[OGRipper]

I didn't really discover bikes until college. I feel as if I was cheated.

At least you eventually saw the light. Funny though, I have a vivid memory of the day the training wheels came off, and I pretty much never stopped after that. By early my college years I had put BMX aside and I moved on to mtb and road bikes.

 

[eric strt6]

You were. I had my first bike in 1st grade. Started biking to school in 2nd grade

 

[SkaredShtles]

At least you eventually saw the light. Funny though, I have a vivid memory of the day the training wheels came off, and I pretty much never stopped after that. By early my college years I had put BMX aside and I moved on to mtb and road bikes.

Yeah - I mean... I *learned* to ride a bike at an early age, apparently. I just don't really remember having or riding one when I was a kid. Which is odd, don't you think? Got one in college to get to/from classes when I moved off-campus.

You were. I had my first bike in 1st grade. Started biking to school in 2nd grade

Heh - damn city slickers. We weren't within reasonable biking distance to school, not to mention riding bikes in Michigan for transportation was kinda frowned upon and dangerous.

 

[CBJ]

At least you eventually saw the light. Funny though, I have a vivid memory of the day the training wheels came off, and I pretty much never stopped after that. By early my college years I had put BMX aside and I moved on to mtb and road bikes.

Same here with the training wheels. I felt so cool and rode around triumphantly with the other neighborhood kids.

 

[Banshee_Rider@73]

 

[jimmydean]

 

[SkaredShtles]

View attachment 224465

Hole's in the wrong location.

 

[Banshee_Rider@73]

Hole's in the wrong location.

In war times every hole is a trench

 

[SkaredShtles]

In war times every hole is a trench

Goddammit I laffed.

 

[Jozz]

in Michigan

 

[SkaredShtles]

View attachment 224468

"This is *car* country, Son. Get out of here with that "bicycle" bullshit."

 

[jimmydean]

Yeah - I mean... I *learned* to ride a bike at an early age, apparently. I just don't really remember having or riding one when I was a kid. Which is odd, don't you think? Got one in college to get to/from classes when I moved off-campus.


Heh - damn city slickers. We weren't within reasonable biking distance to school, not to mention riding bikes in Michigan for transportation was kinda frowned upon and dangerous.

It wasn't more than a couple miles to elementary school and I walked until 3rd grade and I rode. I rode my road bike to Denair junior year 6 miles each way. I would bike to Columbia Park (8 miles from school) at lunch to score some weed, then smoke on the way back. Show up 20 minutes late to Art class high as shit. I covered a lot of miles that year.

 

[jimmydean]

Hole's in the wrong location.

That doesn't look like a donut hole.

 

[Changleen]

Had a shitty used Stingray that I broke several times. Begged grandpa and got a Raleigh Rampar R10. Broke the handlebar, stem, and fork (at different times), then it got stolen. (Never forget!) Worked a paper route to pay for a pre-E.T. Kuwahara with a Bottema fork, otherwise low spec. Broke that fork and then later, that frame too. Then went through a long procession of freestyle bikes (Redline, GT, Dyno, etc.). Ahhh the memories. Amazing we survived all that early shit that was not up to the task. (What's a helmet?)

I rode a lot of ramp, and whilst I did break a few frames, stems, brakes and the like at parks and jumps, I feel like the chore I did most was replacing bent axles, and of course re-flattening drop-outs. Used to try and get the Standard Industries axles because they lasted a lot longer but sometimes they were out of stock and you had to get the regular pool noodle axles that couldn’t really handle a decent icepick. Also fixing a lot of chains, until those chonky ones started to become available. I actually ran a moped chain for a while. It looked pretty cool.