In the current issue of Boneshaker there are a few tales of learning to ride a bicycle and this got me thinking about my own cycling past. I actually remember learning how to ride a bicycle down the side of the house we lived in when I was young. Not that I remember any great epiphany or anything or the oft-mentioned 'feeling of freedom'. I do remember I had 'some kind' of kids bike. The only part of it I can remember was that it had a rear parcel shelf but instead of a basket it had what can only be described as a Tupperware box attached to it. The lid was hinged and opened from back to front like a large, plastic pencil case which I'd affixed some shiny metallic flower stickers to. I remember having stabilisers on it.
I'm not sure when the stabilisers were removed but it didn't seem to be a hugely big deal...I don't think; I'm assuming my dad took them off. All I can really remember was the cracked, concrete path with grass at each side that I must have attempted to cycle along numerous times. While I can't remember suddenly 'getting it', I do remember a lot of attempts. I remember not being able to cycle but being absolutely determined that I would do. I'm not sure why this should be but it was probably because I wanted to cycle around like the big kids.
I can't either really remember many of the bikes I had. I'm sure there were a few when I was little and this little bike I learned on was a typical kids bike of the time; white and had tassels attached to the handlebars. My aunty will tell you the story of the time I was round at her place and riding around on a little bicycle there. I shot down the sloping drive and hit the gate at the bottom, which was secured with chicken wire. Apparently I had cuts all over my face, but didn't seem bothered. Especially when the offer of sweeties arose. She wanted me to stay at her house overnight as she was worried my mum might be upset, but she was ok. I was fine, my mum was fine, the cuts healed up and I don't even remember it…maybe that was the concussion!
Sometime next I had a Raleigh Tomahawk. It was a bit like a Chopper, but smaller. I'm pretty sure it was red, although I can't remember. Nor can I remember how easy it was to cycle but I'm going to imagine it wasn't so good on the hills. They're amazing-looking bikes though!
Photo copyright Norman Preis
A few years later, the next strong memory I have is asking for a Raleigh Super-tuff Burner for Christmas. I remember how desperately I wanted that bicycle and kept pictures of it. I'd told a local boy that I wanted that bike and remember feeling very nervous when Christmas rolled around. We always had a family tradition that we'd open presents in the afternoon when all the grandparents were there; torture for a kid, I can tell you! So in the morning I looked out of the window and saw this boy riding around on a brand new Burner; exactly the one I wanted! But my lovely parents had got me the same bike and I instantly loved it!
Photo copyright Richard Of HaleThe Raleigh Burner was my first real taste of freedom on a bicycle. It was around the time of BMX Bandits and I loved Judy. A few of us had BMX outfits and we'd cycle around where we lived, finding natural tracks and jumps on the old railway line. I remember having a blue, plastic helmet with a face-guard and goggles. It was amazing!
I remember a new development near where we lived and we'd go and hang out there a lot. A place with lots of ramps, mounds of sand and interesting things to try to jump over was far too tempting for kids with BMXs. We used to get chased off by security now and again which caused us to pedal furiously while giggling madly as he puffed and panted to catch up with us.
I must have had this bicycle for quite a while as it was on my 13th birthday that I was cycling to school in the morning. There used to be a huge pack of us that rode to school together and on this day we were going fast down a road when somebody passed me on the inside and clipped my wide BMX handlebars. I hit the road and slid along on my face for a while. I can vividly remember all of it though and also being taken to my friend Charlotte's house where her mum called my mum. I can remember being taken back home and laid on the sofa where my mum told me to not fall asleep. I was pretty scraped up and my party that night had to be cancelled. Although it was just postponed for a month or so and turned out to be a great night anyway. In fact I still have a tiny scar on my chin from that very crash.
There were really never any mentions of helmets either. None of us wore them, ever. Well we did start wearing them on our BMXs, like mini motocross helmets with face-guards and stuff, but never any other time. Even when I was learning I never had a helmet. You just didn't need one… In fact I can't even remember if we used lights that much. We did have reflectors on the bikes though and I seem to remember them being really massive and seemed quite cool at the time. Definitely no high-vis though.
Update: In fact re-reading this I also remember doing cycling proficiency at school. All of my friends came to do it but not so we could learn how to ride, but as an excuse to ride around on the school yard. I remember the instructor telling us to "Stop doing bunny hops". I'm sure we did use lights too...After that bicycle I had a few different ones but can't really remember them. I do remember a white step-through racer that I ended up with after it was left outside my grandma's sweet shop. She advertised it for months and asked around but nobody claimed it, so it was mine. My dad put this weird foam handlebar grips on it which looked more like pipe lagging and worked about as well. He used washing up liquid to get them on so every time it rained the handlebars would start to create a soapy lather. Not ideal...
Much later on I got my first racing bike. Last night I could remember what it looked like but not the type. As I'm writing this I remember it was a Raleigh Equipe. A white and grey frame with some yellow on it. I guess this was probably when I was around 14/15 as I used it to cycle to school and to my friends houses and it looked like this one:
Update: I did also have a Trek Antelope 830 while I was at university. The only real things I remember doing on this was cycling miles around Aberdeen going to car boot sales, riding up to the trails through the woods outside of the city and also getting caught by campus security cycling around the building in my underwear for some kind of forfeit. I forget why...which is probably wise. It looked a little like this one:
A bicycle, when I was a kid, was just something that you had. It was the way you went to see friends and had the freedom to get to school. I feel terribly sorry for people that haven't had the chance to cycle around as kids. Of course by the time we all got to about 17 we all wanted to drive cars instead, but bicycles were the real first taste of freedom I ever had. In fact, ironically, I find the same freedom now but from cars instead. I feel the same now when I start pedaling my fixed-gear bicycle through London that I did when I was little. That just by putting a little bit of effort in, I can go anywhere; that has never changed.
My current Reynolds 531 frame fixed-gear bicycle.
