LittleGinseng 

When I was a spry young lad of 25, I attended a triathlon clinic at a local bike shop with a friend and co-worker of mine, Marie.

Marie was the up and coming triathlete. I was just a novice cyclist who loved to ride.

Marie told me that after the clinic there would be special discounts for attendees. As I was in need of a new bike (my Raleigh had recently been stolen) I jumped at the chance to score a new ride at a good price.

Long story short, I got to listen to John Howard discuss his life as a competitor in the Olympics and Ironman, I got to hang with Marie (who BTW was a hottie), and I purchased my Club Fuji, brand new off the showroom floor and at a great price.

It was this day in May, 1985 when it became clear I would always love anything having to do with bicycles.

Is there a particular moment in YOUR cycling experiences when the lore of two wheels came-a-calling for you?

Wileyone 

In 1973 in Toronto at Bloor Cycle and saw my first Cinelli and Legnano race Bikes. I was hooked.

Road Fan

Late '60s, when I saw my first PX-10s in the bike shop! Then it got worse when I saw a Mercian in Turin Bike Coop!

jimmuller 

When I bought my UO-8 at age 23.

obrentharris 

In 1965, at the age of 13, I cobbled together a 3-speed from a frame and parts found at the dump and from a few essential small parts bought from Vince's bike shop. (Vince, an emigrant from Italy, called everyone "cousin!") With two friends on 10-speeds I did my first 50-mile ride from the east side of the San Francisco peninsula over the range of hills that forms the spine of the peninsula, to the ocean, then up the coast and back over the spine to home. I don't think either of my friends ever rode bikes again. I was hooked.

In 1968 a new kid moved into our neighborhood from Sacramento. Mark Friedman and his whole family were into cycling. He lent me a set of toe clips and a set of "sew-up" wheels and tires to put on my Peugeot UO-8 for an 80-mile ride to a small town south of Santa Cruz. It was like flying after my steel-rimmed 60 psi clinchers. We had a lot of fine rides together. Mark died way too early: I think of him and miss him every time I ride on tubular tires. I'm sure those memories are part of why I still ride tubulars on a couple of my bikes.

bikemig 

I bought a copy of Richard's bicycle book and learned how to fix my bike. I bought myself my first set of tool. I still own and use the metric wrenches that came with that tool kit. I took my bike apart and rebuilt it. I was hooked after that.

gugie 

Easy.

I had an American Eagle (pre-Nishiki) copy of a Schwinn Sting-Ray. We lived 15 miles from town, I just rode it over to see my friends. My sister came to visit with my brother-in-law, they had just purchased his and hers 10-speeds. I think they were Montgomerey Ward 27" steel rimmed, ashtabula crank 40 pounders. My sister asked if I wanted to try one out, of course I did. What seemed like just a few minutes later, I was 2 miles away from our house. I turned around and road back as fast as I could, feeling wind blowing in my hair for the first time on a bike.

The next day I started saving up for one of my own at a buck sixty an hour.

Lascauxcaveman 

For me: hasn't happened yet. I'm not so sure about this whole cycling thing, come to think of it. I mean, it s a lot of work; and for what?

Might take up crochet, or maybe weaving. Starting tomorrow. That way I get some good baskets or maybe scarves outta the deal.

10 Wheels

When I was 11, me and the Huffy would pick up Blonds

Dfrost 

When I completed my first race in 1972 on a Raleigh Grand Sport.

daf1009

At about age 11, I saw my cousins' Schwinn Varsities...while I did not know at the time that this would start the affair with bikes...and it definitely took a few years off here and there...I look back to that time and realize it was when I feel in love with road bikes in particular (although arguing that a Varsity is a road bike, not a tank...well... :-)

rhm

Nope. I can't think of any watershed moment, any kind of an epiphany. I have only the vaguest memory of my first bike. From my first "ten speed" (a used Raleigh Record in yellow, $100 in 1978) there was a slow climb toward newer and better bikes... until a few years ago when I realized that i didn't love my 17 lb aluminum and carbon fiber job any better than I'd loved that old Raleigh in its time.

