When did you learn and what have you ridden??

Woodchip

Just for a little fun and no-one is allowed to insult anyone, when did people first learn to ride a bike?

I was exceedingly late and never learnt until I was about 12. First bike was a 10 speed Raleigh road bike (which I swapped my BMX scooter for, still not sure who got the better deal).

Since then I've had a Townsend, a Saracen, a Nishiki Kodiak, a Spesh Rockhopper and a Commencal Meta 4.x (all MTBs) and now got a Scott Speedster.

on the road

I learned at age 7, about 1972/3. First bike was a chopper, then a road bike that was too big for me at age 12. Since then had lots of road bikes and started riding on the roads at age 11.

whyamihere

Learned about 7 I think.

Had various kid's bikes, and then...
Raleigh Firefly
Nameless XC MTB
Azonic Steelhead
Orange Zero
Cove Foreplay
Specialised FSR
Carrera Fury *
Scott FX3

Thus ends the MTBs.

Roadies:
Ambrosio Stelvio
Coyote *
Ribble Winter
Cannondale R1000 *
Ribble TT bike
Old Peugeot fixed gear *

Bikes with *s I still have. There might be a couple of MTBs I've forgotten about, so if I think of any more, I'll add them in later.

a_n_t

do trikes count?

bobpzero

yep would have started off with a trike, tho im rubbish at history so i dont know the exact date, then at some caravan site on a yellow bike, an old school bmx. and then some years later i had a:
raleigh amazon (comfort mtb)
raleigh r100 (last of the steel raleigh)
bikeE semi recumbent
dahon d7hg (one ride)
now its a specialized allez sport 08

Ruari

Learned on a tricycle, then graduated to a red Raleigh Strika. No brakes, you had to back pedal to stop!

After that;

Japanese bmx (can't remeber/find the make)
Avalanche MTB
GT MTB

Then, a long hiatus from cycling, and now;

Bianchi 1885 Ultegra
Carrera Subway 1

DavidBelcher

Woodchip wrote:

Just for a little fun and no-one is allowed to insult anyone, when did people first learn to ride a bike?

Must've been around 4 or 5, on a cheapo Hawk job from Woolies. Soon got the hang of it - without major mishaps - and the stabilisers came off pretty rapidly. The exhaustive roll-call to date:

Hawk kiddies' bike (metallic blue, from memory)
Raleigh Chopper (original version, with the rarer purple paint job)
5-speed Royal Enfield (first drop bar/derailleur bike)
10-speed Puch 'sports' type drop-bar bike
Raleigh Quasar (with the oval 501 frame tubing)
Holdsworth Corsair gradually re-equipped with Campag 16sp Ergo group
Raleigh 531c race frame kitted out with the parts off the Holdsworth
Bill Nickson 653 race frame, a 'swap job' as above but some bits later changed
Brian Rourke 753 race frame, ditto
Raleigh Record Sprint (briefly, sold it due to lack of space)
Cougar Columbus SLX race frame, another parts-swap effort
Edison Columbus SL cross bike, Campag Mirage group but later upgraded with Mavic, Hope, Middleburn, etc. bits
Cheapo Trek Cr-Mo MTB as a stop-gap commuter

Which brings me bang up to date with the current crop;

Fort Columbus Foco cross bike with some of the bits off the Edison on it
Look KG241 road bike, Campag, Mavic, Middleburn, Sachs, etc. mixed parts
Webster Cr-Mo training/winter bike, Mirage group
Raleigh M-Trax 1500 MTB, STX group

David

cee

I was 4.

I had a wee red bike with stabilisers on and one night dreamt that I could ride without them, so asked my uncle to take them off. After asking if I was sure, he agreed. I jumped on the bike and off I went.

Then I got a Yellow Raleigh Boxer, followed by a red grifter, then a white mag burner.....

I think it was an Emmelle mountain bike after that when I was 13 or 14, then a muddy fox.

I think my cousin had that back pedal brake strika thing though

Verbal

I was about 5 or 6 and my neighbour got me up and running on my Raleigh Tomahawk (smaller version of the Chopper). I was pootling along, veered onto the lawn and fell into a rose bush. Ouch. Fortunately it didn't put me off!

APIII

Must have been about 4 or 5 and learnt on some blue 'thing'. My first new bike was a grifter, followed by Raleigh Nite Burner bmx, then a proper one I can't remember the name of, then Skyway TA with mag wheels! followed by:
Holdsworth Mystique (actually my brothers, but I nabbed it when I could)
Ladies dutch style bike at uni (it was free)
Cannondale bad boy
GT Thumper bmx
Pinarello Prince
Turner 6 pack mtb
Cannondale touring tandem
Pinarello prince carbon
Holdsworth Cyclone-deluxe (was my dad's, restoration job).

fatandwheezing

I think I learnt at about 10 (on a girls bike at playtime on the football pitch).

