RobertTank

My First Bike.

I don't remember the brand. The color was red and it was a girls model. But I do remember where I got it. This would be in earlier 1950s. There was a family that lived on our street. The entire family suffered from extremely poor eye sight. The husband was legally blind, wore thickkkkkk glasses and could see only if he held the item within inches of his eyes. But he could build bikes. He would find discarded bikes and rebuild them for his kids and the kids of the neighborhood. He built one for me and little brother. He could pack bearings, fix wheels, and any other thing needing done, mostly by feel.

This story is not about the bike but about the man. Oscar Johnson died last year. But the gathering room at the Funeral Home was packed with those who 50-60 years ago were the recipient of one of Oscar's bikes.

Just ride.

Robert Tankersley

bikerTeen

My first was a Hot Wheels plastic tricycle. I rode that everywhere.
Then I got a rusty, bright red garage-sale bike with training wheels -- my first "real" bike.
I got my first "gear bike" (multi-speeds) when I was 11.

dragracer

I remember mine! I think I was 5 years old. It was a hand-me-down from my cousin. It was a little bitty 12" thing that was totally worn out when I got it. Had solid tires that were about half gone. I remember going over to get it. It was hanging up on a nail in my uncle's barn. Took me forever to learn how to ride on the piece of crap.

I remember my first NEW bike too. It was SWEEETTT!!! It had a banana seat and a 3 speed stick shift on the main tube. That stick shift caused me "man" pain more than once. OUCH! I got that bike by selling about a gazillion greeting cards to neighbors and relatives. I rememebr seeing an ad on the back of a "Boys Life" magazine. You could win all sorts of cool prizes by selling these cards. Well I saw that bike and I made up my mind that I was gonna get that bad bay....and I did it!!!

poululla

A very heavy blue Raleigh Fireball in 1985. Sadly it got stolen shortly after I got it. I wonder where it is now.

Dahon.Steve

I never had a bike growing up since my older brother was always favored. I did use his bicycles whenever I got the chance. My father got him a 20 inch three speed and a Ross cruiser. My brother would later purchase a 10 speed Record Ace that was too big and he rarely used so I would ride it to work. In those days, I never wore a helmet and rode at night without lights. It's amazing I didn't get killed. One day I was doored and flew over the handlebars and was taken to the hospital by an ambulance. I was lucky the injuries were not severe. I was so shaken that I would not get back on a bicycle for another 10 years.

Two years ago, I discovered this forum and a site on bike commuting by Paul Dorn. He became my idol. I got the strangest idea at age 33 to purchase my first bicycle. Yes.. It's true. My first bicycle at 33!! I wanted to begin commuting by bicycle but I wanted a folder since my apartment was too small to fit a regular bike. I purchased a Dahon Piccolo 3 speed and still commute with that bike today. It's become my junk folding bike but people think it's new and cool. The reaction I get from riding a 16' wheel folding bicycle is amazing.

I've since moved to a larger apartment and now have another Dahon, Brompton, Bianchi and Van Dessel. In the summer, I'm going to get a Cannondale R1000 for my weekend ride but first I'm going to sell a couple of the other bikes.

The bicycle has changed my life..

HalfHearted

Okay, which one are you, Tommy? or Dick?

I should hope a bicyle with a 16 ft. wheel would get amazed reactions

John

dazco

Do i remember my first bike???!!! You kiddin?!! It was a moment of my life i'll never forget. Christmas morning, mid 60's.........i wake up and find under the tree a metallic blue Schwinn stingray with a slick on the rear. It was like winning the lottery.......no, much much better than that !! I don't think i ever wanted anything that bad, before or since.

HalfHearted

I had trikes and stuff but I guess my first bike was a red coaster bike. I don't recall the make or whether it was new or a hand-me-down.

I don't really remember my bikes that much (my spectacular wrecks, those I remember). I had an old Schwinn ten-speed that I put a lot of miles on in junior and senior high. In the late 70's I got a good deal on a french racer and put a ton of miles on it til about 82 when I totalled it in a collision with a parked car (don't ask ).

Right after that I got stationed in Iceland and by the time I came back I'd turned into a workaholic couch potato. Since then I've been without a bike until this recent purchase of a TREK 7300.

John

trmcgeehan

Steve: You mentioned a Ross. I'm still riding a Ross road bike, built in 1985. It's heavy, but an excellent bike.

gonesh9

my biking adventure began with a little red diamond back bmx. i rode that thing like the hellion i still am on a mountain bike. we made jumps out of anything we could find. i still feel the excitement i felt back then everytime i through my legs over the saddle and ride. this is what it is all about.

