My first bike

[ChezCheese:)]

No, not electric. I mean my very first bike, which I got on my 6th or 7th birthday... My sister taught me how to ride on her bike, which was way too big for me - - I couldn't really sit on the seat and reach the pedals properly. We didn't have training wheels, and we didn't have paved roads, just dirt roads with corrugated ruts. When I crashed, I'd go flying . But pretty soon, I got it: I could ride a bike!

And so my birthday came along, and my father took me to town and surprised me by walking into the bike shop. My father wasn't a very kind father. He wasn't the kind of father you could ask anything of. "Seen and not heard" was the way it was. I'm sure a lot of you remember those days. But the afternoon, as he walked me past the line of shiny new Schwinns, he asked, which one would you choose? I shyly touched a turquoise blue one. He turned over the tag, and to my amazement, it had my name on it! My jaw dropped. Coulda knocked me over with a feather!

Remember the feeling of freedom you got from riding your very own first bike? I get that same freedom riding my new electric bike now, 55 years later.

What was your first bike?

 

[tomjasz]

Hard rubber tires, 20”, with training wheels. I refused to ride a trike. Age 6. 60 plus years later, just as stubborn.

 

[Storm]

European touring bike my mom brought with her from the Netherlands. It was around kindergarten, whatever age that is. My dad holding the seat running beside the bike... he let go and I was really doing it! Great memory.

You're right, ChezCheese, the freedom is amazing!