Skint parents, so didn't actually get my first bike till I was 21:

'02 - POS Apollo Strife - utterly terrible.
'05 - Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc - never let me down, had nothing replaced, still going stron as my commuter, weighs a tonne!
'07 - Focus Cayo - awesome, best thing I own.
'09, something else to relieve the hardrock of its commuting suties......

prawny

I think I was about 4 on a red bobcat with a fixed wheel, super trendy, and the front worked by the pad pushind down onto the top of a solid rubber tyre.

I'm not sure what I had after that but I do remeber;
Some sort of BMX
a white peugeot 3 speed racer (lovely)
I luminous no name MTB
Raleigh team edition MTB (cheapo raleigh painted like the Ti M-Trax)
GT Outpost
GT Tequesta (my fave MTB ever)
Saracen Dirttrax disc and finally
Boardman road comp

I've still got the last 2 although I only sold the tequesta last xmas and I wisk I hadn't

Next up I'm going for either a Planet X carbon or Ti sportive, Wilier Mortirolo, or Ribble Scuro RS decisions decisions. I just need to drag the cash from somewhere first.

pst88

Taught myself to ride when I was 24 (2 years ago). Never had a bike as a kid because my parents either couldn't afford it or it was too dangerous or something. I decided I wanted to learn to ride, bought my first bike and read a guide on the internet on how to ride. Learnt from that with no outside help. First bike was a Mongoose Tyax Elite 2007 which I now regret buying because it's a mountain bike and never goes near any mountains. Bought a fixed gear/singlespeed (Giant Bowery) last year because I wanted a more road oriented bike for commuting and it was cheap (and hip). Now I want a real road bike though if only I had the money.

alexclaber

I can't remember learning to ride but apparently I used to cycle to playgroup. According to folklore one of the stabilisers snapped off at some point and I carried on unperturbed - quite a good way of making the transition, even if my Mum wasn't too pleased with my Dad's DIY aluminium (fatigue failure!) stabilisers...

I got my first BMX for my 5th birthday and then I remember buying a fullsize secondhand one from a friend for £30 - that must have been around 1985 when I was 7. Then my first MTB when I was 10 - a 15 speed Peugeot with 24" alloy wheels - in 1988 (my Dad bought an enormous 24" frame Emmelle, whose steel wheels he was forever buckling, so we could go out together). Then a Muddy Fox 21 speed with cro-mo frame and rapidfire shifters - got a 21" frame which I never grew into! That must have been around '92, can't really remember. Remember greatly enjoying taking it to the Lakes one summer and finally getting to go down some proper hills. That got nicked in my first week of Uni in 1996, just after I'd put some gripshifts on it (rapidfire had worn out).

Then a hiatus - my Dad's old Emmelle was borrowed, my brother's Raleigh (which got nicked). Then a Trek 6000 series in 2001 - that was my commuter bike, 27 speed, slick tyres, cut down bars, super high saddle. That got nicked from a communal hallway about a year later so I went to using the tube. Fortunately the Central Line broke and I rapidly tired of walking the length of Oxford Street so I got a Brompton. Had that seven years now. Marvellous little bike, dead quick on the road. Did the London to Brighton on it this year in under five hours wearing a 3-piece suit. Bought a Boardman HT Pro a couple of months ago and am loving going offroad again and living somewhere that despite being in the South has proper hills!

Alex

Anonymous

Learn't when 5

Bobcat (Fixed gear madness!)
Raleigh Strika
Kuwahara Nova BMX
Muddy Fox Courier (got this in 1986 when I was 11, I still have it and ride it and love it!)
Fondriest Megalu (sold as was too small for me!)
Aeron TR1(Sold as was dull)
Commencal meta 5.5.2 (Frame broke)
Look 555
Commencal met 5.5 VIP
Litespeed Siena
Quintana Roo Seduza.

markyboy2005

Learned aged about 4 or 5 on my sisters Raleigh 14.

My best man mentioned it in his speech at my wedding as the bike was the reason I was not allowed in his bike Gang

Since then, Raleigh Grifter, some raleigh road bike (can't remember the name), a diamond back topanga (stolen), Kona fire mountain, a Bianchi downhill silly machine, Giant OCR2 and my latest gift to myself a 2009 Specialized Roubaix expert.......

