London’s naked bike ride has unlocked a new fear for people in the city

More than 1,000 people took part in the bike ride (Picture: Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shu)

It’s no secret that London has a reputation for being a little dirty.

The London Underground is often criticised for its lack of cleanliness, and with videos circulating of people peeing on Tube seats, it’s no surprise many commuters are scared to sit down.

But now a brand new fear has been unlocked for those travelling around the city, and it’s all to do with Santander Cycles and Lime Bikes.

Londoners have been left feeling uneasy about using the public bicycle hire schemes, after people rode on rentals in the buff as part of the World Naked Bike Ride over the weekend.

A lot of hire bikes were used… (Picture: Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shu)

The naked ride has been taking place in the capital for the last 22 years, as a form of protest against car culture and global dependency on oil, all while celebrating bodily freedom.

For 2026, more than 1,000 cyclists took part, and while many nude participants rode their own bikes, a large chunk were using rentals, which, unsurprisingly, people have slammed as ‘gross’ and ‘disgusting’.

Taking to Reddit, a user known as u/BrofessorDumbelldore, asked people for their thoughts on the event, stating: ‘I do wish they’d bring their own bikes. A good 50% put their bare arse on Santander/Lime Bikes.’

One reply by u/ElegantBob read: ‘I worry about skid marks.’

And u/Tequilasquirrel agreed, saying: ‘I’m fine with [the event], but shared bikes no. F***ing yuck, as well as sweaty arse, there’s fungal infections, etc.

‘If it’s a Santander bike, at least put a small towel on the seat or something.’

‘People are concerned about the hygiene of it all (Picture: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

Similarly, u/Ok-Personality-6630 confessed: ‘New fear unlocked’. 

While u/Outside-Parfait-8935 thought: ‘Using public bikes is absolutely gross. What the f**k? Nobody wants to share a bike seat with some stranger’s skid marks. That’s the only aspect of this I strongly object to.’

Others thought it was ‘wild’ to use a shared bike for the event, and encouraged people to bring sanitiser with them before using the bikes next time. 

Many people were also keen to know whether TfL and Lime would clean all the bikes following the ride, as they felt it was unhygienic to leave them as is.

A Lime spokesperson told Metro: ‘Lime bikes have become part of the fabric of London, with rather less fabric in evidence this weekend than usual.

‘As with any ride, we ask that people leave our bikes in the condition they’d want to find them. For safety reasons, we’d always encourage everyone to wear appropriate clothing when cycling.’

They added that Lime bikes ‘regularly’ get pressure cleaned with recycled rainwater, but did not specify when they were next due to be washed.

As for the event itself, the organisers recommend that those taking part wear shorts ‘for safety reasons’ but they do state that clothing is ‘optional’ and people should ‘be as bare as [they] dare’.

They continue to urge those opting to have a bare bottom to ‘please cover the saddle’ of the bike they use, ‘for the benefit of everyone’.

Underneath this, they shared a list of bike hire options, including the London Bicycle Tour Company.

Metro has contacted TfL and the London Bicycle Tour Company for comment.

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