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Submitted on Friday, 22^nd September 2017
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The Cyclist, Balham, SW12

194 Balham High Road
SW12
SW12 9BP

Phone: 02086730535

Correct details

Served areas

Balham

Tweets by The Cyclist

The Cyclist We’re buzzing inside and out today! Join us for lunch, dinner or a few drinks on the terrace... 1:26 PM May 22nd 2019 from Twitter Web Client

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Reviews of The Cyclist (Average Rating: 4½ of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Bucking Fastard left this review about The Cyclist

Described outside as a " modern pub" this shop conversion has a lot of exterior seating to the front with dubious views of Balham High Road.Inside is L shaped with lots of high tables infront of the bar,industrial ducting on the ceiling and a very long high bench seat running down the right wall with a series of two seater tables.Beyond a small open kitchen is a laid for dining area,a mix of small banquettes and low backed seating booths in modern colours.Parquet flooring throughout but I was expecting more decoration on the cyclist theme rather than just a few nods in that general direction.
The muzak was hip and the food menu offered modern cuisine with a few lunch deals around £13,otherwise a median main of £17.At the bar no real ale just 10 keg taps with some craft options(Signature Brew,Brixton) some mainstream choices and all a bit pedestrian and safe.My Brixton Atlantic APA was far too cold to properly enjoy the strength and hop depth.
It's aimed at the younger drinker and no doubt the Saturday DJ draws that sort of crowd but on my Friday lunctime visit there was a motley assortment of middle aged Guiness drinkers,young couples,single women eating tofu and a pub ticker .I wont be rushing back.

On 4^th May 2024 - rating: 5
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Pub SignMan left this review about The Cyclist

Previously a branch of Wetherspoons, this is now a large, open plan bar and eatery with the kind of nondescript, everyman decor that will suit young cocktail drinkers and older coffee sippers in equal measure. The room has a nice parquet floor, whitewashed brick walls and a ceiling almost entirely obscured by ugly utilities. The bar is to the rear left and has a very plain wood panelled counter, painted in gastro-grey, in front of a sparkly mirrored bar back. There are loads of tables and chairs in the front part of the room, some spilling out through the bi-fold doors onto a pavement-side space, whilst padded banquette booths run down the right-hand wall, each with an unusual partitioning screen between. The room opens out down this side of the room into what felt like a rear dining area full of basic tables and chairs. There are loads of pictures on the walls, with an overarching cycling theme, whilst sprigs of flowers on each table added some colour and a few decorative lampshades, that looked a bit like tatty skirts, brought the visual distraction. A dull ambient-chill soundtrack played in the background throughout our stay.
Unfortunately, there's no cask ale here, although six craft kegs from the likes of Camden, Two Tribes and Beavertown ensure a bit of variety to the selection. The friendly Irish barman served up a passable pint of Little Creatures Pale Ale and we enjoyed sitting out on the pavement watching people rushing to and from the nearby station.
I thought this was a pretty run of the mill pub, straddling the line between an old-school drinking barn and a contemporary mass-appeal bar. The presence of some real ale would have been an added bonus and I left here expecting to have pretty much forgotten about the place within a week or two and would suggest it probably did a better job when it was a ‘Spoons.

On 22^nd November 2022 - rating: 4
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Rex Rattus left this review about The Cyclist

Actually it advertises itself as a "Modern British Pub". Unfortunately a true boast, and accurate I guess as there are now loads of these madeover modern pubs, but not necessarily a good thing as I don't reckon you can beat a traditional British pub. Tradition trumps modernity as far as pubs go - in my opinion anyway.

There are no real ales of course, but a handful of keg fonts on the counter to the left offer what is probably described as "craft" beer. A half of Beavertown Neck Oil was £3. You won't get much pub grub in here either; I did see "beer-battered North Sea haddock, triple-cooked chips, tartare sauce, mushy peas" advertised though.

The room is J-shaped, with the area at the back on the right having all tables laid for diners. As you might expect there's exposed brickwork all over the place; ugly metal ducting covering the ceiling; and some dark greeny-blue paintwork. The drinking area has a mix of tall tables/tall stools and normal tables and chairs. There are no surprises here. It was doing a busy trade when I dropped in at around 6.45 PM on a Wednesday, so they must be doing something right. Not really my sort of place though.

On 16^th February 2020 - rating: 4
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]

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