In between that there is a 2nd hand Trek Carbon fibre full suspension mountain bike I picked up in Alabama. Its a kind of Y frame thing, I wish I knew the actual model name....anyone got any clues?

CHRISNOIR

I think I was around eight when I learned. All my early bikes weighed an absolute ton starting with my first BMX -

Grifter BMX (occasionally with spokey-dokeys thanks to a kindly but misguided family friend)
Anonymous Townsend BMX (with no brakes due to technical ineptitude. A trait that continues twenty-five years later).
Townsend 'Smokey Bear' MTB. A giant leap this one - I actually had something I could rely on. It even looked quite rugged and able to handle rough terrain. As well it might; the weight suggested it was hewn from granite.
Coventry Eagle Road bike. I have no idea where it came from but this was the bike that got me into road cycling. It was way too big and suffered from a p*ss-poor paint job (courtesy of me, a mate and some spray cans from Halfords). It once got me from Rochdale to Betws-y-Coed in a day - still my proudest bike ride.
GT Agressor MTB. Back to MTBs. The bike that helped me back down from a 38" waist. Only when I realized I'd not rode it off-road for 18 months did I take the plunge and get...
Bianchi Via Nirone 7.

salsarider79

About 5 for me. Don't remember much about the bike exept it had a cowboy on it. I still have a video of me on it learning to ride.
Then a BMX which still pulled skids after 8years with orginal rear tyre and brake blocks. A rusty SS 26" MTB/BMX thing followed, the forks snapped one day so I then recieved a 10speed 'thing'. I had mirrors and stuff, trying to make it into a motorbike....
Then I had a proper MTB with front suspension, bull bars and 21 gears. Once that was nicked I had bought myself a Diamond Back BMX and Sorento.
A few years at Uni combined with a job at Pizza Hut left me looking pregnant (My Girlfriend used to get broody everytime she saw me. She'd sit and rub my tummy, um,...is that too much info?) So a Mongoose Jump bike was picked up. Then an Apollo (we moved into a house and it have been left in the garage. I snapped the forks on the mongoose so bodged the Apollo into action.) Then my first Salsa, then Specialized full sus, Bianci road bike, um,..Marin, DMR, there was a cruzier in there too which I still wish I had, um,...a trials bike too, um,...Freddie Grubb (60's road bike) Yeah, I went crazy, buying and selling bikes, working in a bike shop I didn't always come home on the same I went to work with....I have ridden so many different bikes. At least now I know what I like and what works for me.
Now I've settled on a Langster (Orginal frame and forks, everything else has been changed. And the forks will be changed soon.) and a Roubaix (A frame/fork package, built with S-works Barmac, Rival groupset, etc.) I need an MTB, but I'll wait.
I'm on to motorbikes now.....

Stewie Griffin

Probably around 6 years old, did the stabilizers first, which I would have been happy to have for ever, even now :P . No more clipless moments anyway. A Raleigh Convertible Kite. The top "tube" was removable to make it into a girls bike :oops: . It was in place when I had it but removed when it was handed down to my Sister, honest.

I can remember my Dad patiently holding the back of the saddle and running behind me as I took my first few wobbly yards as a Cyclist. I can also remember that moment where I looked over my Shoulder and realised that my Dad was standing still some 20 yards behind me waving me on and thats of course when physics as we all know stops working. Straight into a lamp post .

Had a Grifter too amoungst a few others. After that I wanted a Kuwahara, or a Torker, or a PK Ripper, or a Mongoose, or a GT so badly though. I would get a BMX now IF I could find a frame from the good old days, dont like the geometry on todays BMXs.

APIII

Don't they still make the PK Ripper? Sure I remember the SE Racing stand at the bike show last year. I'd forgotten all about Torker's though, god that takes me back

Anonymous

Firts bike was a Chessington, red and chrome at abot 7.
Metallic blue Grifter mark 1, about 1979.
Then it was an Ultra burner BMX
Swapped bits round and ended up with a Firebird DP frame, skyways and skyway tech II bar. Parents sold it when I joined the army, have never forgiven them.
At 20 I bought a Raleigh Aztec mountain bike which got nicked.
Then got a Claud butler stone river MTB.

Now.

Scott Scale 70 MTB
Scott Speedster S50
Litespeed Siena 2007.

Frank the tank

One of my proudest moments as a parent was when I purchased my daughter her first bike when she was about three.