The quest for the perfect bike continues. It's a process, not an event.

clubman 

At six years old I was already the master of my hood on my small Raleigh coaster bike when 10 year old Billy Kritzer talked me into peeling down the street with a firecracker in my spokes. When the cherry bomb blew the arse out of my pants pocket, I learned what a bully was. My nanny gave Billy a tanning he never forgot.

KonAaron Snake 

I was always unathletic and awkward; I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was 8 or 9. The learning process was not fun. Once I had it down, it was freedom. I could move quickly, go anywhere...I was in love. I also finally found something I was average, maybe even above average, at! I rode everywhere on my Raleigh BMX burner. I was hooked. Until, one day, it was stolen. THE HORROR.

I had less fun riding my dad's old Raleigh sport...which was at least 10 cm too big for me. I learned to hate IGH, steel rims and brakes that don't function. After a couple of years later my dad gave me a used lotus odyssey that was on some insane sale...this was when shops couldn't get rid of touring bikes. It was also far too large for me, but it shifted so smoothly, and pretty soon my radius went from 5-10 miles to 20+! I'd ride into philly, to new hope...anywhere and everywhere.

The vintage bug bit when my family was on their way to breakfast...we saw a beat up tandem out with the trash. I said it had three seats, my dad said no way, two. We bet a dollar, I won. We also walked it home and began restoring it. I had phone calls with Richard and Frank Schwinn about that bike...I met CR member Harvey Sachs, who gave us the parts from his (he was converting/up dating his to dura ace). I learned that chrome pitting doesn't really go away.

A friend with a de rosa signature and I started riding and he got me into the roadie "thing". I saved my Burger King dollars and bought a specialized Sirrus...and started "training". Did a few cat 4 races, poorly.

repechage

Christmas 1970.
Gifted a copy of The Complete Book of Bicycling by Sloane.
It was the textbook I did not know I needed. Started saving for a "10 speed". Because of this book I bypassed the typical bike ladder.
First road bike had Nervex Pro lugs, full 531, Ideale 90 saddle, TA cranks, Campagolo hubs and derailleurs, 3ttt bar and stem, tubulars. Two years later, more suitable bike for racing ( smaller) and full Campagnolo.
The book did make me aware of bike racing in the US as well, wanted to do that, finally lucked into a club in 1973.

bazil4696

Learning what Push steering was on my ten speed down the Jolly cut in Hamilton, Ontario.
(A steep escarpment route with a sweeping curve in the city)

Wildwood

There were a couple of Maries.
I especially remember a redheaded Scottish lass, Glasgow, summer of 1969.
And the blonde in Palma de Mallorca, fall 1973.
And.... oh never mind.

the bikes, they just sorta felt right, from the beginning, back in the 50s, balloon tired singlespeeds.

John E

My story is eerily similar -- I learned to balance a bicycle at age 12, bought a "middleweight" Schwinn 2-speed from a friend for $15, and I was hooked. Six months later I asked for an entry level 10-speed for Christmas and got a new 1962 Bianchi Corsa. My 2:18 double century in 1972 on my American Eagle Semi-Pro (upgraded to tubular tires and closer-ratio gearing) remains my one big athletic accomplishment.

I love the freedom of environmentally responsible, economical, flexible transportation; the art of collecting, repairing, and upgrading classic bicycles; the camaraderie, with long-term cycling friends or casual chance meetings on the road or trail. I am still unathletic and awkward, but I am in better health than most other 66-year-olds I meet.

ldmataya 

A smart-ass older brother walked in on our group and informed us that our Roadmasters, Huffys, Monarks and Free Spirits were nothing but left-over, crudely welded, outdoor furniture pipe. In order to reach his level of sophistication we needed to appreciate and understand lugged bicycle frames, and then perhaps one day we could afford one. So I did. Thanks Roger G.

romperrr 

Oh man! Good question. As a small child, I biked around my neighborhood with friends but soon lost interest when I started driving. I regained my love for bikes in college.

