Poll: Can you swim and/or ride a bicycle.

[Rednog]

I've done both in the past, but I honestly haven't done either in years. So I wouldn't be surprised if it has gotten to the point where I can't do it anymore.

 

[Friendly Lich]

I can swim and Ride a bike what I can't understand is this thread. It must must be one of those "boring things" you were talking about dags.

 

[Furbyz]

I was the fat kid. I could never balance worth a damn so I never got the hang of learning to ride a bike. My experience with that was get on bike, fall over, repeat for 2 hours.

Swimming though I would do all day if I could have. I was scared of the diving board at first but once I did, cannon ball all the things. Or the belly buster if I was feeling masochistic. I loved swimming. It was one of the few physical activities that I didn't feel terrible at.

 

[Slayer_2]

Learned to bike at 5, I've got tens of thousands of kilometers behind the handlebars. I usually bike to work or school, and leave the car for social activities, shopping, and long trips.

I learned to swim around then too, I was forced to by my parents, for safety reasons. Not really a huge swimmer, I only enjoy it in lakes and rivers. Oceans and pools are gross to me, except in some tropical places.

 

[ATRAYA]

I can't swim because I find myself unable to float. I can't trust the water to support me. I try but I feel myself start to sink and then I panic. I can't stop myself. I just can't do it. I recall one time as a child I learned how to float in the sea once, but I've never been able to do it before or since. I think it might have something to do with the fact I'm skinny as shit.

<--- Currently 6' and 135#. Always rail thin. I can float pretty well. I can keep my head out of the water while floating if I hold my breath.

The "I'm too dense to float" thing is mostly myth. Take a look at an Olympic swimmer, those guys can sure as hell float, and there's not an ounce of fat on them. Maybe if you have tiny lungs, that might be the reason. Not quite as flattering as "I can't float because I'm so shredded, grr", but maybe more accurate (but probably still not). Most people who can't float just don't go about it right. Relax, inhale deeply, spread out.

I'm with Scrustle on this one. I've tried literally EVERY technique from dozens of different people, even a couple swimming teachers. I sank straight to the bottom at every attempt. One teacher told me that there is a rare percent of people that just CAN'T float for whatever reason. She based it on personal experience, but still... Nevertheless, I can swim just fine, I just swim near the bottom of the area I'm in. lol That's the only way I can get OUT of deep waters, because I have to swim to find somewhere shallow where I can stand. :/

Needless to say, I think I'll stick to the hot tub.

 

[ATRAYA]

That doesn't work for everyone, I sink like a rock no matter what I try. Though everyone I know finds it amusing since people aren't suppose to sink. I can still swim though, the only problem is when I stop moving.

Have you tried dying? Dead people float pretty well unless they're wearing cement shoes.

Some bodies sink. It saves me a ton of money on lead weights...

 

[Supertegwyn]

I can swim and ride a bike.

That's just how awesome I am.

 

[Evil Smurf]

I can swim and ride well. This makes me slightly above average man!

 

[Jopoho]

I can't swim because I find myself unable to float. I can't trust the water to support me. I try but I feel myself start to sink and then I panic. I can't stop myself. I just can't do it. I recall one time as a child I learned how to float in the sea once, but I've never been able to do it before or since. I think it might have something to do with the fact I'm skinny as shit.

<--- Currently 6' and 135#. Always rail thin. I can float pretty well. I can keep my head out of the water while floating if I hold my breath.

The "I'm too dense to float" thing is mostly myth. Take a look at an Olympic swimmer, those guys can sure as hell float, and there's not an ounce of fat on them. Maybe if you have tiny lungs, that might be the reason. Not quite as flattering as "I can't float because I'm so shredded, grr", but maybe more accurate (but probably still not). Most people who can't float just don't go about it right. Relax, inhale deeply, spread out.

I'm with Scrustle on this one. I've tried literally EVERY technique from dozens of different people, even a couple swimming teachers. I sank straight to the bottom at every attempt. One teacher told me that there is a rare percent of people that just CAN'T float for whatever reason. She based it on personal experience, but still... Nevertheless, I can swim just fine, I just swim near the bottom of the area I'm in. lol That's the only way I can get OUT of deep waters, because I have to swim to find somewhere shallow where I can stand. :/

Needless to say, I think I'll stick to the hot tub.

I can attest to this. Some people are just naturally sinkers, though they do tend to get more buoyant once they get old and their bones start to thin out (depressing I know). In lifeguard class, I seemed to always have to rescue the one kid in our class who was a natural sinker, and it was annoying. Of course I want to drag your pretend-lifeless body a full twelve feet upwards! Why do you ask?

 

[Ed Classified]

I learned both as a child. I can still do both, but due to my asthma, smoking and being lazy and out of shape I don't have the stamina to cycle or swim for very long. I much prefer walking to both of them.

 

[Joccaren]

Both.

Living in Australia its near impossible not to know how to swim. Considering my Grandparents live 5 minutes from the beach, and my dad was into competitive swimming when he was young, I learned to swim maybe a month after I learned to walk.
Riding a bike was something I learned because my parents wanted to, though I haven't kept in practice. There is no reason to ride my bike anywhere - its inconvenient and more dangerous than the normal bus/car transport I'll take - and I prefer to do other things with my time than aimlessly ride my bike around. Still can ride it though.