On it's presentation complete with stablisers, she looked at it and said "I don't want them on"

This being her first "two wheeler" I told her they needed to be on. She was most insistant so I took them off. She climbed on it and just rode it straight off with me running closely behind. Fantastic, she never missed a beat, so proud.

mikeq

About 5,

Raleigh budgie, this was the second smallest in the chopper line.
Then bike called a Chessington, much like a chopper, can't remember the maker.
Second-hand road bike, can't remember make
Coventry eagle hybrid
Giant OCR2 which was stolen last year
Specialized allez 09

Gazzaputt

Learnt to ride on a pink Raleigh Small Rider I was 5. Dad pushed along and let go and i was off.

From the Small Rider a Xtrail I think it was where I snapped the forks doing a stupid speeed going downhill into a wall.

From the to a Silver with purple graphics Chopper Mk2. Love of my life.

Then BMX had a Raleigh Burner. Spent a fortune tuning and customizing the thing.

Got into MTB with a Apollo swiftly replaced with a Marin Muirwoods.

After the Marin came a Orange O2. Then Full sus Specialized FSR comp.

After that Specialized FSR S-Works, Spesh Rockhopper (x2) cannondale Jeykel, CannodaleF500, another cannondale, Spesh FSR Pro.

Then Road bikes. Spesh Allez, cannondale Caad9 and caad5, Cannondale capo,

Now have a heavily modified Focus Cayo and Focus Variado.

ride_whenever

first proper bike was a raleigh activator
then i had a trek 4300 or 4700 which is at home...
then i had a few second hand heavy steel mountainbikes
then i got a scott voltage which i got into mtbing on before it got stolen
then i got a carrera vulcan from the dump which i singlespeeded and used as a hack before selling on
then i got my 456
then i got my pompino
then i got my new voltage
then i got my inbred

the last four i still have although my voltage has been a bit canabalised but will be built up again soon. And i'm getting an old steel orbea to build up as a geared race bike for a laugh.

Cafewanda

Four years ago, aged 42 On a Ridgeback Comet (discovered later it was way too big)

Started cycling 'properly' (ie on roads to/from work) last September. Love it!!

Bought a Trek T10 in February and looking to get a flat bar in October.

pompeypoppy

I was about 6 or 7, learing on a (then) brand new red bmx.

I also took great delight in hounding my mother for boxes of rice krispies at the time, because they had three free luminous spoke beads in each pack. think I ended up with about 60 of them all over the wheels!

Two years later I stopped riding the bike. It wasn't that I didn't it, so much as storing it outside had reduced it to a pink bike with plastic spoke beads!

AMcD

I suppose I was about 3 and took off on my brother's blue trike from my grandparents' house. I set off down the hill to Folly Lane in Swinton, Mcr, shot straight across the main road at the bottom of the hill and caused a car to drive off the road. I think the lady driver was treated for shock (so sorry if you're reading this :oops: ). This would be in the late 60s.

My brother, aged about 4 was very upset and crying after the incident - when trying to console him and say that his little sister was OK he replied "but it was MY go on the bike!". He was just upset he'd missed his go :roll: .

The next bike I remember was a bronze girl's frame with the words 'Pony Express' on the frame . It was known as the fastest bike in the area, or perhaps my little legs made it the fastest..... .

Nuggs

1. First bike was a Raleigh something - in burnt orange (possibly poo-coloured brown is more accurate) with aircraft details.

2. Raleigh Burner in blue/yellow

3. Blue Max BMX

4. Raleigh Mustang (original black and white rather than horrid pink)

5. Trek race bike circa 1993 (got left in the garage as soon as I passed my driving test)

6. 2008 Spesh Roubaix (Ultegra/DT Swiss R1.2s)

7. 2008 Kinesis Racelight TK (105/Open Pros)

guilliano

No idea what my first bike was, but I was about 5 when I nagged for the stabilisers to come off. After that I had a Raleigh Budgie (which was brilliant for bunny hopping aged 12), a Raleigh Strika in Yellow with blue trim, then a Raleigh racing BMX (no idea what model). There was also a Falcon road bike with 650c wheels and 5 non indexed downtube lever gears (still in the shed I think).

Then 16 years later I re-discovered bikes.....

Reebok THINGY
Gary Fisher Marlin (currently being rebuilt)
Charge Duster (sold)
Giant Trance X 0 (sold)
Giant Defy Advanced 2 (my baby with its new wheels)

giosblue

Red bike from Halfords
matalic green bike from Kays catalogue
Ten years off the bike.
Raleigh Sirocco (still using) now 22 years old
Vitus 979 (sold )
Replaced with Trek 5200 ( 2001) Still got.
Litespeed Tuscany.
Van Nicholas Yukon
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