botto 

You just got your Trek: forget the Cervelo, and get the license.

GuitarWizard

Age 4: First bike with training wheels
Age 5: Learned how to ride without training wheels
Age 6: Bigger bike, complete with big-ass banana seat from Sears
Age 8: BMX bike (CyclePro)
Age 12: Freestyle bike (Haro Sport...I miss that thing)
Age 14: Started borrowing neighbors road bike - rode my first century (took 12 hours with stops)
Age 15: First mountain bike (Trek 930)
Age 18: First road bike (Trek 2100)
Age 25: Second mountain bike (Gary Fisher Joshua F3)
Age 31: Second road bike (Trek 5200)

patentcad

Former runner. Knee injury (ACL reconstruction in 1989). Started riding to rehab same. Riding ever since.

Oh yes, my knee is OK for walking, downhill skiing. Tried running 4 miles again about 10 years ago. With 36 hours my right knee was the size of a basketball. It's amazing to me that I can't run 4 miles, but my knee puts up with 10K miles + of road cycling every year.

kokomo61

I learned to ride when I was 5, when my brother took me to the top of a hill (on my sister's Schwinn Sting-Ray), and gave me a shove......

After surviving that, I went through an assortment of Spyder-type bikes, until I got a Sears "Free Spirit" 10-speed, which was faster than what I'd been riding, but was still a typical department store bike.

In college, I got a Ross Signature 292, with a real Shimano drivetrain, and a chromoly frame. I loved that bike, and had it for almost 18 years. Even outfitted it with aero bars to train with a triathlete group. It held up very well.

After that, fitness fell way off - I eventually got a Giant Cypress hybrid, which I rode occasionally....then I had a motorcycle accident, fracturing my L2 and coming VERY close to being paralyzed permanently. Took 1 month of rehab in the hospital, and 6 months outpatient. During that time, my wife took over the Giant, and I eventually picked up a Trek 7300.



Over the next year or so, I started cycling more and more, and eventually started commuting to work once a week (43 mi RT) and riding 30-50 miles on the weekends. Just recently, I got TWO new road bikes -

A Giant OCR C2 carbon frame bike:



and a Scattante R-650 double from Performance Bike Shop...it's on the trainer - No real pics of it yet, though.


In the next year, I want to up my commuting to 2X a week, and to ride at least 1 century. Eventual goals are to do a triathlon, and to ride the Assault on Mt. Mitchell.......

badkarma

In May 2005 I was sitting at the bar (Cafe210) in State College for lunch with my then fiancee and for some reason I decided I wanted to give road cycling a shot. I used to ride mountain bikes when I was in my teens, but I wanted to try something else. So I went and bought a good used road bike, and I was hooked. So a year and a half later and a few thousand dollars poorer, here I am

slowandsteady

Age 3 - 6: Big wheel, scooter type objects
Age 6-10: Don't remember (something with training wheels)
Age 10-11: Dumpster diver special with rattle can paint job(green) and a banana seat
Age 11-12: 3 Speed Raleigh(steel blue) with one of those massive cable Speedometers. 15 mph down the sidewalk! (Stolen off the front porch)
Age 12 - 13: Dumpster diver special 10 speed, rattle can paint job (black)
Age 13 - 19: Schwinn 10 speed(red) "racing bike" bought with my own money
Age 19 - present(33): Trek 830 MTB (metallic red) Rock Shox (still rocking and rollin')
Age 33- ???: Fuji Finest 1.0 WSD road bike, carbon fork and seat stays, powder blue Alu frame (19 lbs -sweet!!)

munkyv22

I know I can race on the Madone. However, after I bought it, my buddy bought a 2006 Orbea Orca. So, the arms race has begun. I know, I know. The arms we should be upgrading are our legs, hearts and lungs... but you know how guys get. Everyone wants to have the coolest gear.

blonduathlongrl

I used to drive to the ocean to run and when traffic and parking was too bad in the summer, I picked up a 5 dollar bike in a yard sale and rode to my training run everyday.

I realised I loved biking, got a Fuji for 500 some time later and I used to love leaving the thing on the hardest gear and ride like this no matter if my ride was hilly. I became very strong and couldnt get off the bike. I thought I should include biking in my running races for the fun of it.
I bought my felt, switch from marathons to duathlons and Im having such a better time now and all of this because I picked up a 5 dollar bike

fore0121

Learned to ride as a kid, BigWheel, BMX, etc.