 

[Drefanator]

I learnt both when I was around 6 or so, swimming was taught to me by my grandma at a lake over a summer that i stayed with my grandparents. Biking I actually taught myself, all my friends had their training wheels off and one evening I got on one of their bikes (It was a pink girls bike) and I just went around the complex. I got off the bike, ran home super happy, got my mom to take off my training wheels and the rest was history.


I haven't gone swimming or biked in years, but meh, I know how, I will always know how. I'm not as brave or stupid as I was 5 years ago where i'd ride around standing on my seat without hands, but whatever, I can get around, I can go for days. That's all that matters to me.

 

[TehCookie]

That doesn't work for everyone, I sink like a rock no matter what I try. Though everyone I know finds it amusing since people aren't suppose to sink. I can still swim though, the only problem is when I stop moving.

Have you tried dying? Dead people float pretty well unless they're wearing cement shoes.

I've been tempted, but it seemed kind of permanent. You wouldn't happen to have a phoenix down would you?

 

[prophecy2514]

For aussies growing up in the 90's swimming to us is as natural as birds already knowing how to fly or spiders knowing how to spin webs. Its instinctive...

More seriously, I remember starting swimming lessons at about age 6 I think. Started in the beginner class first day. Moved up to the advanced class the next with kids much much older, already knew how to freestyle and backstroke from swimming in murray river on camping trips.

Bikes were the same, I must have got off the training wheels when I was 5 maybe, got a bike for xmas every now and again when it was time for an upgrade. Dont ride anymore though, for me a bike was a device to get from A to B, having a car makes that trip somewhat redundant now on a bike

 

[nylonshred]

The last I checked I was able to do both. But that was years ago!

 

[Fijiman]

I can do both, but I've not ridden a bike in a long time so I question my ability to actually ride one right now.

 

[dangoball]

I can both swim and ride a bike. Not that I'm much good at either.

Riding a bike was never a favorite hobby of mine, always preferred walking as my means of transport. More time to check and enjoy surroundings. And you can't have much of a conversation with your co-biker, either.

When I was still a little kid, helper wheels fresh off, I was riding down a little hill in our street and my older brother was riding from the other side. I took my feet off pedals since it was an old style bike it's pedals kept spinning. I completely lost control yet managed to avoid falling to the ground by steering from side to side. Which made it impossible for my brother to avoid me. The impact of our bikes clashing sent me flying over his head, he went straight for the gravel. The fun thing is that he was the one yelled at by parents, even though it was all my fault.

As for swimming, I was a competitive swimmer for a few years. The one at last three position in any race, but hey, someone has to be last, right? At least I know all swimming styles (I was actually considering butterfly as my secondary style) and considerable lung capacity.
No fun stories with swimming I can think of, so no spoiler tag here.

 

[omega 616]

I can ride a bike but I can't swim.

I can't swim because I find myself unable to float. I can't trust the water to support me. I try but I feel myself start to sink and then I panic. I can't stop myself. I just can't do it. I recall one time as a child I learned how to float in the sea once, but I've never been able to do it before or since. I think it might have something to do with the fact I'm skinny as shit.

I did have swimming lessons as a young child though, kind of. It was a traumatic event. I was always bullied at school and having to expose myself like that just made things worse. People just laughed at how useless I was. The "teacher" was fucking useless as well. They gave me next to no instructions at all. They just told me to try and float. Well I fucking couldn't, and just telling me to do it won't fix anything. Fucking stupid *****.

So I can't swim and I have no intention of ever learning.

Riding a bike is a different story. I picked that up really easily as a child. I remember the first time I was able to ride a bike by myself I spent some time simply going around in circles. I was trying to turn in to my lean to right myself, but I didn't realise that I was leaning because I was turning. I was stuck like that for a little while.

In secondary school I used to ride my bike to school every day and one year I joined in with everyone who was getting in to mountain biking. That summer was damn fun. Did some crazy shit. Since leaving school my bike just collects dust in the garage though.

Not to be a douche or anything but swimming and cycling are pretty much the same. Trying to float is like trying to stand/sit on a bike without moving it ... takes a bit of skill. Sure you can tread water but that is basically swimming on the spot.

When your moving is when it is easy, when you ride you can keep your balance and when you move your arms and legs you float. If you ever change your mind and decide to try and swim again just keep it in mind.

On topic. I can do both, didn't want to learn how to swim but got forced to and I wanted to ride a bike so I did that at a pretty young age.

Don't do any of either at the moment, although I want to start riding again, to try and lose a little weight.

 

[Helmholtz Watson]

Being Dutch, I can naturally do both.

I don't think there's a single Dutch child, without a serious medical condition, that does not learn these things.

On top of that basically everyone owns a bike at all times here.

wait, why does Dutch=great at swimming and riding a bike?

OP:I like to work out, so naturally I can do both.

 

[Angry_squirrel]

I'm an alright swimmer, I can do distance but not speed.

I used to be able to do all kinds of tricks on a BMX, until I broke my collarbone a few years back. I can still ride a bike, but I get scared doing anything where there is a chance I might hurt myself. Riding on steep hills, busy roads, or god forbid ramps and the like, freaks me out now.