street art in London.
Gary explains the history of this divisive art form early on in our tour. While not everyone is in favour of it, not least the law, over the years it has become a treasured attraction for locals and tourists alike. Often rooted in political issues, street art is one of the most accessible forms of self-expression.
Moments later, we’ve meandered our way to a different form of street art called a paste up. Parisian artist Lily Mixe toiled for days creating a masterpiece on the end of a row of terraced houses. Her artwork captures the complexity of nature and the ocean.
Gary continues leading our group and slowly grinds to a halt at a somewhat random point on a side road. We follow him as he parks his bike and walked towards a lamppost opposite a row of houses. It’s an overcast day in London and there is no obvious work of art in sight. Why did we stop here?
Jonesy is a sculptor who installs his art around London in more clandestine places. Gary asks us to look up and there it is. A bronze, winged, elf-like creature sits proudly atop the lamppost. Though rather unassuming compared to other works, Welsh-born Jonesy wants us to consider our relationship with our environment.
London attracts artists from around the world and it’s not too long before we’re stood in front of a piece by Adelaide artists Jimmy C and Order 55.
And again, nestled behind one of London’s many signature red telephone boxes is the work of US artist Dan Witz.
A quick bash through Finsbury Park and the gravel Parkland Walk towards Crouch end and we’ve arrived at the foot of the biggest and final hill of our short tour. We all knew that we’d finish at Ally Pally and its famous hilltop location. The beauty of the electric bikes is we don’t have to worry about needing a change of clothes after reaching the summit.
Gary declares a race up Ally Pally hill and we switch our engines to Boost mode. Afterwards, it becomes clear that this hill was a nemesis for many of the riders in our group. Many remarked how they’d never dared ride it before because of how hard it is on a conventional bike.
The Cycle Show and London E-Bike Festival was abuzz with hundreds of people checking out the latest and greatest from the world’s biggest brands. Continuing on the theme of art, we enlisted the talent of Bristol-based abstract artist Tim Gresham, better known as Mr Penfold, to decorate one of our Commuter:ON frames.
“Prior to the event, I prepped the frame in my studio. It took a couple of days to sand it back and let the primer key to it. I then gave the frame two coats of white spray primer,” explains Tim.
I wanted the bike to feel happy, exciting and positive.
"I got to work with my go-to colour palette as well as tape and paper for masking." During Friday’s event at the Cycle Show and London E-Bike Festival, Tim got to work transforming the frame into a fun, colourful and vibrant masterpiece. “It was great fun to do it in front of a crowd! Luckily, my nerves didn’t get the better of me,” he laughs.
Throughout the weekend, we were lucky enough to have many great conversations with existing Canyon riders as well as newcomers. Hundreds of people took our bikes for a spin on the demo circuit while many more marvelled at the road bikes, mountain bikes and hybrid bikes on display inside the arena.
If you would like to test ride a Canyon bike, make sure you join us at one of our upcoming events throughout the UK.
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