When travelling across India, I caught the bug for riding. On returning to the UK, I managed to get my full license. I decided not to renew the insurance on my car, leaning fully into the biker lifestyle. Here are some of the ways owning a bike affected my life.
My trusty metal steed
I Ride Much More
Owning a car in Central London is not fun. It’s difficult to park anywhere, you have to spend money just for driving in the city, and you are 100% going to get stuck in traffic. Because of these reasons, I just didn’t use my car. It ended up being more expensive and inconvenient to get to most of the places I go to.
Having a bike has changed all of this. For London, it’s a dream. There are no congestion charges for bikes, so I no longer have to work around the awkward hours the charge is in place. That, coupled with abundant and free/extremely cheap parking means my wallet is a lot happier, and I feel confident that I will find a space no matter where I go.
Another huge plus is the ability to filter. Honestly, where before I would spend 80% of time sitting in traffic, now it’s about 30%, and even that 30% is fun, weaving through traffic. Riding is also just straight up more fun than driving (at least compared to my car). The feeling of the road and all the freedom it gives is unbeatable. All of these reasons combined mean that I ride more, visit more places, and have more fun. I’m more willing to travel to place a little further than I normally would, which makes me more mobile in general. I enjoy a lot more of the city this way!
Mechanical Skill
My bike is pretty old, and I’m talking like 26 years old here. I wanted to get something that I could understand and fix completely myself if needed, with no extra frills. When I got the bike, it ran fine, but I didn’t trust the previous owner had kept everything in tip-top shape. So, I did a complete servicing.
Air filter, oil filter, new tyres, new chain, carbs cleaned and tuned, exhaust repairs, electronics, the works. Apart from the engine, I pretty much touched every part of the bike. Now when I hit the road, I have confidence that the bike is in great shape, but also the confidence that I can fix mostly any issues that could occur.
What was once a machine of mystery became something I understood, and it changed my outlook in general. If you spend a bit of time reading and working on something, you can learn to understand it, and gain some new skills in the process. Whenever I am faced with something unfamiliar, I always remember how I learned about my bike, which gives me the assurance that I can learn to do anything if I apply myself.
Mental Strength
Riding a bike is much more difficult than driving a car. Apart from the obvious aspects of balance, comfort, and road safety, there is one bigger obstacle, the weather.
It’s easier to commit to a bike only life if you live in a warm, dry country. Not in the UK. Even if it seems sunny, sometimes in the time it takes to sit on your bike, it’s a storm out there.
But, I don’t have a choice. I don’t have access to my car. Raining? Still gotta go. Cold? Still gotta go. At first it was difficult, I got my bike in the winter, so my first few months were cold, but I got used to it. I understood what I needed to keep warm, and didn’t let the weather affect my plans. If you have the right gear, riding in the rain is actually quite refreshing!
Cars are warm, and in all weather the driving experience is pretty much the same. Still, I’d honestly rather be wet and cold on a bike than stuck in traffic in a car!
P.S Car drivers look out for your fellow road users, our lives depend on it!