Can we forget how to ride a bicycle ?
By 4mymak
@4mymak (1793)
Malaysia
November 27, 2007 2:42am CST
Do you think it is possible to forget how to ride a bicycle?
A few months ago, an old friend was telling me how she had wanted to ride her son's bicycle to go to a nearby grocery shop... but she couldnt - she had forgotten how to ride... she couldnt balance herself, and finally just gave up. Well... she did say she hadnt cycled for many, many years... since she had her first son, and i think her son is 17 years old now...
I hadnt thought much of it until recently...
you see.. i, too.. hadnt cycled since i got married - fifteen years ago.. and recently, while we were on holiday - my husband rented this two-seater bicycles, for the family to go cycling together. Suddenly i remembered my friend's story and I got scared - I wasnt sure if i still know how to ride the bicycle ??
But guess what ?? I could... I was surprised myself.
So.. what do you think... is it possible to forget how to ride the bicycle.. would you be willing to learn how to, again ?
5 people like this
15 responses
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
14 Oct 09
Hello youless. I agree with you on this point that it is hard to forget how to ride once we have learned how. Right now I am still riding my bike, but quite a few colleagues of mine say to me that I need to get a scooter. I have heard many of them say so to me, but I will wait for another year or so since my Forever Brand bike is still in good use. I love my bike because I think that I can exercise my legs, but if I use a scooter, there is no exercise at all as we don't need to use our legs to paddle it. Anyway, I will take it into consideration next year.
@metschica25 (5399)
• United States
30 Nov 08
Hello 
I dont think we can forget how to ride one . We might be a little rusty but i think after awhile it would come back to us . I have not rode one in many years but have been wanting to with my fiance . Im just scared it will go outta control and I will get hurt 
I think i might give it a try this year at the park . I miss riding so much .
I dont think we can forget how to ride one . We might be a little rusty but i think after awhile it would come back to us . I have not rode one in many years but have been wanting to with my fiance . Im just scared it will go outta control and I will get hurt I think i might give it a try this year at the park . I miss riding so much .
@whittby (3072)
• United States
15 Apr 08
I got a bike about ten years ago. Now it had been probably thirty years since I had ridden a bike before that. I was a little shaky, but managed to do okay. I had to learn out to shift gears, of course, since my old bikes never had that many gears. A two seater bike sounds like a lot of fun. Nowadays I ride a bike described by the bike shop as a "comfort" seat bike.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
19 Nov 08
Hello 4mymak. I don't think that I will ever forget how to ride a bicycle as I ride it every so often when I go shopping in the downtown area. As to your friend, I think that it is after so many years' of not riding a bike that makes her feel so scared to ride one that she finds it hard to balance her bike. It has a lot to do with this, I guess. Good day, friend.
@phoenix25 (1541)
• United States
10 May 08
I don't know. I couldn't imagine "forgetting" how to ride a bicycle. Researchers at John's Hopkins have discovered that one part of the brain learns a new skill, another part remembers it after about 6 hours of doing it, and the cerebellum remembers how to perform the skill after that. I have to wonder if there is not some medical explanation for your friend's experience. Technically, the brain would not just "forget" how to perform a physical skill like that. Would you forget how to drive a car if you had not driven in 17 years? I also wonder if maybe your friend might have some kind of inner ear problem that she previously did not have or might not even know about that is keeping her from being able to keep her balance. I have not ridden a bike in about 7 years. If I got on one today, I might be a bit wobbly starting out, but I really don't think I would not be ABLE to make it to the grocery store.
@aneer72 (179)
• India
27 Nov 07
I don't think so! But you may have to practice a few times before regaining the balance.
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
8 Mar 08
It's probably not so much as forgetting how to ride rather being so out of practice that it takes a little while to get the hang of it again. I didnt ride for about 15 years, but when I started again, I had no problem with remembering how to do it.
@dianagnes (1088)
• Singapore
27 Nov 07
its not possible to forgot to ride bicycle..i think your friend have got lost her balancing in cycling.thats why she does not able to cycle..and as for you,you have got the answer that its not possible to cycle after a long years..hehe!Its all about our balance..your friend nee to learn how to balance and soon be able to ride the bicycle back...hehe
@eyewitness (1575)
• Netherlands
26 Dec 07
Well someone once told me that when you learned to ride a bycicle you never forget it,just like swimming.
It could be possible that it's between the ears or that we're afraid to do ride a bike when we haven't done it for a long long time,but we won't forget to ride our bike.
@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
22 Jan 08
I did, when I tried about 10-15 years ago and it took quite some time, and even after doing it for awhile my balance wasn't great - but then I'm a little dyspraxic - my motor skills aren't up to par.
@goodsign (2287)
• Malaysia
27 Nov 07
![[ Double Paddles Bicycle ] - [http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1340691.aspx] - [Can we forget how to ride a bicycle?] - [4mymak (150)].](http://img.mylot.com/350x350/1812627.jpg "[ Double Paddles Bicycle ] - [http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1340691.aspx] - [Can we forget how to ride a bicycle?] - [4mymak (150)].")
Hi & Hello, 4mymak.
I think it is hard to forget how to ride bicycle. Maybe she scared too much and was more thinking about to fall from the bicycle. For me, I enjoy riding Jitensha/Charinko(used bicycle from Japan) once a week with my sons for every weekend.
Happy Postings and Earnings, 4mymak.
HAPPY DAPPY.
@prettyhanan (694)
• Malaysia
28 Nov 07
Hello and Hi 4mymak.
I don't think we can forget how to ride a bicycle. My mom who didn't riding it for 26 years old still can riding last month. Maybe its depend on the person. But for me it is impossible to forget it after we were trough how hard to learn it. Correct me if I am wrong.
HAPPY LUCKY.
**prettyhanan**
@thuynhu (661)
• United States
27 Nov 07
I personally don't believe you could really forget how to ride a bike. I know they use that figure of speech at times, but then again you never really know cause anything is possible. Things happen and some people may just forget but I would just save myself the trouble of every forget by just making sure I ride a bike every now and then. I mean it is also a good form of exercise, wouldn't you agree? But of course if it ever came down to it that I forgot somehow, I would most definitely be willing to learn again. I may look a little silly but I will get over it eventually.
