Ah, the bicycle! Back when children actually exercised, most of us in the neighborhood had bikes.

As a toddler, I first had a tricycle, but my mom eventually donated it to the Goodwill. I remember being devastated like Orson Wells in “Citizen Kane” when his beloved Rosebud went missing. Without wheels, I remember feeling very betrayed that my red tricycle was gone.

But a few years later, I got my first real bicycle. Mine arrived on Christmas. I think it was an emerald green Schwinn with training wheels. Both my twin sister Teresa and I received one and I’m sure they were a major expense for a mother who was strapped with six children.

We used to ride up and down our cul-de-sac for hours. Gradually, the training wheels would be raised, until they were eventually removed and we were floating on two wheels, with the training wheels gathering dust in the garage.

There were so many popular brands of bicycles during those times. Stingray bikes I remember vividly.  With their banana- shaped seats, they evoked a sense of coolness for any bicycle owner. One of my neighbors had one, and I remember being very jealous.

When Teresa and I got into high school, we convinced my mom that bicycles for the two of us would be a good investment. They were cheaper than taking the bus and gave my older sister a break from driving us to school.  Plus, we were ecology advocates, and soon we were cycling our three-speed bikes along Ventura Blvd. to Colfax and up the street to North Hollywood High.

In college, I had a multitude of 10-speeds, riding through Isla Vista to and from UCSB. I didn’t have any money so a bike came in handy to get me everywhere. A few of them got stolen over the years, but I scraped up enough money to buy a different one every time one went missing.

Eventually, I transitioned to hybrid mountain bikes, which allowed me to ride on just about any terrain. Dirt paths were now available, enabling me to plow through, mud, and pebbles, and explore remote areas that were of interest to me.

I have knee issues now, so riding a bike is a bit tricky, because of balance issues. Walking and swimming are my sports of choice.

But the memories that I have of my bikes will always be with me. Nothing compares to that first bicycle and the scrapes I endured while learning how to ride.