Hello,
I bought a bike!
Yes, London is now my bike-sized oyster. And, yes, I did ask the man in the shop if my test ride did need to be done on the road which in hindsight must have been quite entertaining for him. And, yes, I was only mentally prepared for a light half-dabble and ended up full on buying one. And, yes, I did struggle with the test-ride instructions left, left, left, but his blind confidence that ‘you’ll figure it out’ was probably what was needed. And, yes, deciding to also buy a lock and some lights and a helmet and a pannier bag and the whole works did give off a vibe of payday or slight chaos or a deep commitment to responsibility. And, yes, they probably thought I was a dizzy woman-child because my voice did jump an octave when speaking. And, yes, they were probably concerned about my wilful lack of knowledge. And, yes, I did feel I betrayed woman-kind with this action but fuck it who has the inclination. And yes, I did have to buy a child-sized helmet for my pea-sized head. And, yes, I don’t like playing the joker but I did it anyway. And, yes, I did get offended that they didn’t ask me what I do like another woman who came in (V&A). And, yes, my dishevelled state, books and general ineptitude probably screamed student. And, yes, I wanted to say I have held down multiple jobs and they have been interesting and arty and important THANK YOU. And, yes, I did ask how often I should get the bike serviced and apart from the man showing me how to check the brake pads the answer was ‘common sense and if it’s making weird noises’. And, yes, I did peer behind me as I cycled away to see three concerned bike men looking at me out of the window. And, yes, you might say I instilled in them a more than healthy level of doubt as to my ability and confidence. And, yes, the chain did get tangled after five minutes and I did have to stop and put it back on. And, yes, there’s now a rickety sound in the spokes I can’t entirely place and you can bet I will be wrangling them about it later in the week. And, YES, this is gonna be a game changer. And, yes, the country bumpkin bridle-path queen is roaring at her reincarnation in women’s hybrid city bike form. And, yes, these smooth smooth tyres are an upgrade from chunky mountain steed. And, yes, my fancy lights also have a pedestrian zapping thing that sounds like a rape alarm - STAY OUTTA MY WAY !!! And, yes, I am envisaging sweet summer evenings and superiority complexes as I zoom through a local park near you. And, yes, I will be carrying Pitbull Mr Worldwide D lock which my housemate has told me is actually called a U lock but which will forever now be a D lock in my mind. And, yes, I intend to become a bike safety pro in the next week thanks to Google. And, yes, there’s still every chance that the bike will get stolen. And, yes, I’m probs gonna get cheap insurance with a small excess. And, yes, I’m gonna go ride that mf but my bum also hurts.
See you soon,
Eden x