- Is the Tour de France,
or the Olympics,
really the ultimate test for bikes?
We're not so sure that they are.
Instead, we think the ultimate test might actually be
the city streets that we ride
on a daily basis.
So, with that in mind,
what is the best type of bike for city riding?
What is the ultimate bike, in fact?
- Hm.
To find out,
for once we're actually gonna do some work.
We're gonna be cycle couriers
riding
for Deliveroo.
- That's right.
Matt is gonna be making his deliveries
aboard his cutting-edge road bike.
Looking cool, aerodynamic,
and perfectly at home as a natural ex-racer.
Me, however, I'm gonna be riding my Cyclocross bike.
I'm banking on it being a little bit more comfortable,
a little bit more forgiving,
and I think
even more fun.
And then Dan,
seriously mate, where is Dan?
- I don't know.
Found a
backpack and everything.
- [TV Voice] 20!
That's it, it's coming back.
15.
(light upbeat music)
- Hey Dan!
What are you doing?
You're supposed to be riding a town bike.
- Sorry, I was
I was just about to do some extra training first.
- I don't know what you're thinking, mate,
but you're not gonna need any extra training today.
(smooth music with heavy beat)
- [Simon] How is this all gonna work, then?
How do you become a delivery rider?
Well, in this case we signed up 48 hours ago,
had a brief interview and training session,
then we downloaded the Deliveroo app.
We say when we're wanting to ride
and then Deliveroo will send us jobs.
Pick up food or drink,
deliver it to customers,
simple as that.
- Oh, and we get paid.
Per delivery.
So you boys ready to get started?
- Yeah, ready. - We certainly are.
- [Simon] Okay.
- [Dan] Doesn't work without.
- You on yet?
- I have!
It's just come through.
Me first one.
- Good luck, mate. - See ya, lads.
Hey, hey! - Super cool.
- See if I can clip in.
First time, here we go!
- [Simon] Matt is first up,
riding his Canyon Aeroad Disc.
He is, it has to be said, at a bit of a disadvantage.
Nothing to do with his bike, of course.
It's the fact that he doesn't really know where he's going.
- My first
collection
from Zizzi's in Clifton.
It's a big pizza order.
Let's do this.
For this type of riding,
I'm really glad
I've got to use
this road bike, because
there's a lot of ground to cover today.
And also what you've got to bear in mind,
is that on a given shift,
a Deliveroo rider
can cover upwards
of 50kms.
And yes,
it might seem a little bit weird
that I'm riding a bike
that's crafted for aerodynamics,
and I've got
a big rucksack
on my back
but I am still gonna be cutting through the air
far more efficiently.
And considerably more efficiently than Simon
and loads more than Dan.
(light rock music)
Finally got out.
Packed my pizzas,
four pizzas on board,
and now ready to roll.
(light rock music)
- Got one.
- Alright mate, good luck.
- I'll put it on my handlebars later.
- Yeah.
You need to see where you're going first.
- [Simon] And Dan's off,
wearing his special city riding outfit
and making the most of his Deliveroo jacket.
On paper, should be looking pretty cool.
He's riding his Canyon Urban bike with flat handlebar,
more upright position, disc brakes, a Conti drive system
belt drive, but with fast rolling tyres.
- Bikes like this are really quite nippy and versatile.
Kinda feels like you're on a mountain bike,
but it is, of course, much easier to ride on the road.
Which is a good thing, because I haven't exactly made
life easy for myself
by opting for skinny jeans.
Although I am
looking good.
Right, first pick up.
Three pizzas, then a 10 minute ride
to destination.
Okay, I've arrived.
Nice and promptly.
(quiet jazz music)
Amateur.
Didn't see there was a non-revolving door on the way in.
Alright, anyway, success.
See you on the road.
- Right.
I'm on.
(dance club music)
And that
leaves me.
I'm riding my Trek Crockett Cyclocross bike.
I've cleaned a weekend's worth of mud off it,
and I fitted some slightly faster rolling tyres on it.
But I still want to leave
a little bit of off-road versatility.
After all,
cities
aren't just about roads.
- This bike
is normally super comfortable.
But the sat nav keeps sending me down the most awful roads.
I mean, I've already got slightly wider tyres on,
but really?
More cobbles?
Here I am.
I have arrived
with the pizzas, hopefully with the toppings
absolutely perfecto.
Hey!
It's a pizza bazookaaaaaa!
(family laughing)
Hey oh,
do you wanna quick,
quick check of the toppings?
Perfect.
- [Mom] Boy, looks good.
- [Matt] You couldn't make that up.
Enjoy your food.
- Thank you. - We will do.
- And thanks for being my first ever Deliveroo customers.
Cheers guys! (family cheering)
Cheerio.
