Learning to Ride a Bike Mostly On His Own

If you  live in Singapore, this is a common sight where bicycles were strewn almost everywhere especially in certain places. It's based on a bike sharing app where you can download an app, pay a small fee, and then use the same app to unlock the bicycle.

Previously, we had to pay a deposit about $40 but ever since the big hoohaa over one of the service providers taking all the paid deposits after closing down, leaving hundreds stranded, they removed the compulsory deposit.

And that was where we came in, haha.

So my brother didn't know how to ride a bike. He did try in the past but it failed with him falling with bad scratches. Now this guy could drive a tonner, that huge army vehicle that you sometimes see on the road and smaller army vehicles and also military ambulance.

But he could not ride a bike.

So that kinda put a damper but he put off wanting to ride a bike for so long until they removed the deposit and he started to do some research as to how the charging was like now without the deposit. He thought that this time it was manageable like you choose how much you want to top up your account and then you utilise it until it is finished and then you top up again.

The first time he tried to ride again, we went to Punggol near to Waterway Point and we took some time to walk all the way down where it was less crowded. Now I didn't ride a bike for the longest time too, can safely since 2000, haha. But I tried my best to give him some pointers as and where I could and to be patient as well like putting myself into his shoes.

He tried to follow some but the rest he had to learn by himself such as learning to balance and then pedalling without often moving to the side off balance. It took him two hours to learn and he only managed to cycle very very short distance until he lost his balance again.

Look how sweaty he was, hehe

So freaking tired but it was fun still

As my brother is currently waiting for a chance to be interviewed, aka unemployed, when he can, he tried to practise more. He struggled but he was more determined the more he tried and he got better at the same time too.

The distance got longer and he could ride without being off balance most times. Of course he is still not perfect, but the fact that he tried and tried really showed his strong determination, like saying hey ' i got this'. 

One time, he tried to follow the park connectors at the East Coast Park but he was struggling. But he tried again using another set of park connectors and eventually, he cycled for almost 3 hours ending his journey at Marina Bay. Now that is some feat for a very new and amateur cyclist.

He didn't cycle all the way through. Those paths or slopes he didn't have too much confidence, he would unmount and pushed the bike. Even when he was feeling tired, he would do the same too. But the fact that he persevered was something to be proud of.

I had yet to follow him in a similar adventure like this and hope to one day be able to cycle along the park connectors with him. But he is starting his part-time job soon so I feel that at the very least, he achieved something in life and I hope he adopts this same learning attitude for other things as well.