why I ride a bicycle
I ride a bicycle because
- it fits my needs perfectly
- it carries less responsibility than a scooter, motorcycle, or car
- it doesn't require a license
- it doesn't pollute the world
- it doesn't suffer from traffic jams
- it is quiet
- it is the simplest form of transportation, yet it's sufficient to climb a mountain
- it is the cheapest form of transportation (not so cheap though)
- it is one of the simplest sports
- I admire those who commute by bicycle, and those who don't own a car
- it is a personal rule of mine to seek deep pleasures
why not get a scooter?​
I've always had the idea of getting a scooter since high school, for the one and only reason:
it signifies that I'm an adult, and I can finally do what adults do, I'm gonna be so cool!
that might just be me, I'm not saying that everyone thinks the same, but it's safe to say that many people are influenced by status, identity, ownership, and control, me too, that's just not for me
there are 5 convenience stores and 4 supermarkets near my home, all within 5 mins of walking, I don't need a scooter to buy household goods
and after my parents stopped going to costco, I realized there isn't even a need to buy things in bulk, whenever I do, I can just use whatever delivery service available
I'm also afraid to get a scooter because I don't wanna get addicted to it, I'd rather stay with my bicycle, it's where my heart lives
I'm grateful that I live in taipei, public transportation is awesome here, so that's one less reason for it
so, what got me into it? and how?​
sometime in 2024, I started looking for a more efficient way to get around, so I could get my boba tea even faster, of course it won't be a car, neither do I want a scooter, so a bicycle it is
I was terrified to start learning, and I'm a zoomer, so naturally, before I really started to learn, I kept searching for the best cycling tutorial, and how people learned to ride it, so I could minimize my chance of falling, as you might've guessed, those don't help at all if you don't even start doing the damn thing
however, I didn't go on social media to ask how to learn it before starting, that's a plus!
after being depressed for a while, I asked my dad to give me a hand, we rented a youbike, went to an open space near my middle school, and he held the bike while I'm gliding on it
eventually I found that it's best to glide on your own, you don't even need another person to help, similar to training wheels, those don't help
it's better to be independent!
just lower the saddle, push off and glide, lift both feet slightly off the ground, you can't even fall this way, I don't know how people fall off learning to cycle...
for about 4~6 hours over 2 days, I could finally cycle forward and turn without falling off, albeit wobbling a little bit
that's it, the hardest thing was overcoming the unknown fear of learning a new thing
I actually like cycling​
the moment I learned to cycle, I fell in love with it
after a couple of months, I bought a road bike as my main sport and commuting tool
I didn't know a bicycle could cost more than a couple thousand ntd...
since then, I've been using it to get around the traffic, and cycling up yang ming shan to take pictures of the stars, all without the stink and noise of scooters 🤮
everytime I ride it, I carry it down and up 5 floors, and I mean every time, I don't even want to put it downstairs, it's really fun to see how fast your strength improves when you put effort into the things you actually love without even noticing
I like getting to places with my own effort, taking things at my own pace, having full control of the experience
moreover, the sense of accomplishment that you'll get endlessly during cycling, is priceless
I don't know what riding a scooter or driving feels like, nor do I care to find out at this moment
I will continue to refuse riding a scooter, until it is absolutely needed
I'm not saying those who ride a scooter are wrong, I'm saying that we really can consider different options first before following the trends, sometimes utopia exists just a step away, and we might never get to it if we just follow others' path blindly
I wrote worthless before gemini corrected it to priceless, so I guess it helped
YouBike - the most successful thing taiwan has ever created, it's better and more polished than the bike share services in japan
have you ever thought about learning to ride a bicycle?
how much fear did you have before you started?
or did you not choose it? why?