Hey, hey.
- One thing I might change
I quite like
the clipless pedals from my road bike.
It's a lot hillier in Britain than I thought it was.
Picking up some speed.
Ow.
My nose.
Tempted to get a mineral water now to be honest.
Here we are.
Oh, waving.
Looking forward to their pizza, I think.
- [Family] Woo!
- There we go.
Hello.
Right.
This is my first-ever delivery.
- Was it? - Wow.
- Hopefully that's still warm.
There you go. - What do you say?
- [Kids] Thank you!
- [Dan] Thank you.
Enjoy it.
- [Kids] Bye!
- [Dan] Bye!
(quiet, fast dance music)
- Right, then.
One katsu chicken curry
on the way.
Tell you what, I feel a real sense of responsibility.
I have someone's dinner,
their actual food,
inside this bag.
I don't think I've ever gonna have ridden so carefully
before in my life.
I'm very glad of bigger tyres,
having a curry on my back.
Any kind of
comfort
and suspension is a good thing.
Think of the curry, think of the curry.
Think of the curry.
- Right.
Second delivery completed,
and I have to say,
I really quite enjoy this.
It is a very different experience
riding a bike like this,
but
I can still cover vast distances
and I can still ride as hard as I like.
Which might not be actually quite as hard as I would like
given current fitness level, but you know what I mean.
The good thing is, though, is that I can easily sit up,
look around and scan any hazards that might be coming up,
and you do feel a little bit more confident in traffic
on a bike like this,
which might not be a consideration
if you're a life-long cyclist.
But if you just got into it,
and it's your first time riding around cities,
that might well be a consideration.
- I don't think he's having quite as much fun as I am,
actually, although let it be said I'm certainly not
riding off road
with someone's dinner on my back.
That doesn't seem quite right.
But, what I love is the fact that my choice of bike
doesn't limit my choice of route.
It does certainly help
that I know this city like the back of my hand.
I know the shortcuts and I know the most fun places to ride.
But a Cyclocross bike
helps me
to get there.
And, yeah, I could've chosen a mountain bike
but a Cross bike,
is definitely
more responsive
and it's a little bit more nimble.
It's certainly more efficient
when you're logging
some serious kilometers.
And compared to a road bike,
I really value the fact
that the position here
is just
a little bit more upright.
So it really helps your peripheral vision.
Makes you
just feel a little bit more confident as well,
on the bike.
Now I said that I know Bristol quite well.
And that means it's kind of my choice
to ride up this
infamous
17% gradient.
Good opportunity to get in a little bit of extra
training, isn't it?
With a curry on my back.
Think of the curry.
Speed bump!
Think of the curry.
Where are we?
Oh, here we go.
(quiet, upbeat music)
Hey.
- Hey you, how're you doing?
- Alright.
Katsu chicken curry?
- Yeah, fantastic.
- Alrighty.
Here we go.
Alright.
Cool man.
- Thanks very much.
- Alright, no worries.
Did you want a selfie or anything?
- Uh, no, no you're alright.
- Alright, cool.
- Bye.
- See ya.
- GCN fans.
- Hey!
(Simon sighs)
- Doing good?
- [Simon] Alright, yeah.
Good, very good. - That was a
proper day's work, isn't it?
- It was, but that was good fun.
That was good fun.
- It certainly was.
- What are we thinkin' then?
The best bike for riding around the city?
Road, city, or cross?
- Well, I was definitely glad of my road bike,
but I'm pretty sure
those city streets take their toll far more
than country roads.
- [Dan] Yeah.
- And as nice as it was, and as easy as it was to ride,
I'd recommend maybe something
a little bit cheaper, considering you're gonna be locking
up on numerous occasions during the shift.
And also, I think, I'd like just a bit more comfort
as well, perhaps.
- Yeah, you see I wonder
whether the Cross bike could be a winner
for that exact reasons.
Those big tyres do give you an awful lot more cushioning
and yet, with the knobbles on, they roll slower.
But put big, fat slicks on and I think I'm gonna be rolling
just as fast as you are,
and yet, admittedly, with slick tyres,
I couldn't take some of my
alternate routes.
But I think the novelty of those is going to wear off
pretty quickly.
- I think you should hold your horses there, Si,
because I think my city bike was pretty much the ultimate.
It was light, nimble and agile at negotiating
junctions - Bit like you.
and traffic, yeah, very much like me.
I'd probably change a couple of things next time.
I would take a lock.
And I'd also wear some different clothing.
I'm suffering.
If you haven't yet subscribed to the GCN,
please do so by clicking on the globe.
And we did a challenge, last year, didn't we?
In 2016, around the city of London.
You can find that video
in the bottom corner, just down there.
- Or, for how to ride in a city,
you can click just down here.