How did you get into cycling?

So, I'm curious—how did you all actually get into this? Like, when did you first start riding, what age were you when you got your first bike, what kind of gear were you running back then, and how far were you hitting on those early rides? Just looking to hear some stories...

For me, it all started like this: since I was about 12, I had an old, beat-up Pony, but it was still rideable. As a kid, I used it to explore every route the MTA buses run through out of San Jose: a small town in Pennsylvania, the Kupa River region, a small village, a small village, a small village, a small village, a rural region, and even out toward the Drought area. One time, I nearly made it all the way to Indianapolis. It was just pure childhood curiosity driving me to push further and see everything. Eventually, the Pony gave up on me, which led to a roughly 20-year break... 🙂. For the last two years, I’ve been back in the saddle, though I've traded the Pony for a Merida trekking bike. I ride it every day to work and back (about 21 miles). On weekends, I go for the occasional long ride. Last year, I rode to the coast. This year, who knows where... 🙂. So, that’s my brief history. What’s yours?

Nice...

Got my first Victoria's Secret (basically a mini Pony) back before first grade, then eventually upgraded to a Pony. Around 5th or 6th grade, I ended up with a Specialized Rockhopper. That thing was a total tank, heavy as hell... probably built by some state agency employee out of old gas pipes. I wiped out on it so hard I still have the scars. After about three years, the hub just gave up, so I moved on to an Esperia around '99. Now that was a solid bike—aluminum frame, super light. It was a little small for me, which actually made it pretty snappy. Took that thing everywhere. Still riding it, but it needs a new chain, the drivetrain, and a rear derailleur (Shimano)... plus the rims are a bit bent. Didn't feel like sinking money into it since it lacks a front suspension, so in 2006, I picked up a KTM that I still have today. Only mod was the fork, because the stock one sucked (RockShox SID is way better), so now it's a beast. Ride whenever I can, usually at least 12 miles. Love those all-day rides, hitting 50-62 miles miles, but this heat is killing me right now 😠

I got my first road bike when I was about 14 or 15, back in the 80s. Back then, your options were basically limited to two brands: a generic brand or a Unis. I ended up with the Unis; it was slightly lighter and had narrower tires. Mountain bikes weren't really a thing yet, so we were all obsessed with racing styles, though we could always be found staring at the Bianchis in the window of a local metal industry worker's shop in the Vlach region. I mostly used the bike to go fishing, riding through the terrain along the right bank of the Mississippi, stretching from the railroad bridge near a small village all the way to the Mississippi Delta. It was an ordeal. The gravel roads had just been laid down, and it was perfectly normal to have your rim sink straight into the loose shale. Then there was the coarse gravel; after a few miles on that stuff, you’d practically suffer a mild concussion. And don't even get me started on riding through surface excavations. Purely recreational rides usually consisted of loops around San Jose. Then life happened—the military, college, work, cars—and somewhere along the line, the bike ended up in the darkest corner of the attic. But just as Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, "I'll be back," and so did I. I never forgot how punishing the terrain and the equipment could be, so I set out to find a bike capable of handling everything from fishing trips to my daily commute. That search eventually led me to the Trek Fuel EX 8.

I’m a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to bikes—didn't even learn how to ride until I was 13. It took months of begging and actual tears before my parents finally gave in, but then one morning, there it was, sitting right in the driveway. Honestly, just thinking back to that rush of pure joy gives me chills... 😍
That first bike only lasted about two years before my idiot neighbor crashed into it—totally trashed it against a hedge 😠🤣.
Then came middle school, and I didn't touch a bike again until I got this Diamondback for my birthday that I absolutely loved. Around that same time, I started getting interested in trail riding, though I mostly stuck to things that fit my own pace and style... But there was this one specific moment where everything clicked, you know? 😁 It was when I went out riding with some guys from the local club toward Mount Rainier, and they were flying at this insane, aggressive pace. They didn't give a damn that I was just a beginner with zero cardio—and a girl, too. But I pushed through it anyway, and man, I felt incredible afterward 🙂 even though I honestly thought I was going to pass out 😂
Since then, I've been diving into the technical side of things, too—learning about all the gear and components out there... yeah,

My first real taste of cycling started when I was maybe four or five years old... I got my very first bike back then. It all kicked off pretty seriously with some downhill mountain biking... my older brother was always there, giving me pointers on how to handle the trails. I still remember him pushing me for miles and miles until I finally figured out how to ride on my own (I mean, I technically understood the mechanics, but having him push me 😁 just felt right). I think I've shared this photo before, but let's just put it up here one more time

I’ve been riding for about 6 years now... started out on my brother's little kid bike. Eventually, I finally got my own BMX.

