A few years ago, when I was employed by a leisure center, I was looking for a way to cut down on my traveling costs and discovered that you could get a subsidised, brand new bike through the Bike to Work scheme.

If you are employed, you can save up to 42% on the cost of bikes/equipment and spread the cost over weekly/monthly interest free payments. It makes owning a decent new bike achievable and gets you straight out on the road or in the parks - dont' forget to get a helmet as part of your package though!

Most big and small bike shops operate schemes and there are lots online if you Google 'Bike to Work' or 'Cycle to Work'.

I also did a quick bit of research today to see if there was a way of getting a bike and getting fit for free and discovered loads of bike on Freecyle at £0!