Electric Motorbike Vs Sports Bike Vs Public Transport – Which One Wins!?
London, chaotic, congested, full of commuters, all trying to get somewhere fast. So, today we are going to answer one simple question. What is the fastest way across the city? By bike or public transport? But not just any bike. This is the Ming RM1S. Fully electric, effortlessly cool, built for slicking through the city without a drop of fuel. And this this is Triumph Speed Triple 765. It’s a sports bike, but made for the street. and I’ll be riding this, the 1989 Mike 1, 6’5, 40% leg, and literally just built for public transport. The challenge, get from here, London City Airport, across central London to High Park, where we’ll be having a romantic picnic. Lovely. So, each of us need to bring three items to the picnic. In a second, we’re going to get a text message telling us what we got to pick up on route. Perfect. Easy. Bikes versus public transport. Let the chaos begin. [Music] No, no, my avocados. Yes, it’s electric. But this is I need to buy cucumber, a family trifle, and some avocados. Uh, I’ve got shakuerie, which is great being a vegetarian. Cream and a baguette, smelly cheese, watermelon, and a croissant. And away we go. Mike and Danny had left us and I was figuring out how to use an electric bike for the first time. Good luck, James. It’s on. Oh god, there’s no foot break. Let’s go. Let’s go. Okay, so there is one DLR to bank right now. Oh We need to tap in. We need to tap in. I’ve had way too many finds by not tapping in on the DLR before. Long legs. Long legs. We want to be heading to bank, changing on the DLR, and then heading literally over to Lancaster Gate. But the DLR well known by me as one of the most confusing places to go. So, we want platform 2, which is here. 1 minute left. 1 minute to go. Okay. They’ll still be trying to sync up their intercoms. I’ve lost Vrage already. Where’s he gone? The only downside is I am a lot more out of breath than I think they might be on the bike. But the carriage awaits. Let’s do this. That was a good start. Losing each other before we even started. All right, cool. Just the open road now. Beline wants us to go the other way to which we came. How’s the bike? It’s actually really nice. Didn’t really hit me till now. Is in this heat rolling along in traffic on a big sports bike gets pretty hot between your legs, doesn’t it? Whereas obviously one, I’ve got no heat. And two, because the bike’s so skinny and minimal, there’s just there’s just so much air coming between my legs, it’s just um a lot cooler to ride. That’s true. Well, I’ll see how hot this Triumph gets. I know my jigsaw in this sort of weather at these speeds would be registering 90 maybe 100° in traffic. You’d feel it. You’d feel it in your legs. Um the Triumph so far is staying nice and cool. I can’t see a a temperature gauge or anything. There’s no crazy heat so far, but let’s see how it fares. The race was underway and Vrage and I were making progress. But ahead, our route would run alongside the DLR. And if we saw them, well, this battle was about to get a lot closer than we hoped. We’re taking that exit, right? I think so. Yeah. Okay, go. Here we go. Sports bike versus. Look at him go. 40 mph. That 3second run kind of puffed me out more than what I thought I would. But I’m kind of got in my mind that I’ve got an hour of standing. They’re moving and we’re not. Garage. We just need to get a move on now. Yeah, I think we’re good. I’m not loving this. Oh, there they are. No way. The Triumph looks absolutely amazing as well. And also, Vir is really beating James. I’m equal parts impressed with how cool the bites look and equal parts depressed that I am now in third position. So, we’ve really got to pull this out the bag to uh to catch us up. I almost don’t want to tell them that they’re ahead of us. Oh, hang on. I’ve got a phone call coming in. I think it might be Mike. Hello. I hate to tell you, but I’ve just seen you two steaming past me on the DLR. Yes. Yes. Have you pulled in at a station? Uh, I’m just coming into Popular now. But James, I I have to say that the bikes look very cool. I was very nervous that there’s not really anything more I can do to speed up. But man, Barrage is beating you. You’ve got to you’ve got to step on it. Trying my