To Bike Or Not To Bike

Barclay Bikes for Hire

Everyone needs a bike.  They're a fantastic way to get around London.  At least that's what I've been told - fast, easy, avoid traffic jams, good exercise and environmentally friendly.  You'd be crazy not to have a bike.  And, loads of people do.

Rob's got one and he's keen to hit the road now that it has finally arrived from New Zealand.  The grand plan was that I was going to buy a bike and join him, but now I'm not so sure.

The Barclays Cycle Hire system in central London seemed to offer an ideal way to give biking a go.  And, every time we pass the numerous Barclays Cycle locations, I swear that the next time I see one, I'm going to try it out.  We've been here three months now and we've passed them a gazillion times.  And, the next time I see one...  

Basically, I think I value my life too much.  I just don't see how big red buses can safely share the same, often narrow, roads with people on bikes.   Sure, I have been on buses where the driver has slowed to a pedal when a woman on a bike's share of the road is just enough to make passing iffy.  And, I've seen a man on a bike, who pulled up between the curb and the back quarter of a bus stopped at a traffic light, signal the concerned driver that it was OK to proceed without knocking him off.  That kind of courtesy is reassuring, but still it can't be that way all the time.

Stripped London Bike: One Lock Just Isn't Enough

Then there are the bike thieves.  I'm beginning to think that if you want to be a victim of crime in London, your best bet is to buy a bike.

There's this guy who works across the road who each morning goes through a ritual of locking his bike to a pole.  First he chains the front wheel and frame to the pole.  Then he locks the back wheel to the frame. Next he wraps another chain around the handlebars and locks it tightly to the frame.  Finally, he pops the seat off and takes it with him.

At first, I thought it was overkill, but then I started to notice bikes with missing bits as we walked around town.  Occasionally, you come across one that is so badly stripped that it is abandoned leading to the local authorities tagging it for removal.  And, they do remove them in just 48 hours.

Add in the stories Londoners tell us about walking back to their bike to find it in the process of being stripped - naturally confrontation follows.  And, the friends who come to visit and ask to bring their bikes inside, because London streets are no place to leave a bike.

Then there's the rain.  We've had the wettest April and June on record and umbrella's don't work all that well on bikes.  Do they?

I don't mean to sound like I'm making excuses - no really.  I haven't totally given up on the idea of pedaling around London, but for now I think I'll stick to walking.  Rob will be disappointed.