Bicycle

[Muskles]

It's a wonder I was able to have kids after all the times I racked myself on that cross bar doing jumps or something stupid on one of mine. Definitely spent the most of my childhood on one. We lived too far out of town for my parents to allow us to ride to the store or school. We lived in a corner on a fairly busy "highway," but we had a dead end dirt road along the other side of the house. We moved a couple miles from there when I was 13, and my cousins and I had several acres of farm land to ride on and an amazing hill to ride down. Very few times were we able to ride all the way to the top, before we had to get off and push the rest of the way up. Man was it fun going down it though.

[Leonhogboy]

This thread has brought back some great memories for me and is very timely.

We are in small town Idaho for my 50 year class reunion and we were discussing what a crucial role the bicycle played in our lives 6-16. There was no social networking if you didn't have a bike. Nowhere was to far, to rough, or to dark. You could keep it rolling, patch a tube quick, and turn 3 broke pieces of shat into a custom mode of transportation. Talk about a freedom machine, try to find me or try to catch me.

As an adult, I continued to ride both road and trail. Did some century rides and some triathlons, but haven't done anything serious for years. This year I planned a back country elk hunt while we are in Idaho and setup my road bike on the wind trainer in the garage to get some aerobic work in without the pounding. Since the first of the year until the end of July, I was pleased to get in over 100 workouts, basically every other day. For a mature guy I thought I did pretty well, working up to 40 minute workouts at 75-85% Max HR.

Fast forward to today, I found myself riding my trusty Trek 800 down the streets of my little town in Idaho. Life is good and I wouldn't change my upbringing for anything.

Hogboy

[ladybluearm]

I was fortunate enough to grow up with a bicycle.

The several I had over the years gave me freedom. I ran away from home on my bike. Made it 3/4 mile down the road. Turned around and figured I might need more snacks to make it on my own. So I waited till I was 18 to live on my own.

My friends and I knew exactly where to hang out. Simply by how many bikes laid in the driveway, baseball field, park, or gas station.

I would mow yards save my couple dollars just to have a snack outside my local 7 Eleven. I would ride all over town. Pretend I was some stunt dare devil. Build a ramp out of rotten pieces of wood.

I'd chance death, love and freedom on those bikes. As I prepare my day. Leave my house. I will likely not see one kid headed to school on their bike. The front lawn of most every school had bike racks. Packed full of Huffys. Today, maybe one or two.

The joy of getting your first 10 speed. Mountain bike. Learning the front brake is a death trap!! Those days are behind us.

I recently handed keys over to my 16 yr old daughter. I think back. Realized, she never peddled her way to school and back. Never had to keep track of a lock combo or key. Never rode home on her bike. Bike of freedom.

I grew up living life like the kids from the movie Sandlot. I sure miss that time in our lives.

You are so right, those were the good old days!

[Quackerbox]

Learned to ride a bike in the alief area of Houston. I remember getting a diamondback for Christmas one year.

Laid back seat, pegs on front and rear and a rotor. We never rode to skool but every afternoon we went all over the hood. It got stolen just before we moved to tomball. We had 4 wheelers then.

My son got a Mt bike and still ran all over our streets and we'd take him and the bike to another neighborhood so they could fish. He had 2 rod holder's

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[Snowflake Killa]

I was fortunate enough to grow up with a bicycle.

The several I had over the years gave me freedom. I ran away from home on my bike. Made it 3/4 mile down the road. Turned around and figured I might need more snacks to make it on my own. So I waited till I was 18 to live on my own.

My friends and I knew exactly where to hang out. Simply by how many bikes laid in the driveway, baseball field, park, or gas station.

I would mow yards save my couple dollars just to have a snack outside my local 7 Eleven. I would ride all over town. Pretend I was some stunt dare devil. Build a ramp out of rotten pieces of wood.

I'd chance death, love and freedom on those bikes. As I prepare my day. Leave my house. I will likely not see one kid headed to school on their bike. The front lawn of most every school had bike racks. Packed full of Huffys. Today, maybe one or two.

The joy of getting your first 10 speed. Mountain bike. Learning the front brake is a death trap!! Those days are behind us.

I recently handed keys over to my 16 yr old daughter. I think back. Realized, she never peddled her way to school and back. Never had to keep track of a lock combo or key. Never rode home on her bike. Bike of freedom.

I grew up living life like the kids from the movie Sandlot. I sure miss that time in our lives.

BL did you grow up by me. I remember riding by the ditches picking up coke bottles and get a quarter a piece. Then would ride to the store and get my favorite Mrs.Bairds apple pie and a coke

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[Big Lee]

BL did you grow up by me. I remember riding by the ditches picking up coke bottles and get a quarter a piece. Then would ride to the store and get my favorite Mrs.Bairds apple pie and a coke

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

Quite possibly. However, by the time I was a kid we invented plastic! I do remember Gatorade in glass bottles.

[Snowflake Killa]

Quite possibly. However, by the time I was a kid we invented plastic! I do remember Gatorade in glass bottles.

Yeah sounds like you're alot older than me [emoji14]

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[MikeyG]

I’ve been on a bike my whole life. My 3 kids were riding without training wheels at age of 3. Here’s a pic of me and my daughters down hilling in CO. They race Mountain bikes in the off season of other sports.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Deadfall65]

Same here. Grew up in 70s-80s riding bikes miles from home without a care.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Big Lee]

That colorado trip looks like fun!!

[BO-N-ARO]

71 and just bought a new bike!!

[Pedernal]

71 and just bought a new bike!!

Pics or it didn’t happen. JK

This is awesome! Enjoy the bike riding!

[HappyMangle]

What kind of riding do you plan on doing? Is comfort more important than speed? There are road bikes with drop bars, flat bar road bikes, and hybrids with flat or riser bars and fatter tires.
Go view the Giant Bicycles website, and see if any style catches your eye. Bike tricks blog https://www.bikertricks.com/why-are-...kes-different/ got answers for you, but first, more questions.

[WyoBull]

My earliest memory, a very vivid one, is a Schwinn with a banana seat. My brother and I each got one for Christmas in about 1967. I remember riding it up and down the snow packed streets on Christmas Day. Rode all over town on that bike. Used to put a playing card held by a clothes pin on the spokes so it sounded like it was a motorcycle.
I would not trade the era I grew up in for anything. I love it when I see the kids in the neighborhood out riding their bikes around, making wood ramps so they can jump them and doing side slides to stop. Brings back a lot of great memories.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[7sdad]

Looking for a new bike for myself. Any tips how to choose the right one?

Go to a bike shop and look at the different types of bikes and get fitted for the correct size. After you know what you want and what size you need then start looking on Craigslist or Ebay for a good used one to start with.