It started with a tricycle—the kind without that little platform in the back—just cruising around the house and then out in the yard. From there, we graduated to an 18-inch bike for those steeper hills, then a pony bike for riding through town, followed by a Rog Junior for exploring the neighborhood, and now they're all about hitting trekking trails around the area...

I feel like this whole thread has been heading off the rails from the jump because I think everyone’s totally misinterpreting what we're actually doing here. Sure, every single one of us got a bike as a kid and figured out how to pedal, but that doesn't mean you're actually into cycling. Honestly, it feels pretty pointless to just sit here debating stuff as basic as "this is when my dad bought me a bike" or "that's when my mom got me one"...
What this was supposed to be about is the stuff that actually brought people to this corner of the internet—which, if you ask me, is the actual hobby of cycling as adults, or that moment when we made a conscious choice to ride, rather than just having a bike tossed at us as a standard part of growing up like every other kid in America.
So yeah, I'm kind of washing my hands of this topic; if you guys want to keep going with it, go ahead, but I'm out.

That’s exactly where my head was at, too. Look, here's the deal: I've been riding mountain bikes recreationally for about five or six years now, ever since I first dragged a hybrid bike into the woods. 🙂

I got my first bike back in sixth grade—a heavy, blue and yellow FS-$500 beast. I used it to hammer out some rides from San Francisco to Oakland (about 7.5 miles round trip) and even pushed it on a run toward Napa (roughly 9.9 miles there and back). I ended up snapping the fork once at a skate park and again out on some rough trails.
Three years ago, I picked up an Author Solution, which is a pretty entry-level MTB. I use it for 35-28 miles mile stints, mostly road riding and whatever else comes my way... but honestly, I don’t have the same guts I had in middle school. I’m hesitant to head too far outside the city limits, especially since I don't have a crew to hit trails like the ones near Mount Rainier with. (If anyone from the West Coast wants to link up and ride, hit me up so we can coordinate 😉).

hiddenstag5 said:I think this whole thread has been heading off course from the jump—it feels like people just aren't catching what I'm actually getting at. Look, everyone gets a bike when they're a kid and learns how to pedal, but that doesn't mean they're actually into cycling. So, it feels pretty pointless to sit here debating stuff as basic as "When my dad bought me my first ride..." or "When my mom got me one..."
What we should be talking about here is what actually brings people to a community like this—which, if you ask me, is the decision to take up cycling as an adult, or choosing it as a lifestyle once we're old enough to make our own calls, rather than just some random toy we had during childhood like every other kid out there.
Anyway, I'm stepping back from this topic. If you guys want to keep going, be my guest...

Man, you totally took the words right out of my mouth.😉

hiddenstag5 said:I think this whole thread has been heading off on a tangent from the jump because people seem to be misinterpreting the point. I mean, sure, almost everyone gets a bike as a kid and learns how to ride—but that isn't really "being a cyclist". So, it feels pretty pointless to spend all this time debating something as basic and universal as "When my dad bought me my first bike..." or "When my mom got me one..."
What we should actually be talking about is what brings people to a community like this—which, in my book, is the decision to get into cycling as an adult, or at least when we made it a conscious lifestyle choice, rather than just some random thing that happened during childhood like it does for most kids.
Anyway, I'm stepping away from the topic. If anyone else wants to keep going, be my guest...

But you don't have to walk away from it... feel free to keep posting if you want.😁

Man... biking was never just a hobby for me. Even when we were kids, we were constantly tearing down hillsides. 😳 😍

Now that I'm older 🙂, I mostly stick to the pavement since I've got a road bike. I usually just ride around town because my schedule is pretty packed (plus, I'm typically out in the mountains on the weekends anyway). Still, I put in some decent miles around the city (decent by my standards 🙂), though I haven't tracked the exact mileage—I just know I’m out there for about an hour or an hour and a half on average.

Honestly, it’s kind of ridiculous. I was just sitting outside when the idea hit me to finally pick up a bike. At the time, I figured it was just a passing phase—buy a bike, ride it for a week, and then call it quits. But I ended up falling for it, and here I am, two years later and counting. I don't think a single day goes by where I don't get out for at least 12 miles. Rain, snow, doesn't matter. I'm actually planning on upgrading to a better bike soon so I can do some more traveling. 🙂 Best,

hiddenstag5 said:This thread has been off track from the start because I think people are misinterpreting the goal. Everyone gets a bike as a kid and learns how to pedal, but that isn't really being a cyclist. It would be pointless to debate something as mundane and universal as "When my dad bought me..." or "When my mom got me..."

