“I Want to Ride My Bicycle…Well, kind of..."

Love that Bicycle Race song.

Although whenever I hear it, I immediately think about my first bicycle.

Most kids probably picture some shiny new Apollo 5-speed or BMX masterpiece.

Mine was a hand-me-down from my cousin…Susan.

Yep.

Dark blue. Worn tires. White banana seat. Chrome fenders. And one very suspicious frame bar bent downward through the middle.

At first, I didn’t think much about it.

But then my dad removed the training wheels, ripped off the fenders, stepped back proudly, and declared:

“We made a really cool hot rod here, my boy!”

Cool, I thought.

The training wheels were finally gone, and I was ready to show off my new riding skills to the neighborhood.

Then one afternoon, one of the older kids spotted me wobbling down the block and yelled:

“Hey! Nice girl’s bike, kid!”

You know that famous camera effect in Jaws where Roy Scheider suddenly realizes what’s happening in the water and the background stretches while the camera rushes toward him?

Yeah.

That was the exact moment my brain processed the downward-sloping frame bar.

Oh boy.

…err, girl.

Did I stop riding it?

Absolutely not.

That bike represented reckless freedom from everything and everyone — especially the snot-nosed bullies orbiting my block.

I quickly learned to keep a sharp lookout and pedal faster than they could run and ignore whatever insults got thrown my way.

I also knew they probably wouldn’t catch me because nobody wanted to be seen touching that bike anyway.

A few hand-me-downs later, my Mad Max-style escape vehicle eventually evolved into more practical transportation for getting to my after-school job.

Then came:

• Honda scooters

• cars

• motorcycles

But somewhere along the way, that freedom quietly changed forms.

The bicycle gave me freedom, but the paycheck gave me freedom from dependence (and more records, too!).

I’m not entirely sure I ever stopped chasing either one.

What was your first bike?

Tell us over at the Latchkey Boys website.

Thanks for being here.

-Latchkey Boys

What was your first bike?

• Hand-me-down
• New from the Bicycle Shop
• Other