I played a lot of competetive golf as a kid, from the age of 8. Loved it, got good at it, maxed out.

As a teen I saw Greg Lemond on one of those crappy Wide World of Sports TdF recaps and I was amazed that these guys were riding a bike for so many miles, over mountains, through the rain, etc. Bought a Miele roadie (big in Toronto in the 80's). Watched Lemond win in '86, conivnced a couple of friends to buy roadies. Created our own "peleton". Heard the story about coming back from the hunting accident. Saw the '89 TT in Paris. Saw the proverbial "agony and extacy" on the faces of Lemond and Fignion. Hooked.

It was great for me as I was able to pick up something else for me. I was never really a Team Sport guy, I like the solo stuff. As I was reaching my peak in Golf it was good for me to find something else I enjoyed and something that was a new challenge for me. I had peaked in golf and was wondering how to let go. I've been on and off since then. Dropped off at 25, came back around 30. I broke out my old Miele and started toodling around again and realized what I had been missing. I found a local shop and was amazed that you could get shifters integrated with your brakes!!! and traded in the Miele for a RSX equiped house brand roadie. As I packed on the miles and dropped the pounds my wife suggested I go and buy a bike I really wanted, she didn't even balk at the price. Now I'm a 150k-200k a week rider. If I don't ride I'm a grumpy bear. I need to ride now, it's cathartic powers are in my blood. I need my escape time and the family realizes I'm a better husband, dad when I get my time too.

f

VegaVixen

When I was five, and while my dad was away at summer camp (Ft. Dragg), my mom picked up my first bike at the S&H Greenstamp store. My brother (then about 10) put it together for me. That afternoon, my brother and sister went to play with some friends on their farm. I was dejected since I wasn't allowed to go. So, my mom hopped on my brother's bike, and taught me to ride, without training wheels, before they returned. I learned by watching her, doing the same, and listening carefully to her critiques. My brother and sister couldn't believe their eyes! And my sister (about 7 1/2) made my brother take the training wheels off her bike!

Had a close boyfriend 20+ years ago who was big into tour riding. He got me into it, and I bought my first road bike, a 1984 Schwinn LeTour. Enjoyed the long rides, and the feeling that Icould go wherever I wanted just by pointing the bike in that direction.

Rode same bike off and on over the next 20 years, mostly commuting.

Started road cycling, with a goal of TT, following my husband's death a couple of months ago. I'm happy to say that after three years as a sole caregiver, and no opportunity (or time) for physical exercise (except caregiving) in the interim, I'm back up to 25-30 miles per ride on my mercilessly heavy but trusty LeTour since I started riding on 11/22. And loving it!

Purchase of a TT bike is next on the horizon....

rockrates

learned to ride very young, was riding w/o training wheels before kindergarten...Got addicted to the feeling of the wind in my face. From when I was little all the way to the present, my father and I have watched pro races, and gone riding together, and now 2007 will be my first road racing season on our collegiate team.

GuitarWizard

Just get a set of Reynolds Stratus DV tubulars to race on, and you'll be cooler for the time being.

Hop on Bike

Interesting topic...I grew up in the 60s when every kid had a bike and road it every day because it was our only means of transportation - no soccer Mom taxi! We didn't have computers, video games, VCRs, DVDs, air conditioning or cable/satellite TV to keep us in the house. Our bikes took us to the corner store, the pool, the sports fields, other neighborhoods to play with other kids, and we stayed out on our bikes until somebody made us come in the house. Our bikes were our horses during 'cowboys and indians' and our motorcycles during 'Rat Patrol.' We had regular wheelie competitions, bike races, ramp jumps, and even played tag on bikes.
I assumed that everybody learned to ride a bike as a kid until a few years ago when I watched one of these nerds-versus-studs reality show competitions to get the girl, and I was shocked when one of the guys had never learned to ride a bike. Now I have a 13 year-old who can ride but does only once a year when I ask him to show me, and an eight year-old who can't. It is amazing to me that neither one has the desire to get out and ride a bike around the neighborhood.
I rode a bike for fun and transportation until I went to one of the service academies, where we couldn't have bikes. My first adult bike was a Huffy hybrid that I rode for occasional exercise and leisure rides with my wife. Last year, after 31 years of running and 3-4 years of watching TDF, I decided my knees needed a break and bought a Roubaix. I wish I had done it earlier, especially thinking back on the eight years I lived in Germany and all the great places I could have been riding around Europe.

