I want to ride my biiiiiiicycle

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

How old were you when you learned to ride a bike? How was the experience like?

― helen fordsdale, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I was about four or five when I rode my first two-wheel bicycle. Someone pushed me and off I went.

― helen fordsdale, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I failed my cycling proficiency test.

― Tom, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Tom, that's my story. I not only failed it but hit a cone and managed to buckle the back wheel.

― Pete, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I was five and I liked it. My Dad was right with me until I felt safe to go alone. ( That was a brief time when he was home, so I treasured that time.) Gale

― Gale Deslongchamps, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i havent

― anthony, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I learned when I was between five and six; earlier would have been impossible due to long stretch in hospital. One thing I got really good at was riding down the street no-handed; also up and down drives and kerbs, also no-handed. I will not do this in London, there's just no possibility of being safe.

― suzy, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ditto Tom. Admittedly it was raining to float an ark, but I knocked over all the blocks, and GOT LOST!! Also on the way home afterwards, I lost control on a steep hill and went into a hedge.

― mark s, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I learnt' when I was about four in ufton road. Cycling in london is one of the greatest thrills ever. Sadly I have no bike at the moment.

― Ed, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Look here, I failed my cycling proficiency test by a slim margin and can ride a bike perfectly well, so I want to disassociate myself from malco-ordinated fuck-ups like Pete and Mark, thanks.

(Typing that has made me remember terrific playground insult "MALCO!")

― Tom, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I never learned.

― rosemary, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

During my exam I not only rode no-handed but also pulled the brake cable off when I was fiddling, thus forcing me to do half of it on a bike that was way way way too small for me. I passed by a very small margin.

― Graham, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I learned at about five, but prior to that my siblings and I used to race around the local tennis court on tricycles, but balancing on only two of them

― Menelaus Darcy, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Cycling proficiency test? Anyway, I have not, as the ground enjoyed rushing up to meet me.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

About 7 or 8 I think.

― james, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yes, what is this test? Do you need a license to ride a bike?

― Kris, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No, it's completely pointless. Basically it's a test of whether you can and the school encourages you to take it at 10 or 11 so you're a safer cyclist. It has no official value at all. I got a paper round the month after I failed and cycled safely every day for a couple of years.

― Tom, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

can't remember how old i was, probably about 7. got the 'push down steep hill aggressive learning curve' treatment to. i scraped through my cycling proficiency test some years later.

my greatest cycling achievement was to cycle from hanger 57 of raf bruggen to the gates of joint head quarters, some 11 and three quarter miles up hill and down dale in the time it took to play one side of an ar90, without touching the handlebars!! the lights were all in my favour mind.

i have since then discovered it is in fact illegal to cycle no-hands in germany (!), but even so i couldn't manage it these days. i was very fit then, my bike has now sprouted an engine, and now i am not.

― another james, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sinker: did you hear Elgar in your head?

― Robin Carmody, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i doubt it robin: and your ref too goes ovah my head…

― mark s, Wednesday, 28 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It was "Penda's Fen" AGAIN I'm afraid, Mark ...

― Robin Carmody, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

In my class at school, only one boy (Ian Morris) failed their cycling proficiency test. I still tease him about it - though he claims he's not bothered because he can drive CARS, though I think he only drives because he can't ride a bike!

― jamesmichaelward, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I learned to ride without training wheels when I was five. I had two BMX bikes and I would spend my weekends taking them apart and swapping their parts around.

― rainy, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two years pass...

Gid yall learned when yall were 5-7 i learned when i was 2 man yall must suck really bad im got 2 bmx sponsers and i got those a long time ago

― Alex Tillman, Wednesday, 31 March 2004 03:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I see you spent all your time BMXing and no time learning how to write and speak like a normal human being. Goodo.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 03:20 (twenty-two years ago)

*applauds Trayce*

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 03:36 (twenty-two years ago)

all us'n cyclers are id'jits, yall. If'n we wuz smart we'da larned to drive them auty-mobiles...and shit.

― Speedy (Speedy Gonzalas), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 09:40 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

'Crazy' cycle lanes here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4794198.stm

― beanz (beanz), Thursday, 16 March 2006 14:20 (twenty years ago)

pretty stupid article.... half of those are issues of people blocking the cycle lanes, not a question of the design of the cycle lane per se. its not clear from the Doncaster photo what leads on from the cycle lane crossing the footpath as it carries on behind the photographer, it might be reasonable.

but the essential message is, cycle provision is too incoherent and weak willed to be effective at all.

― ambrose (ambrose), Thursday, 16 March 2006 16:15 (twenty years ago)

The Beeb pretty much used up the A material in the first picture

― steal compass, drive north, disappear (tissp), Thursday, 16 March 2006 16:19 (twenty years ago)

My dad never let us get training wheels. I'm not sure of the rationale exactly, but it was probably a mix b/t wanting to toughen us up and not wanting to prolong the process.

I fell quite a bit, as I'm sure you can imagine. The worst fall I had was when I came down the street in front of our house, which had a good sized hill, into the driveway, out the back of the driveway, down the hill in the back of the house, and into the briar bushes in the woods behind the house. Everyone was laughing except for 6 year old me, who was crying.

― Big Loud Mountain Ape (Big Loud Mountain Ape), Thursday, 16 March 2006 16:25 (twenty years ago)

I was in college!
I had just moved off campus and my car wasn't working and it was just far enough away that walking wasn't going to do it. My mom's popped the cash for the bike and my roomie at the time took a weekend and taught me how in the school parking lot. I learned in about four hours and we went and got ice cream after.
Good times.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Thursday, 16 March 2006 19:08 (twenty years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.