[IamJen]

One of the interesting things I've noticed here in my new 'hood is the proliferation of teeny tiny bicycles. Kids aged 3-4 are riding around on these junior-sized bikes, mostly with ease. I remembered learning to ride a bike as something done at an older age (5-6 years old). I had a bike when I was 5, but I rode for a while with training wheels on.

How old were you when you learned to ride a bike w/o trainers?

 

[evilvegan]

I learned how to ride a bike around 4 years, since there wasn't much else to do outside in the middle of nowhere.

 

[ynaffit]

I didn't really. I was trying to in fourth grade when I ran into a post and had to get stitches on my chin for the second time (the first time I'd fallen off a tricycle).

 

[Indian Summer]

I don't really remember. I might have been only 6, but I could have been as old as 8. I think my parents were afraid I was going to hurt myself...

What I *do* remember is that my first bike was a silver gray BMX with black pads with yellow writing, and that riding it was the most awesome thing in the world. The standard challenge/contest was trying to ride as far off the road into the forest as possible without having to put down your feet to keep the balance. At one point I had to BMX bikes at the same time. The second one I bought at a lost property auction. Ah, those were the days!

 

[Elena99]

I THINK it was around 6 or 7 without the trainers on a bike. I know I was on a tricycle as young as 3 or 4.

 

[Seb_0810]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elena99

I THINK it was around 6 or 7 without the trainers on a bike. I know I was on a tricycle as young as 3 or 4.

Same here.

 

[Brandon]

I was about 9 or 10. I was afraid of it for some reason, though I rode with one trainer for a while before that. Taking that last step took a lot of work for my father to persuade me that I could do it. I wiped out big time the first time I rode w/o the trainer, which didn't do much for my confidence.

However, I learned and now I absolutely love to bike.

 

[bstutzma]

I was 4 with training wheels, a young 5 with a real bike. I remember it was bright pink with streamers, which was hilarious, because I hated pink, but I loved that bike because it was a "big girls" bike (I remember the sensation of barely reaching the pedals.... so weird to think of that...)

 

[Jinga]

I was in second grade when I learned to ride a two-wheeler minus the training wheels. I rode my He-Man (Master of the Universe no doubt) big wheel until it broke in half. I was scared of the big bike and actually kept trying to learn on an old bike that was too small for me. I tried over and over again, but couldn't do it. It wasn't until I actually rode a correctly sized bike that I could balance and pedal the thing, but I did it on the first try. We have a home video of me riding down a slightly sloping hill dragging my feet on the ground cause I was afraid of going too fast, falling over, etc. I'm such a wuss.

 

[Brandon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinga

We have a home video of me riding down a slightly sloping hill dragging my feet on the ground cause I was afraid of going too fast, falling over, etc. I'm such a wuss.

At least you didn't ride for a long period of time with one training wheel, which you refused to part with......

Why didn't I think of dragging my feet?

 

[Jinga]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Brandon

At least you didn't ride for a long period of time with one training wheel, which you refused to part with......

Why didn't I think of dragging my feet?

I was all or nothing. Typical for me. You didn't have an emotional attachment to that wheel did you? It'd be freaky if you carried it around with you after you learned to go two-wheeling.

I don't know. Why didn't you think of the feet dragging? Maybe you were also attached to your shoes. I intentionally tried to wear my clothes out. I remember being about 5 and getting new corduroy pants. I was circling the living room carpet on my knees trying to wear a hole in them cause I thought knee holes were cool. My mother saw what I was doing, promptly yelled at me, then made me change into something else

 

[Brandon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinga

I was all or nothing. Typical for me. You didn't have an emotional attachment to that wheel did you? It'd be freaky if you carried it around with you after you learned to go two-wheeling.

*looks down at training wheel hanging from necklace on neck*

Um....no, no I didn't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinga

I don't know. Why didn't you think of the feet dragging? Maybe you were also attached to your shoes. I intentionally tried to wear my clothes out. I remember being about 5 and getting new corduroy pants. I was circling the living room carpet on my knees trying to wear a hole in them cause I thought knee holes were cool. My mother saw what I was doing, promptly yelled at me, then made me change into something else

I did like my shoes, but I think it was mainly because I was too busy catapulting over my handlebars and eating street to think of it.

@ the pants story- that's priceless!

 

[Dirty Martini]

i was 8, I think. I had training wheels on my bike for a long time, though. One day my dad took them off and I made him promise to hold the back of my bike seat and run alongside me. he promised, and i rode down the sidewalk, only to quickly look behind me and see my dad standing several yards back.

 

[carnelian]

I think I was 8 or 9...can't exactly remember, so my vote's in the 9-10 years category. I grew up in a rural area, and while riding my bike on our gravel driveway, I wiped out big time. I had shorts on and my legs ended up looking like they'd gone through a grinder. I had some big 'ole scabs for quite some time, and I didn't have any desire to ride for a bit after that.

 

[Tesseract]

I got my first big girl bike for my 8th Christmas. Santa brought it and it was waiting for me by the tree in the living room... a sky blue Huffy with white seat and handlebars... and no training wheels anywhere in sight! Ahh, is there anything better than Christmas when you're 8? I promptly crashed it into the side of the house while trying to learn to ride it in the driveway. Before that, I had a little black and red "Motocross" bike with training wheels. I probably had that from age 5 or so. My parents didn't think I needed the training wheels anymore, and they wanted to take them off, but I was adamant that it was impossible to ride a bike without the extra wheels. Getting me a new big girl bike was their method of weaning me off the training wheels.

 

[Tame]

5. I taught myself how to ride it.

 

[IamJen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinga

... I rode my He-Man (Master of the Universe no doubt) big wheel until it broke in half. ....

Big Wheels were the best! I used to ride mine down this big hill near our house (in MO, no less) with my then best friend. My mom would be po'ed because I'd wear out the soles of my shoes.

 

[thebelovedtree]

My dad still lived at home so sometime before I was 6, he bent the bars on the training wheels up so that they weren't touching the ground when I rode, but they still caught me if I started to fall over so I could learn w/o killing myself. I thought that was pretty clever of him.

 

[Tesseract]

I'm pretty sure my training wheels were designed that way-- if you were riding straight up and balancing properly, they wouldn't touch, but I routinely rode my little motocross bike with a slight lean so I was riding on one of the training wheels.

 

[codemonkey]

I got my first bike when I was 9. My parents refused to put training wheels on it and the took me to the top of a hill, stuck me on the bike and pushed. I had to keep doing it over and over again until I could do it without falling off. I was never really comfortable on a bicycle and I had a really bad accident on it when I was 11. I was riding down a steep hill and fell off (I flew over the handlebars). I still have scars on my shoulder and hands from hitting the asphalt. I didn't get my second bike until I was 28. I don't ride it much.