nocondorfx

age <3 big wheel
age 3 12"
age 4 16"
age 6 20" schwinn (first bike store bike)-best bike to date
age 10 26" huffy -corny bike
age 11 20" diamondback viper-backyard jumps
age 14 20" hoffman condor -getting chased by security
age 20 giant tcr-
age 21 bridgestone 300

CycleAloha

age 5: first bicycle, no training wheels, learning the hard way.
age 10: Team Murray
age 12: Diamond Back, started Freestylin'
age 15: Hutch Trick Star....the Ferrari of F'style bikes
age 17: sold the Trick Star....one of the most stupid things I've ever done!!!!!
age 18: College, discovered beer and women
age 24: Joined the military
age 30: started to talking to co-workers about riding, didn't get a bike though
age 32: bought a bike while I was deployed to Afghanistan.
age 32 1/2: arrive home, go for first ride and haven't looked back...been riding for over a year w/over 2500 miles on my "first roadie"

labrat_62

Started riding as a kid, it was how to get around the neighborhood, to school, etc. When i got my car, senior year in hs, i stopped, but picked up another bike when i got to college. I started mountain bikeing a lot, then when i moved to philly i got into road biking. Now, i am eying this summer as the perfect time to start riding triathlons.

mollusk

When I was three I took off exploring on my trike and was found over a mile away from home (and across a very busy 4 lane highway). The rest is history.

fastbub

I raced mountain bikes from age 13-16. I moved to NJ and got my driver's license and stopped riding and racing. Fast forward to age 26 I am a tree-surgeon and work for a Cat 2 road racer. I was always asking questions about his Merlin Magia because I always am interested in high zoot gear. I was impressed with the dedication he had and the amount of riding he did. A year later I took a 40 ft. fall and demolished the left side of my body. I was laying around all casted up smoking reds to the tune of 2 packs a day. Once I started a little PT and they had me on a spin bike. I was thinking about that Magia. Once I was off the crutches I got myself a Pista cause it was cheap and I was riding it to PT with my arm still in a sling much to the dismay of the doctor. I threw my cigs in the garbage and started commuting on the Pista. No longer climbing trees, I was commuting to the LBS where I got a job! I got myself an R1000 in the spring and started training. A year later I enterd my first Cat 5 crit and got second. That same year I got 3 wins and a 4th. I also upgraded my Pista to a Pista Concept and went to the Velodrome, I won several Omniums as a 5 and 2 as a Cat 4. I am now training with a Cat 1 co-worker through the winter and we'll see where I stand in the spring. Oh and now I rock an S-Works Tarmac with full Record. It helps get me out of bed to train at 5AM every morning!

Sixtwo

Learned to ride as a child...always had a bike around during adolescence and commuted on one bike or another to several PT jobs as a teen...got into the mt. bike craze in the 80's when I bought a Bridgestone MB3 in Oregon, which I loved/kept/rode for at least 12 yrs, then stupidly gave away...realized I was doing more road than trail riding so I decided a hybrid was better in '99 and bought a Trek 7500...that only lasted about a year when I got into walking after some minor foot surgery and have been off-cycle until this year when I got excited about biking again and bought myself a flat bar road bike which I absolutely love...at 44, I don't play tennis anymore (decided to save my knees for old age), never was much of a runner, and am getting a bit bored with walking...I'm hoping this newfound interest isn't just another phase...

jschen

Learned to ride a bike at age 6. Never really cared about it... it was just one of those things children learn to do. Once I entered college, I became a total couch potato. Occasionally made an attempt at leaving couch potato land, but never with much success.

In summer of 2005, got a big one time consulting payment, a portion of which I decided to spend on a splurge purchase. Since the roadies in San Diego seemed to be enjoying themselves, I decided to buy a nice road bike and try it out myself. Bought myself a Specialized Roubaix Comp. I was really sore after the first 5 mile ride, but I really enjoyed it and was hooked. The day after my one year anniversary of cycling came, I decided to go ahead and buy myself any bike I wanted. Went out and bought a Cervelo R3. Still love the sport as much as when I started. Still am a couch potato when not on the bike.

G5Ti

Wow. This may be the first time in my life that I can say "I feel old." And I'm not! No one was born in 1990... that's just insanity!



