Cyclists have been given free ‘bike clinic’ sessions to make sure their machines are shipshape on east London’s busy main roads.

The sessions were set up on Monday next to the ‘Boris bike rack’ in Whitechapel, one of four clinics across London, to help rush-hour cyclists make sure their bikes were in better working order.

A study among 1,000 cyclists by Barclays Cycle Superhighways has revealed three-in-five owners riding bikes that should be in better nick.

A quarter said they ride with flat tyres, while a fifth admitted taking to the road at night without lights—some without checking their brakes.

For ‘fair weather’ summer cyclists, the survey found 98 per cent don’t check their tyres very often, 92 per cent don’t check their brakes regularly and 74 per cent don’t oil their chains frequently.

The clinics were set up to help morning and evening rush-hour biking commuters along three of the Cycle Superhighways in Whitechapel, Lambeth and Kensington, with another set up in Hammersmith, all run by the ‘Cycle Into Work’ scheme.