Do You Remember When You First Learnt to Ride Your Bike?

"cycling proficiency test" = wtf?

I'm almost 30 and been riding a while now so I guess I passed?

never did it, i was too busy pretending to be a member of the red hand gang.

you got a badge and all

Oh yeah I forgot about that.
I think I was pissed because I didn't know you got a bike badge, and I wanted one, :(

I was about 5 (late starter). For the life of me I can't remember the bike or the occasion, but I do remember always wearing my wellies when I rode and my Mum getting the hump as I used my feet to stop rather than brakes (funny how things have turned full circle!) which wore out the soles of me wellies.

Anyway, here's a pic of me on a classic machine. Taken last week.

nice trackstand!

Hops nice trackstand!

Velocipede willski - very cool bike - I love the rack, looks quite modern*. Is it a folder?

• meant seriously, not like the pre-beating sarcastic taunt of childhood.
  
  

It's an original Moulton(i.e. made in the UK). Mine was that blue colour, its a midi which had a three-speed Sturmey Archer (the mini was single speed, and the Super-4 had a four-speed derailleur). It's not a folder, but the Moulton designs were way ahead of their time (I think the midi came out in the late '60s) and influenced the Brompton. It was virtually indesctructable, I sold it for £15 in about 1985. For the first time, I kind of wish I still had it.

Sam I was about 5 (late starter). For the life of me I can't remember the bike or the occasion, but I do remember always wearing my wellies when I rode and my Mum getting the hump as I used my feet to stop rather than brakes (funny how things have turned full circle!) which wore out the soles of me wellies.

Anyway, here's a pic of me on a classic machine. Taken last week.

you obviously had your growth spurt early?!? you look tall then.

hippy "cycling proficiency test" = wtf?

I'm almost 30 and been riding a while now so I guess I passed?

WTF?, I'll tell you WTF. Imagine that you're about 11 years old and your teacher says "Would like to do some lessons for the next three days, or would you like to ride your bikes around the playground and then get a badge?"

You have to learn basic positioning at junctions which are marked out with chalk lines, and watch a film (and it was a 16mm film in 1979) about safety.

whoever put up the calvin and hobbes is a legend.
By far and away the best comic ever drawn.
Ever.

willski - this'll bring a tear to your eye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThlT66ajkQM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9cb8FhTh9c

dogsballs [quote]you obviously had your growth spurt early?!? you look tall then.

Not sure really, although aged 7 I was singing baritone in the local choir.

^^^and that's why all the cool kids had choppers

"i ain't ridin by your rules grandad!"

willski When did you take your cycling proficiency test?

not long ago for me 'cause i'm younger than most of you lot

I think was in primary school, maybe year 6 so about 11 years old. Passed but it was so rubbish! We rode around in our school playground then this tiny little cul de sac and when any traffic turned up we all moved out of the way, haha.

I think they call it Bikeability now. I wouldn't mind teaching it, the more kids on bikes the better imo.

willski - this'll bring a tear to your eye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThlT66ajkQM

part 2

Wahey! The waved arm signal for "I am slowing down". Does anyone ever do that in real life?

I had to do that signal on my driving test. The examiner looked really pissed off that I knew it.

Bloody hell...cant work out how to post...anyway, cant say I remember learning to ride (it's along time ago) but i do remember I was inseperable from my raleigh strika...oh those days of innocence, hot summers, water rashoning and finishing the last bit of the old mans beer in the workermans club...in fact in 1979, he would often let you have the last puff of his fag too...and not quite four...Delphina, great post...and thanks for your advice on messenger bags, gonna check a few out this weekend.

I can remember it in pictures, but not the precise years. The older boys on "racers" were about 11, but to us, we thought they were giants and probably related to Superman - well, they did get onto a bike where if I tiptoed really high, I could barely touch the saddle. I would say we kids' heads were below the top tube by quite a distance. It took weeks, or months, to try to balance on this racer; sitting on the top tube so as to only push the pedal a quarter stroke, before it was too far away again. It was all about going downhill, and going wheeeeeeeeeeee! I probably thought I was The Flash, Batman or Supes, or something, but if I were young now, I'd cycle no-handed, and say - I'm Chris Hoy!

best bike safety film ever, circa 1960

YouTube - One Got Fat 1963 Bicycle Safety