Bicycle

[Big Lee]

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.

[Bill M]

Unfortunately, I believe those days are gone forever. What freedom a bike gave you. We used to ride miles from home with no parental problems as long as we were home by supper. And talk about Frankenstein bikes, built a bunch of them.

[Texas Grown]

65, and I'm still riding bikes.



The fish are biting and there's hogs to be kill-t. Gotta go!

[Jamerendino]

Same. Recently as an adult i got back into Mountain bike riding and am hooked again. Have ridden over 500 miles in the past 6 months.

[Big pig]

I grew up in the country in the 60’s
Once I could pedal a bike, we frequently rode several miles away from the house
Age 8-15. I truly grew up in the best of times.

Now I enjoy a simple off road bike, but this country is a little too rocky.

[LAW]

My grandson just learned to ride his bike and you can see that first freedom look on his face

[LAW]

Growing up in Bryan Tx in the 60s and 70s we experienced much of the same

[jdg13]

We rode our bikes all over the place in the late 90s/Early 2000s. I always say mine was the last generation who knew what playing outside was. Those days are over now due to sickos, karens, and parents who would rather the kid sit inside all day.

[7sdad]

I'm about to sign up for a 155 mile gravel ride . Ride is next May and it will take me that long to train for it.

[Jon Stewart]

Growing up poor my 1st bike was a $5.00 clunker one speed. That was in the 50's and 60's. Fast forward to the 80's when I go married to a fitness nut where we took up running and doing triathlons. My wife kept track of our miles both running and biking but I won't post how many thousands of miles we did on the bike because many wouldn't believe it. I will say that we flew to Washington and rode to Maine self contained and flew with our bikes and rode them for many weeks in Ireland, Switzerland, Germany and Austria over the years. My folks got a kick out of our riding hobby.

[jerp]

That feeling of freedom as a kid was priceless. I have great memories of summer mornings and a big group of 9 to11 year-olds from my neighborhood riding our Stingrays in formation all over like we were some kind of pee wee motorcycle gang. At about 14 I had saved enough to buy my first "10 speed" - a bright orange Schwinn Varsity. Now at age 66 I am still riding (on a bike that cost more than the first few cars I owned.) For safety's sake I ride bike paths during the week but what I enjoy most is my Sunday rides. I leave the house at first light and ride the backroads of east Parker County. That couple hours of solitude is an important part of my week.

[HUNTNETIME]

There are some small neighborhoods right around our school here in Flour Bluff. And you DO see a lot of kiddos biking and walking to and from school. BUT, even within that school zone, there are absolutely bat **** crazy drivers that have no regard for anybody other than themselves and I do worry about the safety of these youngsters just trying to make it to school and back. Growing up, many of us had a ton of freedom without a "leash". These days, it seems to keep our kids alive, we have to have at least a long "leash" on them. Our house is probably just the right distance for a bike ride to and from school on fair weather days, but with a big stretch of it not having any sidewalks and the crazy distracted, don't give a care drivers of today, no way. I hate to say it, but it's true. My oldest son is 16 and my wife worries sick about him everytime he leaves the house in his car. I just have to remind her that he has to stretch his legs and spread his wings and we can only hope for the best. Let the boy be and don't worry every second of every day. It's definitely a different world we live in.

[Pedernal]

Awesome subject thread Señor BigLee. I grew up riding my bike and experiencing that same type freedom. We had two empty lots by our house. We made trails with dirt ramps and tried to bank curves to go faster.

I remember disassembling my bike paying particular attention to the pedal and back wheel hub assemblies. We would disassemble, soak in gas, clean, grease and reassemble. That made the bike a lot faster of course, at least in our minds.

[tpack]

Only bike I ever had was a Stingray with a banana seat back around 67-68. Rode the wheels off of it literally. There was nowhere we couldn`t go in Stephenville. One of the best places to go was thru the Tarleton State campus in the summertime. It was a small college back then and lots of sidewalks to ride on. No one bothered you like they probably would no days. Fun times.

[curtintex]

My bike made Porter, TX smaller than it already was in the late 70s and early 80s. When I talk about all the places I went on that bike, my wife says, "I don't think your Mother loved you". I don't think I'd cross Hwy59 on a bike today, but it was nothing to do it 40 years ago. I'd get to meet up with my buddies at the Porter Snoball stand, grab a sandwich from the butcher counter at Mayer's Grocery. When Deerbrook Mall opened in Humble, I rode my bike about 7 miles and crossed the San Jacinto River bridge to go check it out. I honestly never considered any place too far. My world was small and awesome.