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I still remember the day I learned riding a bike. I mean, proper bike riding, not having two extra wheels attached sticking out to the side that keep you from falling over but make for an unpleasant and wobbly ride. I must have been around 4 years old and should probably ask my dad because he was there to teach me and keep me safe. I wonder if he remembers? He must have been exhausted, it didn't take long for me to figure out how to ride because it isn't all that complicated after you get going and gain some momentum and then he kept running alongside me, just to catch me in case I would fall. What a wonderful experience overall ~ the freedom of moving on two wheels and the feeling of someone I trusted having my back, keeping me safe from the hard asphalt.
For many years I rode my bike pretty much daily. To school, to meet friends, to university, to work. I have a fond memory of all the bikes I had in my life, or wait, maybe there is a gap from when I was around five to eight, I can't quite remember. What I do remember from that time is riding across the park in the morning, on the way to some kind of pre-school or kindergarten, and my dad on his bike, gently pushing my back so we would move faster. A few bikes later, living in a different city and being mostly on my own, I bought a bike at an auction for what felt just like spare change or the price of a meal. I used it for more than ten years and remember fondly its stand that would prop it up and let it stand firmly without ever tipping ever when I wasn't there. Years later, still the same city, I made a trek out to the suburbs to buy a really nice road bike for very little money off some rich family that had no use for it.
When I moved to the United States with just a suitcase my new employer gave me a little over a thousand bucks in what they called start-up money. On my first day I went to a bike store and spent it all on a new steel frame and some used components to go with it. My first ever single speed bike because I had dreamt of having one for quite a while and this seemed to be the chance. Little did I know that Seattle has some appreciable hills. For some weeks almost every ride felt exhausting, but I grew stronger and got used to it and realized that the bike store had given me just the right gear ratio to be able to go up almost any of the hills in the city.
The first few years in Southern California I lived too far away from work to commute by bike on a regular basis. I think it was the first time since the age of four that I didn't ride my bike on a daily basis. Instead, I drove cars a lot. I didn't quite know it but I missed riding my bicycle and the way it wakes you up in the morning. A couple years ago I moved close enough to work to bike there in a little less than an hour and once we started going back to the office, at least sporadically, I left the car at home and biked. I rarely ever drive to work anymore and almost always look forward to my commute. The weather here is almost always perfect for biking and the freedom I get from not being cramped into a car is just wonderful. Over the weeks and months I have gotten stronger again and the commute feels like a breeze now. I love it.