For me it was probably when my cousin got a used Schwinn Continental around 2009. We were both in college and living together at the time. It was the first time I rode a bike with drop bar and I felt supremely cool. After he moved out, I searched for my own drop bar bike and found an attractive Raleigh Technium; however, the seller sold it one hour before our agreed upon meeting time.

Disheartened, I walked home. Not twenty minutes later, my cousin calls and asks if I've ever heard of Peugeot. I told him to my limited knowledge, they are well regarded bikes and he quickly hung up only to come riding down the street on a Peugeot P6. He gave it to me as a gift. That was my first "real" bike. A few years later, I gave the frame and some parts to a friend who had fallen on hard times, after it had gone through several iterations. I was on a Miyata 1000 at the time.

Bikerider007 

I can't recall an exact moment, but was around age 10 (80'). I fell in love with Diamondback and Mongoose bikes. Prior to that it was Murray from Western Auto or somewhere. These were a different level of quality and had a gusset with a cutout, the diamond or circle. Ooohh

From there it was DG-DG in gusset, GT-love that stamp on rear oversize tubing. Then aluminum came into my sights! PK Ripper/JMC-bikes could be lifted with one finger. Wow! And on and on.... Visions of anodized and chromoly sugar plums danced in my head at this time of year. Parts swirling around like a snow from a drift (or dust devil in AZ )

At that time all the older guys had their 10/12 speeds. So I got my first road bike at 11 or 12 (in my avatar) but mostly ended up sticking with bmx for many more years.

And I'm still enamored by bikes with cutouts in lugs, cool parts etc. So here I am.

@10 Wheels love that pic!

KonAaron Snake 

I remember my first century...it was on a specialized Sirrus with the original god awful plastic Vetta saddle. By the end of the ride, I was in such pain...and a guy I was with told me about Brooks saddles. I looked at it...and thought what a piece of old leather crap...he insisted I try one and gave me an old one of his, an old Brooks Pro. Bugger was right! I got laughed at for using such a crude, heavy old saddle...but my arse didn't hurt as much on longer rides anymore, and that was good enough for me.

ollo_ollo

That would be the late 1940's when we moved from rural Nebraska to the beach area of Los Angeles. I had only ridden a tricycle until then. After mastering riding a straight line without falling over, the first time I leaned into a turn and felt the now familiar, magical swoop as the bike miraculously circled around without falling over! I was hooked for life. Don

repechage

I was almost useless as a ball player of any sort.
Neighbor's Mom was the one to get me on two wheels at 6.
Yes, the Bicycle was escape. Vastly expanded horizons.
I had about a 4 mile radius of free roaming by 9. About as far as a Sting-Ray was useable.
Racing was a tough nut to crack. Learning that I was going to have to buy black cycling shorts and white socks, and what was called a helmet at the time. Expensive for a kid who made his bike money repairing neighbors bikes and washing cars for under a dollar each.
Then the realization that due to my age I was gear limited, the Max gear I could use was under what I typically rode on flat terrain! First half of '73 got dropped straight off. By the end of the season I could ride the next category up and hang in but nothing in the sprint. '74 brought that turning point, with about 8 weeks of coaching help, figuring out one needed a race plan before the race started. Placing, then winning.

bulldog1935

I grew up in hills, and I grew up on derailleur bikes. Had a Sears The Rail with 5sp and top tube stick shift.
It was freedom to a kid to climb the hills and visit friends, and take off into town to visit the hobby shop. I'm still amazed at the size of the hill I had to climb home from Junior high.
Later a Wards Open Road 10 sp. It went to school with me in Nashville, but college campus opened my eyes to bike boom and especially European bikes - The first bike I saw without an Ashtabula crank looked like business to me
The most beautiful and unobtainable bike I had ever seen was the black and gold Raleigh Competition GS

In fall '76 the new Raleighs arrived and Grand Prix was equipped with SunTour. That pretty much sealed it for me - the shop swapped out the metal-pan saddle for a suede Unicanitor.