[Farrowlane]

I remember riding my blue tricycle all throughout the house all of the time, before beginning kindergarten. Whenever my mother stopped hearing me riding my tricycle, before too long, she would ask me about what I was doing.

Then one day, just before my sixth birthday, I woke up, and my tricycle was not at the foot of my bed. I jumped up and began to frantically look for my tricycle. My mother told me that it was too old for me, and that she had given it away to the neighbor's kid across the street. I tried to hold back the tears, but unfortunately, the pain was just too much to bear. The tears quickly began to flow. My mother tried to comfort me by saying that she would get it back, if I really wanted a "little boys" tricycle that badly. I told her to get it back for me no matter what, and that I didn't care if the tricycle was for little boys or not.

The next morning, I woke up with a brand new red bicycle at the foot of my bed. I rubbed my eyes to make sure that they were focused. Was I really looking at a "big boys" bicycle?....Was it really for me?....Was I now a "big boy" at the age of six?

My dad spent the entire weekend, teaching me how to ride my new bike. From Friday evening to Sunday morning, we were outside, in the backyard, going round and round, until finally, Sunday Morning, I got it!

Once I started to ride by myself completely balanced, my father took the training wheels off my bike. Before the next week was over, I was riding around the block on the sidewalk. Suddenly, I was further away from home than ever before, on my own, and just having the time of my life!

This was my first taste of independence. Having fun independently is one reason I now enjoy solo riding. I truly believe, it all came from that first day of bicycling on my own around the block.

Since then, I've been around a block or two!

[John_V]

Nice story. I don't remember ever getting a tricycle because of where we lived when I was at the age for one and my father couldn't afford it. However, I do remember getting my first bicycle like it was yesterday. I was 10 or 11 at the time, and it was a black, Western Flyer hand-me-down from my dad's boss. It was a steel bike and I think it weighed more than I did. His son got a new bike for his birthday and my brother and I got his old one to share. He brought it home in the back seat of the car and had to remove both wheels to get it to fit. We couldn't ride it until my dad was able to get a tube to replace the one in the back. It took me a few days to get to where I could ride without falling off the bike, but when I got to that point, I would ride it all over the neighborhood. We had to be careful when we took it outside to ride and had to keep an eye on it if we rode it to a friends and left it outside. Living in the projects, it was a challenge to keep the bike from being stolen. Luckily, no one stole it and my brother and I enjoyed it until after we moved out of the projects and my dad was able to afford a new bike for each of us.

[wild]

It was kind of neat and sad seeing my 2 year old Great grandson get on his battery powerd Harley trike that his grandpa got him for Xmass. Will he ever want a bike now Will I get to ride a bike with him. will I see him play his first Hockey game Or will he be the one who rides my old Pan Head .

[superj]

i remember when i first rode without training wheels. it was may or june of 1980. we were packing to move to honolulu because my dad got stationed at kaneoe marine air station. i remember the moving truck in the driveway and mom or dad holding the back of the bike and pushing me. we lived in corona california at the time, on jade street, i think. i was four. we had bushes round the yard and my grandparents lived up the street. i remember being pushed and riding and riding. i cannot remember anything past that on that particular day, just riding.


my kids had all those electric ride on vehicles also but once they could ride a bike, they never rode those again.

[wild]

Thanks SuperJ, Good to know there is hope I will see him ride a bike

[Farrowlane]

Originally Posted by John_V

Nice story. I don't remember ever getting a tricycle because of where we lived when I was at the age for one and my father couldn't afford it. However, I do remember getting my first bicycle like it was yesterday. I was 10 or 11 at the time, and it was a black, Western Flyer hand-me-down from my dad's boss. It was a steel bike and I think it weighed more than I did. His son got a new bike for his birthday and my brother and I got his old one to share. He brought it home in the back seat of the car and had to remove both wheels to get it to fit. We couldn't ride it until my dad was able to get a tube to replace the one in the back. It took me a few days to get to where I could ride without falling off the bike, but when I got to that point, I would ride it all over the neighborhood. We had to be careful when we took it outside to ride and had to keep an eye on it if we rode it to a friends and left it outside. Living in the projects, it was a challenge to keep the bike from being stolen. Luckily, no one stole it and my brother and I enjoyed it until after we moved out of the projects and my dad was able to afford a new bike for each of us.

Thanks, John_V,

Glad you enjoyed it!

[Farrowlane]

Originally Posted by wild

It was kind of neat and sad seeing my 2 year old Great grandson get on his battery powerd Harley trike that his grandpa got him for Xmass. Will he ever want a bike now Will I get to ride a bike with him. will I see him play his first Hockey game Or will he be the one who rides my old Pan Head .

Originally Posted by wild

Thanks SuperJ, Good to know there is hope I will see him ride a bike

One thing for certain, Wild!

Once he rides a genuine road bike, he'll be hooked for life.

There's nothing like the feeling of providing your own energy to propel yourself forward. Somehow, there's a message in that dynamic...

[Farrowlane]

Originally Posted by superj

i remember when i first rode without training wheels. it was may or june of 1980. we were packing to move to honolulu because my dad got stationed at kaneoe marine air station. i remember the moving truck in the driveway and mom or dad holding the back of the bike and pushing me. we lived in corona california at the time, on jade street, i think. i was four. we had bushes round the yard and my grandparents lived up the street. i remember being pushed and riding and riding. i cannot remember anything past that on that particular day, just riding.


my kids had all those electric ride on vehicles also but once they could ride a bike, they never rode those again.

That's all I'm saying, SuperJ!

Once you start cycling via your own muscle power, the feeling of independence becomes almost additive...There's such an element of joy and satisfaction captured in the self-reliance aspect of cycling.