Bob Ross

So my Mom, who turns 75 in January, just got a new bike. And I realized it's the first time in my entire life that I've seen my mother ride a bicycle. Come to think of it, other than a few times when he was teaching seven-year-old-me to ride, I never saw my Dad ride a bike either. My parents simply didn't own bicycles.

And that realization got me thinking: How does ones' parents having (or not having) a bicycle affect our own perception of cycling?

I rode a bike all the time while growing up. From the time I learned at age 7 until I moved out of the house at age 17 I always had a bicycle. Pretty much rode non-stop throughout my 20s and 30s as a utility cyclist. Couldn't imagine living without a bicycle then. Became an avid recreational roadie in my mid-40s. And now, as a 53-year-old adult, I still can't imagine living without a bicycle.

Did anyone who's 50+ years old now have parents who owned bikes, who rode those bikes often, who couldn't imagine living without a bicycle? What was that like to grow up with? And did it make you more or less inclined to embrace cycling?

Can't wait to go for a ride with Mom next time I visit her! This will be a very new experience.

StephenH

My parents lived in Germany for several years, and I was born there. Bicycles were common then as now, and both my parents rode one. But when we moved back to the US, bicycles were left behind, and I've never seem either on a bike again.

When I started randonneuring, I was talking to my dad about it, and he mentioned the farthest he had ever ridden on a bike was 180 km, if I remember right, 112 miles. That would have been on a single-speed steel bike with 28" tires.

howeeee

My father claimed he had no bicycle as a kid, so as an adult he went somewhat nuts,,,he used to get me bicycles every year or so. I had 6 brothers and sisters we all had bikes some of us more than one. He also bought a bicycle built for 2 and a Schwiinn Town and Country bicycle built for 3, the latter my brother still has. I cause of my fathers love for bikes also have gone crazzy with bikes lol. I buy and sell some schwinns all my brothers and sisters are 52 and older have vintage Schwinns that I gave them,,they dont ride them much. My youngest brother rides a lot he is 52, he finished a 300 mile ride last month. He spends a bunch of money on his bikes, I on the other hand ride vintage bikes lol. I have about 12 riders that I switch out, I ride just about every day 15 to 20 miles.

Gerryattrick

My dad and his brother were keen cyclists in their youth, riding a tandem. Unfortunately a bad crash on a particularly steep descent resulted in several broken bones each and a trashed bike. They couldn't afford another one in those days (late 1930s), then the war, then work, then family came along so he hasn't cycled in more than 70 years.

My mother learned to ride on friends' bikes but her single mother could never afford to buy her one.

I own five bikes but times were much tougher in those days.

JohnDThompson 

My father rode a c.1960 Robin Hood 3-speed to work (about 3 miles) until I commandeered it from him when I went to High School (about 4 mile ride). He walked to work after that. I beat the crap out of the bike and replaced it with a bike-boom Japanese 3-speed when I went to college.

Mountain Mitch

Never saw either parent ride a bike until after my Dad retired - just wasn't done. But when he retired he got a basic bike and rode around town - probably 5 miles or so at a time - and really enjoyed it. He continued into his 70s but became a bit concerned with his ability to manage traffic and ended up buying a stationary bike the he used til his death. I wish I'd ridden with him but at that time I was living in a different city and raising a family so just never got around to it.

My sons and I plan a bike ride around Shikoku - maybe as soon as next spring so I'll be remembering my Dad while we're riding.

bikemig 

My Dad had a number of different bikes he rode as I was growing up. He'd mainly ride to the gym and/or on one of the local bike paths. He doesn't ride anymore but I commute daily on one of his bikes; my brother rides one of his other bikes:

Velo Dog

I have a picture somewhere (used to have, anyway) of my mom and dad riding through an orchard in Central California with me wrapped in a blanket in the basket of my dad's bike. I was born in Jan of 1945, so it must have been that spring. My father had just come home from the war, and few people in the area had cars. He was 25 then, rode occasionally until I was about 10, then gave it up until he was 75, when he bought a really crappy adult trike (tried to find a good one, but there wasn't much between $300 and $2000). He rode that around the neighborhood until shortly before his death at 83, but it was such a POS it was frustrating for him.

jdon

Mine were both recreational cyclists into their 70's. My Dad still rides once in a while at 82 but has spinal issues that prevent lengthy rides. Mom gave it up as her balance became an issue.

tcs

My families killed and ate the bikes near the start of the great depression. Cycling never entered into my parents' paradigms.

jdon

Those were tough times. As a boy, my dad made a little cash during the war by riding his bike around Vancouver delivering death notices to the families of soldiers.

Dfrost 

My dad took up bicycling in his 70's and it became his new passion until cancer took him a decade later. Don't know if he ever rode as a kid. I sure enjoyed the opportunity when I brought my bike from WA to share a beautiful ride through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado with him.

Bikey Mikey

I don't ever remember seeing either of my parents riding a bike.