best, but he just gets me when we pull away from the lights and the junctions. I thought that electric power would get you off the mark in no time. He’s a little bit more daring, I think, on his sports bike. He’ll swim through traffic. It looks sick. I know. You know what? This is actually a really nice bike. It is. Oh, right. We have just hit the 20 mph zone. You’re going to catch us. Well, look, you enjoy your slow ride, slow traffic. Um, I’m going to be off this soon and and legging it through Bank. So, uh, see you at the picnic. Yeah, good luck with Bank, mate. After Mike’s call, we were feeling pretty smug. Team Bike had this in the bag. So, before charging ahead, we asked the real question. Which bike could hit 20 mph the fastest? Right. 0 to 20 mph race. Okay, game. All right. Okay. Let’s see. I’m I’m actually excited. You might win this. I I do wonder if you could beat me off the line. May boy in this van wants a race as well. Yo, how nice. That was close. I think I I think I got zero to five and then you went past me. Yeah, we’ve got two more to bank. But my main problem is that I’ve got to get this blooming baguette shaker board. I haven’t figured that out. And unfortunately, City Mapper isn’t very good at telling me where I can get my board. So, let’s figure that out. Now, the problem is we’re going to change at bank and then we’ll be straight at Lancaster Gate. So, I reckon we either try and find a shop in the station, which doesn’t really happen. Um, or we’ve got to get smart with our shopping at Lancaster Gate. Woo! Oh, classic London. Watch out. Oh, yep. I see him. This is the problem with London now. All the lanes are so narrow. They really haven’t given much of uh consideration, should we say, to bikers. Raj and I started slicing through traffic, but then I got flagged down by curious scooter rider. Electric. Oh, yes. Yes, it’s electric. It’s 125. Yeah, but it’s quite quick. Yeah, I think it will do 80 mph. I love a motor bike. Yeah, I used to have a scrambler that’s a racer. Yeah, but it’s quite some convenient, you know, when in town. Yeah, you’re nailing the Italian look. Yeah, Italian. You’ve got it nailed. So good. Have a good day. Yeah, you too. Thanks. Meanwhile, team public transports. Let’s just go. No time. Now, running on the tube is a bit of a no no. But we’re not always racing though, are we? Sorry. This is the age old question. Travel later or or walking? We’re going to we’re going to raw dog it. We’re going to go. They’re probably stuck in some sort of traffic right now. The other benefit is built in air con. So, the tube is going fast. It’s a little bit grimy because we’re basically getting all of the the sweaty air from cars in front. But when you’ve just done more exercise than you’ve done on months, you’ll take the air where you can get it. And we’re off 0 to 20 smooth and speedy. This is the nightmare roundabout by Waterlue train station. I think I can see him at the front of this traffic. Yes. Yes. Hello, friend. I can’t believe I just caught you up. The Italian lady on the Vesper side chatting to me. What was she saying? And we just had a lovely conversation about the Ming and you sped off and I sat there chatting to her and I was like, “Oh I’m in a race.” Meanwhile, down in the belly of the city, life was significantly less thrilling. So, this is now just a slightly long and a little bit frustrating waiting day. There’s literally nothing I can do to speed this up. There’s basically no good places to get food near Lancaster Gate. So, what we’re going to do, jump off at Marvel Arch. I know for a fact that there are better shops and then we’re either going to le it, get a bike, get a bus. We’ll figure it out when we’re there. But that’s where I’m feeling the shooter action is going to happen. Right, Westminster Bridge. We are getting close to H High Park now. Flying at 20 mph over Westminster Bridge. The nice thing about 20 mph is you can really take in the scenes. Doesn’t get more iconic than that. Right. I’m going to buy my picnic stuff. May the best bike win. Good luck. [Music] The path has opened up. Okay. So, this decision is either going to make or break us. So, what are we heading here? Right. Tesco’s, where are you? There you are. God. Westminster Tesco’s. I’ve made the worst decision