The Man And His Training Wheels

      Last year, around middle of the year, a man in his thirties went viral on Facebook because he decided to bike to work—using a bicycle with training wheels. Yup, training wheels, the two small wheels attached to the rear wheel to stop the bike from falling. The public praised him for his resiliency and perseverance. Imagine, biking to work when you don’t even know how to properly ride a bike.

     This morning, I saw him again on Facebook, and he’s still biking to work—still using a bike with (gasp) training wheels. But unlike before when he (not the one on photo) was using a small bike with fit-for-kids training wheels, he’s now using what looks like a newish 29er mountain bike with training wheels almost half the size of his tires.

     What happened? It’s been a year, and he still doesn’t know how to ride a bike? Every biker will tell you that it’s very uncomfortable to ride a bike with training wheels. First, it will slow you down. It’s like walking with crutches. Second, it’s hard to maneuver. Third, it’s wobbly as the training wheels should be both slightly higher than the rear wheel (for braking purposes) so you’re always a bit tilted to a side as you ride.

    A determined individual usually learns how to ride a bike in a day or two. On the third or fourth day, this individual will already be riding cautiously around his neighborhood.

     Maybe, he’s really just not confident with his balancing skills. He’s probably scared that he will lose his balance and fall while riding side by side with motor vehicles, especially trucks. Last March, a young lady cyclist, a skilled one as she’s using clipless pedals, lost her balance while biking and a truck following her crushed her and killed her.

     Still, he remains deserving of praises for working hard and focusing on his job.