NOS88

My father rides at age 86. He's not "putting in the miles", but he rides around his neighborhood three of the four seasons. He'd ride more, but it takes time away for his gardening and building custom fishing rods.

gilespargiter

I first went on the road in a sidecar attached to my parents tandem at less than a year old. My father used to cycle the twenty five miles each way, to work in London by cycle (quickest method - and still is). My mother also used to commute ten miles or so to work by cycle. On Sundays we very frequently went out on a family ride with my sister.
We went on cycletouring holidays most summers as a family and my parents continued to do so long after me and my sister left home.

My mother not long ago at age seventy nine completed a veterans hundred mile run. She spent a few weeks touring France with a friend this summer. My father still cycles at eighty four but needs to be accompanied by my mother because he has trouble remembering where he is.

DnvrFox

This whole forum is getting SCARY!! I've got to get out of here - Your MOM is 75 and my WIFE will soon be 76, And, yes she rides a bike, as did my mom (no longer with us) very ocasionally, along with my dad (also no longer with us) - at times.

TromboneAl

One of my earliest memories is an ambulance taking away my mom when she was teaching my sister to ride a bike, and slipped on gravel. This was probably around 1957. I remember them saying that she broke her hip, but she told me later that it was not broken.

She also taught me to ride, which involved pushing me to get me started, at which point I was on my own. I remember it clearly.

I remember that the entire family went for a bike ride picnic once.

Shamrock

my parents never rode a bike,they were typical 50s-60s people smoked ,drank. never exercised.I have no rememberance of my dad even wearing sneakers.

cuzzinit

My Father rode with us a few times, growing up. He got a tandem to ride with my older sister, but i used it more since it was fun to ride. He had a Nieces bike sitting in the garage unused for years. i had it tuned up by LBS and it was awhile before he rode it regulary. But now it's a couple miles 3-4x week for him.

Cougrrcj

When I was a kid in the '60s, Mom and Dad had a matching pair of JC Higgins 3-speeds. Before we moved to the Cleveland area, we lived outside of Dayton and dad would sometimes ride his bike to work. Even when we moved here, my dad set a limit - we had to live within a five mile circle of where he worked, and yes, he'd ride his bike on occasion. The folks quit riding in the late '60s when they were approaching 40...

Growing up, we kids got used/abused garage sale bikes. I got my first new bike for my 12th birthday - a Sears three-speed. Our family only had one car, so the bike was my ticket to any place I needed to go. Swim lessons 3.5 miles away - and no sidewalks - no problem. Boy Scout meetings... riding to the local farm stands to get a dozen ears of corn for 75 cents... all in addition to riding to school. Then at age 15 I started cutting lawns for $1.50/hr - in a five mile radius of home! I was all over the far west Cleveland suburbs! I made enough to not only fuel my model rocket and model airplane hobby, but I saved the $150 to get my first Fuji in '74.

jon c. 

My dad commuted on a 1960ish Raleigh 3 speed throughout my youth and for the rest of his employment. He wasn't a fanatic and would opt for car or bus in the winter or in inclement weather, but he rode the majority of the time. He still has the bike, but has lately had some balance issues that leave him leery of riding. I don't know if this really influenced me as in my area we all grew up riding our bikes everywhere regardless of the habits of our parents.

DanWho

My mother last rode a bike in her high school days. When I got back into biking this spring she caught my bug. We ended up getting her a delta trike that she has ridden a little. This winter she plans to ride more, but I have to build some type of velomobile for her. Where she lives is too hilly for her, but since she winters with me keeping the nasty cold air off her is a priority. She is interested in putting an electric motor on it in the spring and then taking it home with her. 2 guesses who is supposed to do all that work too.

Biker395 

I'm the black sheep. Neither of my parents rode bikes (at least as far as I can remember). Nor do any of my siblings. As a matter of fact, I think my dedication to the sport actually dissuades them from taking it up ... as if their effort to do so would somehow come up wanting. *sigh*

Artkansas 

My older brother was the big influence on me riding a bike. I can remember sitting on my tricycle, watching him ride down the sidewalk and around the corner and realizing that the bicycle meant freedom. Later I borrowed a friend's Schwinn Pixie and taught myself to ride.

Both my parents got bikes later, when I was a teen. My mom didn't ride hers much, but my dad later commuted by bike, influenced by me in part I like to think. Their more important role was in support. They bought me bikes and had them fixed and replaced the ones what were stolen. They also gave me permission to ride to school by bike in the second grade, which was a major moment.

GregGrimes

I never once saw either of my folks on a bicycle. Come to think of it, I don't think that Dad even test-rode any of my new bikes. I feel extremely fortunate that my son has ridden the last three BRAGs with his Dad. Maybe in 25 years or so, he'll be able to write about those trips on the 50+ forum.

That being said, Dad always made sure I had a bike to ride. In those days (early 60's), every kid in the neighborhood had a bike and that's how we all got around. I was recently amazed when I looked some of some of our "ride" routes. As a 10 year-old when went everywhere. They would probably issue an Amber Alert today if some kid rode where we went.

Greg