Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
I didn't think anyone in the U.S. used such stilted English phrasing except for a few Vehicular Cyclist ideologues.
Actually 'riding a bicycle' is the stilted english phrasing. The terminology originated at a time when there were no cars and most people rode a horse. It's the same for the term bicycle saddle. It's old english that has continued to the present day. When you ride a horse, you don't actually steer the horse. All you do is signal to the horse which direction you want it to go. This might be why people used a different word to express controlling a motor vehicle.
A couple of months ago I started 'riding' a bike after 20+ years without being on two wheels. At the time, the use of the term 'riding a bike' instead of 'driving a bike' struck a nerve. To someone who is not a bike enthusiast, 'riding' connotes being a passenger and 'driving' connotes being the operator/in control of a vehicle - a bus rider vs. a bus driver.
To the public, the term 'riding' also sounds like you're on a toy, and not a real vehicle. This is probably a public image problem that we are not aware of.
After two months I do automatically say 'ride' and 'riding' a bike, and now it sounds natural.
I can't believe there are people on this forum who are condoning not stoping at stop signs and red lights. Some car drivers do it, so it's OK?
This is like saying that riding while drunk is okay because lots of car drivers do it.