This post is a translation from Italian, I have to say that I change a couple of things since my brain thinks in a quite different way.
Few months ago I finally get to accept that the moment has come: I had to stop taking the tube like the plebs, remove the Oyster card from the wallet to pay, the warmth and the smell, the delays, the place you can't reach and the place where you need 3 buses to go.
I have choose the cold, the rain, the non reading (god, I loved reading).
Where were we? Oh right: I bought a bike, and like many of the choices in my life the movement from the thought to the action has been quite fast (like when they ask you if you want some tiramisù).
After a first failed attempt in a shop advised by a colleague which I'd like to quote "that shop got everything, new models every day, if you go there you'll get the bike you are looking for" which was actually a freaking small hole in a building with 6 bikes on sale, 4 of which where not-too-old Vespas, one was a freaking-old Vespa and one was a I-have-no-clue bike which was just ugly.
I surrender to going old school and I decided to search for it online, yelling to the sky that I was going to drive soon in London.
I had a 2000 pounds budget, including insurance, helmets, etc. I went a little long but I found a 250cc, which seem quite comfortable also to go outside the city (e.g. Airport)
So, how does it work to get a bike in London? You see it, put a deposit on the table, go home, go back to the shop since you forget the proof you put a deposit on the table, go home again, make an insurance online, get your insurance in about 30 minutes, sleep, wake up and go to take your bike that has been cleaned and polished for you.
Ok. I got a bike. Great! Fantastic! Now let me put the GPS and... mmmm... where am I supposed to put it? Seriously fucking hell there's no freaking fucking phone holders on bikes nowadays? Ok, got it, I'm gonna order it.
In the meanwhile you put the mobile in your pocket, check the route, stop to check, put in your pocket, stop, check, go, stop, check , go, ok, ok, not too bad for the 2 days I have to wait while Amazon send me mine.
Some common misconception:
Is it hard to drive on the left? No. You get used quite fast. You need to give precedence on the other side of the road, but I am no stuntman and if there's a car coming with no intention to stop on either side I will stop.
The city is huge and there's a lot of traffic, how do you... Wait, stop there.... The city is huge, traffic is quite, people in their cars are very very nice, if you are on the wrong lane they let you change, if you have to turn they stop. Do you know how it is to drive in Italy? Here is just the opposite. I never drove in such a relaxing city before (city, in the countryside everyone gets to be happier)
Ok, but parking: Yep, true, parking is true, because every borough have different rules, so you have to check on your mobile app etc etc. On the bright side, where I live parking is free and allowed everywhere, so I don't really give a fuck...
What about the cold, and the rain. In Pisa there's twice the rain of London and the temperature different is around 3 degrees. I'm sure I can manage it (but it is not winter yet)
It is dangerous: Yes, true, you can fall, but die is hard: traffic is slow, no one speed, probably I will just fall one day and don't get injured at all.
Now, seriously, why haven't I bought a bike earlier?
Ok, I wanted to talk about the beauty of driving in London and I end up talking about the reason of buying it. I'll talk about the rest in the next post
