If You’re Impressed By Bike Tricks, This Video Will Impress You

Whether you think bike tricks are neato or not, you gotta appreciate the skill it takes to pull off these tricks...right? The dude's name is Tim Knoll, and he's a pretty good bike rider (just a hint of sarcasm).

Seeing this makes me think about my own youth and how excited I was when I got my first real BMX type bike.  It was a Diamondback, and I thought I was the coolest kid on my street.  We lived out in the county and I had plenty of space to ride and try out new tricks. Now before I go any further, please don't get the wrong impression, I'm using the word "tricks" very loosely. I was able to, maybe, pull off 3-5 moves...I'm talking about the basics, like wheelies and endos and stuff.

And just this morning my wife and I were looking at a new bike for our son, who has outgrown is old bike. The new one he wants does not have a pedal brake, only hand brakes. While explaining what "hand brakes" means, I tried to briefly enlighten him on the concept of an endo and how daddy flipped over the handle bars (on more than one occasion) while riding too fast into an endo. Good times.

I'm just saying, is there anything more connected to our youth than riding a bike? Maybe, but I can't really think of one. For me it was that first taste of freedom. If I wanted to go somewhere, I could, without my parents giving me a ride. I could ride around with my buddies and, for the most part, do what we wanted to do. There was nothing better than riding around on a beautiful summer day.

Alright, this trip down memory lane has gone on long enough. Just thinking about riding a bike is making me tired. Back to sitting in a room and playing music. Enjoy the video!