I’ve ever made. I think this is the smallest Tesco in the UK. And I’ve come here to buy my gear. What have I got to get? Cucumber. Avocados. Yes. Perfectly ripe. Trifles. Oh, perfect. There’s four of them. The fourack has got to count as a family trifle on there. Trifles. Avocado. Cucumber. No. No. But avocados. Yes. One touch. Look at that. Trifles in, cucumber in, avocados in. You got space for a weekly shop in there. Sorry. Thank you. With my shopping safely in the bag, it’s time to rejoin Mike mid-sprint. Okay. Right. Line bikes are there, which is excellent. Sainsbur is there, which is even better. This could be the best decision we’ve made. And that is Hide Park. Now, we’re meeting in the middle of Hide Park, but we’ll deal with that problem after we’ve got our shopping. Barrage was round the corner from Hyde Park, but he still needed to make a shopping stop. Had to go in there. A lot of choice with cheese. I don’t know what to get. Do you have watermelon by any chance? Ah, lovely. Thank you so much. I’m all done now. All I’ve got to do get to the final destination. Got this beast taking me there. I don’t foresee any issues winning this race. We need to get a shakuterie cream and a baguette. Amazing. Shakuterie. Help me as a veggie. Is that basically just lots of different packs of ham? Okay. Oh, here we go. And pesto selection. Deal. And then cream is the other one. Squirty cream. What sort of cream? Cream cheese. Are we happy with that? Oh, I tell you what. Let’s also get squirty cream as well. Who doesn’t love squirty cream? So, I’m feeling very good about this. No time for nectar card, I’m afraid. I should have got a bag. Picnic supply sorted. Just one last blast to the rende viewpoint. The race is basically who knows where they’re going. There aren’t any signs. I can’t remember. Road closure. There’s a parade on, isn’t there? Really is a lovely bike. The Ming have really nailed what they’ve built here. It’s so unique and difference. It’s beautiful to ride. So smooth. And in central London where you’re just spending the whole time sat at red lights not having an engine, a clutch, gears is a welcome relief. Line bikes in sight. And I must admit because I’ve basically just jumped off the tube, I don’t quite know how far we’ve got to cycle. So let’s do this. Of course, glasses. Like that. We are away. Let’s do this. Wonder if he’s picked up his picnic bits yet. If he’s carrying his baguette or not. Okay, let’s do this. He’s not going to be having fun. I’ve seen Big Ben the river twice. Scenery wise, doesn’t get much better. It’s uh joy. This is This is fun. It’s taking me to the same place. Okay, what can I do? It’s just awesome to be riding when you have a lovely day like this one. Okay, taking a white wire large and blue. Now, we lost a little bit of time in the shop, but also James and Vrage are going to do the same. And I must say, I am going to be incredibly surprised and maybe even a little bit impressed if they have actually beaten me. But let’s get our head down. vroom style. With the three of us in full sprint mode, Mike suddenly had a problem. Ah, we’ve got a problem. We’ve got a problem. You can’t just park the line bikes anywhere anymore, and you’re not allowed to park them in there. So, we’re going to actually have to park up and run the last few moments. Oh, the irony. We’re going to actually have to park at Lancaster Gate station. Green light home stretch. Let’s go. Come on. Here we go. This is a left turn. Okay. Right. Let’s do this. Is it rude to start without them? I feel like I I’d love a I’d love a bit of a baguette. Get the fuel. I’ve just checked on progress and James at least is at Hide Park Corner. 