On topic:

Age 3ish?: Big wheel/trike/who knows
5: inherited my sister's pink Huffy with.. uh... pink tires. I was so butch.
7: got my own BLUE Murray. Ha!
10: tried to steal my sister's ultra hip 10-speed Murray Allante (or something like that). At least it was white.
14: parents bought me some el-cheapo X-mart bike. I shredded a tire one day, and we realized the wheel size didn't actually exist. So...
15: I made my first purchase: Trek 830. I rode pretty much everywhere until...
17.5: first car: Subaru RX. Temporarily end bike chronology
24: Specialized Stumpjumper Disc, Specialized Allez Elite. Biking full-scale again. Looking for another steed down the road.

mrbubbles

Age 8: some crapper kiddie 5 speed
11: another crapper 12 speed
15: 1990 Trek Aluminum Team Volkswagen Limited Edition, SRAM 5.0 Components, it's a commuter now
18: 05 Specialized Allez Expert

mkadam68

I have done Mt Mitchell. Would love to go back and do again. Loved the mass start of 1,500 riders .

1984/5 -- Watched CBS coverage of Tour de France w/John Tesh while a soph/junior in HS. Fascinating.
1987 -- Mother purchased first bike for me, a Raleigh Technium 12-speed. Within a year, it broke at the weld on the chainstay
1987 -- Started riding obsessively, even wanting time off from college football team to go riding (coach didn't think too kindly of this idea)
1988 -- Exchanged Technium for better Technium model.
1988 -- Rode and finished the Assault on Mt Mitchell (took 12.5 hours ) in high-top sneakers & toe clips & straps
1990 -- Rode Mt Mitchell again. Started off extremely well, covering first 70 miles in 3.5 hours. Cool, rainy, overcast day. Pulled my cleat out of straps on uphill climb and lurched forward, pulling muscle in my back. Didn't know until I got to 70-mile mark 1 hour later and couldn't stand up it was so stiff. Waited for my friends for another hour at this point (they got stuck in traffic). The climb was worse weather, so I packed it in there and didn't finish.
1991 -- Began riding with local racing club. Could not stay with them to save my life
1993 -- Stayed with the racing group for first time. Won my one and only race (12-mile citizen's race ). Got a couple of top-five placings in my age-groups, etc... Best year riding.
1994 -- Finally broke my Technium: a crack on seat post wouldn't let me have the saddle stay up. LBS I was riding for went into the basement, gave me a Cannondale Black Lightning frame. Transferred over all my components. Back in business with only 2 weeks off!
1997 -- Graduated college, moved up north, no friends, roads not cleared in winter...stopped riding. Got fat.
2002 -- Moved to California. Got fatter.
2004 -- Took up riding again in August. In September, bought new bike (first that I payed for ) a Kuota Kharma carbon fiber w/Ultegra and Mavic CXP33's. Doing awesome. Have lost 40 punds since August. Looking to lose another 50-60.

nobrainer440

Age 5: First bike (cheap single speed wal-mart bike). Loved it.
Age 9: First bike with gears and brake levers (wal-mart). Loved it.
Age 12: First brand-name bike: Trek 800. Loved it.
Age 19: First road bike: Specialized Allez. Love it.

I loved riding since I was little. I never much cared what I rode until high school. I was actually about a week away from buying a new mountain bike, when I visited my best friend who had just bought a road bike. I took it for a 5-minute spin and decided I had to have one. It was just so fast! I still want a nice MTB eventually. There just aren't that many exciting trails in Kansas. We do have lots of roads.

rpc180

198? - Red huffy I think, it had a top tube protector and a coaster brake. God I loved skidding but forgot about it when I discovered Legos.
1992 - No Name Price Club Special handme down painted like a Bianchi. It was too big, I hated riding it, played with computers instead.
1996 - Schwinn Highplains MTB, Part I, I thought it was beautiful, trigger shifters with indicators. Over the next few yaers I rode a few times around the block, once or twice to the other side of town, regret never using it to its full potential...
Summer 2005 - Schwinn Highplaines MTB, Part 2. Brought it down to DC from NY, ride the bike path all the way to DC and back to the suburbs, pass out and eat all the food in the apartment. I got hooked on that day.
Fall 2005 - Giant TCR2. Wanting to go on group rides, I buy a road bike, loved the color but was several sizes too large, bought a Cannondale R3000si frame hoping to move the components over, never did.
Winter 2006 - Giant sold to an aspiring Triathelete, I hope its doing well. My Schwinn Highplains gets stolen.
Winter 2006 - Cannondale R700 bought with the Giant money
Winter 2006 - Centurion Accordo bought from ebay to replace the Schwinn as a utility bike, total cost $46
Fall 2006 - Cannondale R3000si frame gets built into a FG