Scooby Snax

My first bike was a green Supercycle from Canadian Tire, My dad bought it for me because I passed Jr Kindergarten, like anyone could fail that...
He threw out the training wheels, and My Neighbor, Randy Slate taught me to ride the old fasion way. He pushed me down a hill.
Ive recently revisited the hill. Its not a hill! but 31 years ago, boy, was it a steep rise in the park path!

druhl

The first bicycle I'd call my own was a Huffy "Dragster". It was a red, 20 inch bike devoid of fenders with a coaster brake AND a front hand brake. It had the original 'straight' style banana seat (versus the 'bucket seat' style that came later) and ape hanger type handle bars (as opposed to the turn down style that came later as well). Like my Spiro Agnew watch, I remember if fondly. It went through many modifications over the years and despite what most of us think about Huffy's today, it served admirably.

Cadillac

I told my Dad that I wanted to deliver newspapers and needed a bike. The next Saturday, he took me to the LBS and we picked out a very heavy used CCM coaster bike which had a large wrought iron basket mounted on the front. I didn't know how to ride a bike, so Dad told me to get on and he would hold the back steady for me on the ride back home. I think he held on for half a block; but I thought he was back there for much longer. Instead he went back to the car and I pedalled home about 2 miles.

I practiced all weekend, and on Monday I began delivering newspapers.

pinerider

My first bike memory was a ride in the newspaper basket of my brother's bike. I was about 4 at the time, so I guess I fit ok.

My first bike was a maroon "Majestic". I think it was an English bike, I know the training wheels weren't on it for very long. I got it for my 5th or 6th birthday. It came with a racoon tail (very cool in those days) and was cursed with white tires. My friends could all leave lovely skid marks on the sidewalk, but mine were invisible!

froze

My first bike was a red Mattel Varoom stingray bike; does anyone remember those? Yeah baby, it had a "motor" that tried to sound like a motorcycle engine, but of course it failed doing that, but it beat attaching playing cards with clothes pins to the spokes to make noise! But I was an odd lad and felt to old to have a stupid fake motor so I took it off, I was 7(1962) at the time, I also didn't like cartoons either but that's another story. Anyway I quickly learned the art of jumping over things with it because flying was more fun, and my dad was too cheap to buy me an airplane so I had to make do. And for some reason I never crashed doing those jumps, my friends would try to duplicate my stuff and would all crash, that led to some humorous sights. The only time I ever crashed on it was when I made a large jump over a road that crossed a creek that was about 5 feet high (in my case higher was better because that meant more air time), but upon landing the bike came apart in about 5 or 6 pieces. Fortunately a mechanic at a gas station who saw the whole thing and enjoyed it more than I did, was able to put the bike back together again; the cuts and bruises he could not fix.

Giant_racer

I had a hand me down little silver bike from my older brother which I rode training wheel free from the age of 5 then my dad ran it over in the driveway I was so gutted I can still remember that sinking feeling I got when he squashed it :-( I do recall a little red three wheeler thing before then when I was about three!!

Then I got a Raleigh shopper (shame) when I was 12 followed by a Halfords best Apollo ATB bike which I crashed into a wall after losing control down a hill I nearly squashed this old lady too at the bottom along with her Yorkshire terrier!!

Finally I got a Raleigh Azure when I was 14 proper first ATB which weighed an absolute ton and a half hence I lost a lot of weight so it did have the desired effect!! I started serious long distance on this bike and ever since that fell apart I have had three Giants mostly Boulder range with upgrade components!!!

Looking back and seeing the bikes we have today what a damn sight of a change!!!

MsVicki

My first bike was when I was in the second grade in Andrews, Texas. We went to the bike shop to get it. I had never ridden a bike before, but it wouldn't fit in the car, so I had to ride it home. My parents drove really slow beside me all the way home from downtown. It was exciting but also a little scary for a six year old! I think it was a blue Schwinn.

I also had an embarrassing moment on that bike. That year in second grade, I had the biggest crush on my Spanish teacher. One day I was riding on my new bike past his house and took a nasty spill. He came out and helped me up, and I was mortified. It did help when he gave me a big hug as I went on my way though!

Cadillac

I told my wife about my first bike and asked her if she remembered her first bike.

She said that when she was five, just before Christmas some 55 years ago, she knelt beside her bed and prayed that God would give her a bike.

Her mother said, "We have no money to get her a bike."

Her father, a pastor of a small church in Revelstoke, BC, answered, "She didn't ask us, she asked God."

On Christmas morning, there was a brand new bike waiting for her.

Apparently some people from a large church sent some extra money for a "gift for the girl" though they knew nothing about her prayer.

mudmouse

My first bike was a hand-me-down from my brother. It was a blue schwinn stingray. My dad had to replace the banana seat with a regular bike seat so it could be lowered enough for me to ride.

A couple years later they bought me my own bike--a girls stringray type bike from a department store. Next was a 10-speed from sears.

In 78 I bought my very first bikestore bike--a centurion omega. I rode it til 95 when hubby bought me a rockhopper. My little rockhopper now has fatboys since I'm on the road much more than the trail.

kari