There's a particular kind of freedom in arriving somewhere with nothing but a phone and walking away two minutes later on a bike. That's the whole idea here. Brompton's own hire network has quietly threaded 25-plus docks through the city — at Paddington, King's Cross, the City, the Docks — each one a steel locker full of folded bikes waiting for a code. Book on the app or by text, pop the door, unfold, and London rearranges itself around you. Keep it for the afternoon or the long weekend; drop it at whichever dock you finish near, because a Brompton never has to be left chained to a lamppost — it folds and comes inside. At roughly £5 a day it's the best-value way to ride the city, your Sunday hire is free with the code CYCLESUNDAYS, and every pound you spend comes back off the price if you eventually buy your own. Want it for longer? The subscription posts a serviced bike to your door from about £35 a month, insurance included. A word of honesty from the saddle: it's brilliant when it works — give yourself a buffer for app sign-up, and give the bike a quick once-over before you roll.