5. Schwinn Spitfire. Bought it from a neighbor for 50 cents.

I was in third grade. Was one of the oldeast around to learn.

Don't know why, just never did.

Still haven't mastered it!

Less often in the cities.

But I think I was 4 or 5 when I got the training wheels taken off. Funny thing is that my first rides were with my dad in the front yard. I ran right into the only tree in the yard... Twice. But within a day I was tooling around, FLYING through the entire back yard. It was heaven.

At 10 though, I would be surprised if a child COULDN'T ride. That to me shows that not only have they never done it, but that their self-esteem is low enough that they lack the courage to try.

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Some are born to move the world to live their fantasies...

https://triomultisport.com/
http://www.mjolnircycles.com/

When I was eight, I found a bike in the garbage. I remember it was orange, had no seat, it had solid tires, and it said "Sears" on it. That was a name I recognized and I thought it must be a good bike. It was all rusted and the chain had fallen off. I fixed it using some vice grips that I found and taught myself to ride it standing up with no training wheels. I remember being super determined to learn to ride that bike. I remember falling a lot. And every time I fell, it made me angry at the fact that I was eight years old and still didn't know how to ride a bike. When I was little I had zero quit in me. After what was probably a couple of hours, I got the hang of it. A few days later I was riding my bike and the neighbor who threw the bike away stopped me in front of his house and asked where I got the bike. I told him that I found it. I was afraid that he was going to recognize it and take it away from me. But instead, he told me to wait there and he went inside. I didn't know whether to stay and risk loosing my bike or get the heck out of there. As I was about to leave, I saw him come out with the seat. He smiled and handed it to me. I worked the seat with its rusty seat post into the seat tube and rode it home to tighten it. Soon after that, I found another bike and gave that orange Sears bike away. The kids in the neighborhood started bringing me their bikes to fix for them, mostly flats. I fixed most of them with a pair of vice grips, a screw driver, and car tube patches.

Thankfully, now a can afford to buy any bike I want and pay to have someone else fix them. I've come long way from those days. :)

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E-Z

--It ain't a good idea to swim near MY bubbles!

Probably close to 4. Maybe about 5 or so. I remember it was a sweet yellow BMX bike. Don't remember who made it. I rode with training wheels for a couple of months (I think) and then I was free and rode it EVERYWHERE. I had that bike for a while, then my parents tag-saled when I finally got a new bike that fit me... I wish I still had it though...

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

You should better define "ride". Most triathletes don't really know how. I suspect you mean merely "remain upright"

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Elivis needs boats.

Don't remember when - but I was very young. Cannot ever remember NOT riding my bike. Both my kids started when they were 4 - training wheels off by 5th birthday deadline. My first bike was something like this except with a 3-foot sissy bar. Man I miss that bike. I should buy one. Bike riding was much more fun back then. Didn't care about saddle, pedals, shoes, knee angle, yada, yada, yada..... When did life get so complicated?

Last time I did IMUSA there was a guy on a bike like that! Retroman - he did the swim in cutoff jeans shorts, then rode the bike in them - with Jack Purcell sneakers, and did the marathon in same.

Single speed Schwinn up through those Adirondack climbs! Thats a man!

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Elivis needs boats.

Yea, you had to have the tall sissy bar!

Most of my son's friends can't ride a bike either, and he is a 7-year-old. He learned when he was three, and I think I was about the same age. Most of the kids we know spend so much time inside or in "structured play" - there is no romping through the neighborhood on bikes anymore. The biggest rite of passage these days seems to be mastering the next level on some game-boy game...

6 Years old, black Schwinn Typhoon cruiser, no training wheels, school parking lot.

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Whn I was little (1970's) your were on your bike all day during the summer. Going to and from the pool / lake, out to the field to play baseball, back and forth to the park. In the evening, we'd turn on the lights and play "bicycle tag"

Oh, ... no helmets, no shoes, no GameBoys, no cell phones, no worries, no problems.