Navigating Bicycle Ownership in Hilly Terrain

Bicycle Math

For quite some time, we’ve been considering buying at least one bicycle, but we just couldn’t make the leap.

What held us back was the hilly terrain where we live. Whether it’s the journey to tennis or my husband’s route back from work, it involves a solid upward climb. The elevation difference from our house to his office is about 35 meters. It might not sound like a lot, but you can definitely feel it.

I stumbled upon a cool topographic map that lets you check the elevation of any point in London and other cities.

Here, all rental bikes are electric, and they don't come cheap. My husband rides his bike to work nearly every day, weather permitting. The ride takes about 30 minutes. He usually buys a package of 400 minutes for £37, which lasts him about three months. It’s not too bad.

If we were to rent a bike without any package, a 10-minute trip to our tennis court would average around £4.70. It’s funny how sometimes it’s actually cheaper to take a taxi when we’re both going.

London has a huge cycling community, so you find bike shops on almost every corner, offering both new and second-hand bikes.

We ended up getting a used one, and with new pedals and a lock, the total came to £380. Maybe we could have found this model cheaper on eBay, but that’s a lesson for when we buy our second bike! Honestly, we could have saved enough on Lime this year to buy 3.5 bicycles.

By the way, my husband is handling the climbs quite well! I sometimes have to chase him down on my electric bike.

The biggest challenge here is usually bike storage—bikes can get stolen easily on the streets. Thankfully, we’re lucky with our building; we have a dedicated bike parking area with a pump and keys.

The only downside is that every time, just like in school, we have to borrow a key from the guard and return it afterward. At least we don't have to sign a logbook!