Timeline for Can people forget how to ride a bike?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
15 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jun 29, 2022 at 18:02 | comment | added | jwenting | personal experience (not having used my bike for years because of physical injuries, tried it again last month): not quite but you get seriously out of practice and it takes a while to find your balance again if you've not used a bike for a few years. | |
| Jun 28, 2022 at 2:56 | answer | added | user2199767 | timeline score: 2 | |
| Jun 19, 2022 at 14:37 | comment | added | Daniel R Hicks | I will say that, when I mount a bike, it takes me several seconds to attain balance, and similarly it takes several seconds to stop and dismount, whereas when I was biking daily those activities barely required thought. | |
| Jun 7, 2016 at 12:36 | comment | added | TheMathemagician | I bought a bike aged 20 after not having ridden one at all for ~8 years. I found it somewhat difficult and wobbly but was able to ride it home successfully. I'd certainly lost the ability to ride without my hands on the handlebars. Of course I was also larger and heavier than before. | |
| Jul 17, 2011 at 16:34 | comment | added | CMR | Last year I rode a bike after 18 years to show my son, and it took less than 5 seconds to get oriented. | |
| Jul 16, 2011 at 12:13 | history | edited | Mad Scientist♦ |
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| Jul 16, 2011 at 0:45 | comment | added | Mike Dunlavey | I understood it is the cerebellum (behind and underneath the brain, close to the brain stem) that learns these physical coordination skills, and there's really no consciousness involved. Like walking, it doesn't seem like something you can forget, unless, as @Randolf suggests, part of your brain is removed. I've taught riding - if you fall right, turn right - if left, turn left. It seems like once the cerebellum gets the idea, it becomes automatic. | |
| Jul 15, 2011 at 23:33 | comment | added | Florin Andrei | Another personal anecdote - didn't ride a bike quite a few years, then started riding a motorcycle. No problems. Well, I did crash a couple years later, but that was unrelated to forgetting how to ride. :/ | |
| Jun 1, 2011 at 23:10 | vote | accept | Peter Olson | ||
| Jun 1, 2011 at 23:10 | vote | accept | Peter Olson | ||
| Jun 1, 2011 at 23:10 | |||||
| Jun 1, 2011 at 11:56 | comment | added | Apreche | I went for 5-10 years without riding a bike, and instantly started riding with no problems. Just an anecdote, not an answer. | |
| Jun 1, 2011 at 6:13 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/#!/StackSkeptic/status/75807266791624704 | ||
| Jun 1, 2011 at 5:52 | comment | added | Randolf Richardson | People who experience physical brain damage (e.g., as the result of a serious head injury) could lose certain memories or skills. It can also happen with people who've lost a portion of their brain tissue (e.g., brain surgery to remove a tumour) or have experienced a stroke. | |
| Jun 1, 2011 at 4:48 | answer | added | manojlds | timeline score: 17 | |
| Jun 1, 2011 at 3:58 | history | asked | Peter Olson | CC BY-SA 3.0 |