I don't understand why anyone would want to intentionally ruin that small joy of remembering your first bike. The photo Eppur posted is indescribably lovely. It’s a shame there isn't some random lady in the background so I could Photoshop her into a cycling enthusiasts page. I'm actually considering doing just that.

In my case, my dad didn't buy me a bike because we were short on cash; instead, he traded a crate of wine from his vineyard for a used pony. Now, you can't exactly describe that in a way that makes you sigh and say, pure poetry!, accompanied by an appropriate sniffle, but someone out there surely has a beautiful story they'd want to share with the rest of the forum.

The point here was supposed to be about what brought people to this forum—which, in my view, is recreational cycling as adults, or the moment we made a conscious choice to ride, rather than it just being a standard part of childhood like it is for everyone else.

I think we should write about that, too. 🙂

After a long hiatus, I started riding again the year before last—first through my sister's fault, and now thanks to her.
I realized how beautiful Washington, D.C. actually is when you aren't separated from it by tram glass; how there is always a breeze if you ride fast enough; and how, while riding, I can organize all the good things and conversations from the day into neat little boxes in my head, without cluttering them with frustration over traffic, crowds, or stoplights. Everything looks different from a simple saddle compared to the pavement, and I fell in love with it. 🙂

No mountain biking, no mud, no downhill descents—nothing. My apologies if I missed the mark on the topic. 🙂

Hey, Richard Reyes38, I’m dealing with that exact same issue. Javier is going to shoot you a DM. Just so we don't go off-topic here—I've been obsessed since I was a kid. I remember back when I was little, I got my first real MTB as a gift for my First Communion (that was ages ago!), and I've been a total cycling enthusiast ever since. Nowadays, there's hardly a day that goes by where I don't put in at least 12 miles. Once I'm old enough to travel more freely, 😉, I'm planning on heading out to ride through other states too.

The very first bike I can remember was this bright red chopper—it had that weird setup where the back wheel was way bigger than the front, and the tires were basically solid rubber. No air, no valves, nothing... just pure, hard rubber. It rattled so violently that I’m pretty sure my baby teeth literally shook loose while I was riding it! 😬 I didn't get to ride it much, though, since we lived in a part of town where you couldn't exactly let a kid wander the streets alone, and there wasn't a park nearby, so I was pretty much stuck riding in the driveway.
Once we moved, I finally got my first "real" bike—I think it was the summer of '84—and that's when I actually learned how to ride. It was an FBP BMX... and after spending a few years tearing up the neighborhood, I started craving something bigger. 🙂 In '87, I scored a Rog MTB, and man, it looked the part... 26" wheels, a rigid fork, Shimano gears, all finished in silver... it was a total beast. 😍
Then, somewhere around '93, I saw people using MTBs to tear through forests and up hills, and I decided right then and there that I had to do it too. That was really my official entry into the world of cycling. A buddy and I decided to head out to Mount Rainier—he was on his BMX, and I was on my MTB... the climb wasn't actually that bad (probably just the adrenaline talking), but the descent down the hiking trail? That was a whole different story. My arms felt like Popeye's after that one—just totally spent—and I completely fried the pads on my rim brakes... after that ordeal, my friend finally upgraded to an MTB too, and from then on, we were constantly hitting the trails at Mount Rainier... oh man, those were the days.
In 2001, I picked up my first Gary... and that's when the story really shifted gear—faster, more intense, harder... XC races, marathons, massive mileage, exploring all sorts of spots across America.
About two years ago, I entered the "Reddit/cycling" phase—meeting new people, finding new trails, checking out new bikes...
Shout out to everyone I've ridden with, and a warm welcome to anyone I haven't met yet... the journey continues (though that'll be for other conversations).

hiddenstag5 said:but that isn't actually cycling

Define "cycling"—where do we draw the line?

hiddenstag5 said:So, I'm dropping the subject.

Fine!

I started taking this seriously when I was four—testing out training wheels by tearing through Central Park like a maniac while my dad chased me down just to prevent a total wreck. Good times. After that, I’d occasionally rip around on my brother's pony, followed by a long hiatus.

Then came the big day: I finally got a real bike—a beautiful blue and white Specialized road bike. I rode the hell out of it, retired it a few years back, took a break, and now I'm back to feeling the wind in my hair whenever I hop on my red Conjack cyclocross bike. It feels too damn good every single time I hit the pedals.