While many of us are still stuck behind the wheel in traffic or jostling for space on public transport, a growing number of commuters are ditching the daily gridlock in favour of a breezier, greener alternative: the humble bicycle. Across the UK, it seems that more workers are embracing pedal power, from university cities to major metropolitan hubs. But have you ever wondered which parts of the country are leading the charge when it comes to cycling to work?

A new study by Cartridge Save set out to uncover just that. They analysed over 100 towns and cities across the UK to find out where cycling is truly taking off as a mainstream mode of commuting.

The rankings were built using the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), specifically looking at the percentage of employed individuals in England and Wales who listed cycling as their main way of getting to work.

To give a full UK picture, comparable figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland were pulled from their respective national statistics bodies, Scottish Government Statistics and NISRA, and combined to form a final league table of the country’s biggest bike-commuting hotspots.

Bristol named in top 10 UK cities with the most bike commuters

A long-time advocate of green living, Bristol comes in ninth with 2.64% cycling to work. The city has a proud history of promoting cycle culture – it was even named the UK’s first “cycling city” back in 2008. And while its hills may test the legs, the locals are clearly up for the challenge.

Edinburgh’s 10.00% sees it firmly at the top, followed by Cambridge at 8.13% and Glasgow at 6.00%. Oxford (4.77%) and York (3.45%) round out a strong showing for university towns. Kingston upon Hull keeps pace at 3.06%, proving size isn’t everything when it comes to sustainable commuting.

Gosport (2.97%) and Norwich (2.81%) continue the positive trend. Portsmouth completes the top 10 list.

Not every city is in love with the idea of cycling just yet. At the other end of the table, Brentwood in Essex ranks lowest, with just 0.23% of commuters travelling by bike. Also among the least bike-friendly cities are Bradford (0.28%), Blackburn (0.29%), and Barnsley (0.30%) – areas that could potentially benefit from improved infrastructure and cycling awareness.

Others joining the bottom ten include Durham (0.31%), Oldham (0.31%), Rotherham (0.34%), Bolton (0.36%), Rochdale (0.36%), and Dudley (0.39%). Whether it's down to geography, lack of investment, or just cultural preferences, these towns and cities have some catching up to do when it comes to pedal-powered commuting.

Top 10 list of UK cities with the most bike commuters in the study:

Rank	City	Cycling to Work (%)
1	City of Edinburgh	10.00%
2	Cambridge	8.13%
3	Glasgow City	6.00%
4	Oxford	4.77%
5	York	3.45%
6	Kingston upon Hull	3.06%
7	Gosport	2.97%
8	Norwich	2.81%
9	Bristol	2.64%
10	Portsmouth	2.47%

Bristol named in top 10 UK cities with the most bike commuters, according to study