5 minutes away according to Google. But Google thinks we’re walking. The bike was nice. The tube wasn’t great. But this is bad. It could be close. We don’t know. Mike could be still stuck on the central line. He could be lost in bank station forever. Or he’s running across High Park in a hot, sweaty mess. There’s a river. Come on. Come on, Maven. You’ve done so good. You’ve been a joy to ride. Last minute nailbiting finish. Do you serpentine road? I think so. You turned up to a nice family picnic after a 10-minute run. You’re not going to be making any friends. Oh, the entrance is up there. Oh god. The entrance is there. I can’t see anyone. Have I won? I think I have won. Every motorbike I see, I’m having heart palpitations that they’re there. But that wasn’t Mirage. And you wouldn’t hear James. So, I actually think I think we’re there. I’ve totally busted this baguette by now. And we’re meeting on this corner. And I think we’ve done it. I think public transport is victorious. [Laughter] No. The confidence in me, mate. I thought I smashed it. Congratulations. I just got here and I was like, I can’t see anyone. Does that mean I won or what? That you’ve just got here now. You did like 1 minute ago. That must have been uh been pretty close. We we had if we could have had the line bike coming to the park, we would have clinched it, but we we basically run a mile in the last the last few minutes. But the good news is where’s VJ? Yeah. [Music] Right. No sign of the maving so far. No. Is that James? It can’t be. No. No. It’s not. It’s good. No. I mean, it sounds amazing. The fastest vehicle came last. Unlucky, my friend. Well, you know what? I had the wind in my hair. I had London traffic in my periphery. We’d made it. The race was over and it was time to reflect and argue about who enjoyed it the most. Um, I didn’t know what cream you wanted, so I got squirty cream and and cream cheese. Okay, nice bit of choose and bread. Um, the world’s smallest Tesco’s opposite Big Ben did not have a family trifle, but I did get a pack of trifles, enough for a family. Two avocados, one which fell on the floor, and a cucumber. Lovely. Lovely. I treated you guys. I went to Wait for this little Tesco. Hang on a minute. Um, yeah, that was being a premium supermarket, they’d cut your watermelon for you. Where’s the whole watermelon? To be fair, I don’t think we would have been able to have cut a watermelon with our fair hands anyway. That’s exactly what I was thinking. We would be deducting points if you weren’t already in last place there, VJ. So, that’s it in a nutshell. There’s not much difference. The key difference that I noticed was when I was on the tube, it was pretty grim. I was sweating largely from running on the transfers and even on the DLR where it was a little bit lighter and a little bit brighter. Seeing you guys zip past on the motorbike. Yeah. Just triggered something in me that I couldn’t do anything. There was nothing I could do to speed it up. I had no control. How much fun did we have riding through town together? It was so nice. So much fun. And yeah, of course, like so much of London is 20 mph speed limit now. So, there really wasn’t much difference between the bikes. If you’re going out into the countryside, street triple is the one they choose. If you’re spending all day every day in central London, I would choose amazing. Everyone’s a winner, but James is the real winner. Both bikes are great, but one, two, three. I’m not convinced line bike even counts as public transport. It’s available for the public if you pay for it and go ride on it on your own. Is that public transport? You’re you’re amongst the public in the same way you are on a motorbike. Yeah. Let us know. are higher bikes, public transport or not. Otherwise, I think garage would have got the second place. Strip my title away from me. [Music]
We put two motorcycles – a fully electric Maeving EV and a Triumph Street Triple – up against the London Underground in the ultimate city epic ride. Can a motorbike really beat the Tube across London’s busy streets, or is public transport still the fastest way to travel?
In this real-world test, we start at London City Airport and race across the capital, battling traffic lights, rush hour congestion, and unpredictable London road conditions. The Maeving EV represents the future of urban commuting, while the Triumph Street Triple brings speed and agility to the challenge.
Whether you’re a London commuter, a motorcycle enthusiast, or just curious about the fastest way across the city, this race reveals the truth.
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chapters
00:00 – Bike vs Tube London Race Intro
01:15 – Rules and Starting Point
02:30 – Departing London City Airport
05:50 – Tube Journey Breakdown
08:15 – Maeving EV and Triumph Street Triple on London’s Roads
12:00 – Who Arrives First?
14:00 – Final Results and Surprises
