Tag: bicycle

April 4th, 2026

Asher needed a bicycle. Our five-year-old grandson had one already, but it was old and getting a bit too small for him. The old bike was a gift from the neighbors across the street. It had been their grandson’s bicycle. It was blue and orange with Hot Wheels decals on it. It also had training wheels. My wife complained that the training wheels were noisy and kept Asher from listening to her when they rode together around the neighborhood. It is possible that Asher simply did not want to listen to her, but the training wheels do in fact make a racket. In any case, the old bike was no longer suitable, so Karin searched the Internet for a replacement.

She found one. There is a bicycle manufacturer in Indiana that makes rides for kids. The bikes are high quality and pricey. The bikes even have hand brakes which is kind of unusual for kids that age. Karin sent Asher’s measurements to the company, and they suggested a 20″ small bike for Asher. Asher selected a bicycle with a pink frame and aqua blue tire rims. Karin ordered the bicycle and it was supposed to get delivered by FedEx three days ago. Asher was thrilled.

The bike did not show up three days ago. On the FedEx website it showed leaving Indiana four days ago, arriving in Chicago, and then leaving there just after midnight on Wednesday morning. We assumed it would get delivered around midday. By Wednesday evening, the website still showed the package as leaving Chicago with no further update. I worked at a trucking company for almost 28 years, so I got suspicious. We live near Milwaukee. Milwaukee is only ninety miles from Chicago. If the bike was still on the trailer, then that trailer probably was not going to Milwaukee. On Thursday morning, I saw that the bicycle was in Syracuse, New York. It had been misloaded in Chicago and took an unnecessary trip of several hundred miles.

Asher was not pleased. He spent all Thursday asking when bike would come. The website said it would get delivered on Friday. We didn’t trust that. We told Asher that it might come on Friday, but it was not for sure. He still was not happy.

Friday morning was rough. The anticipation was overwhelming. About every five minutes Asher asked me, “Did the doorbell ring?”

I would answer, “No”, and then I explained that the FedEx driver usually would not ring the doorbell at a delivery. Asher replied to me,

“Well, Oma (Karin) told me they ring the doorbell!”

Okay, well, then maybe they will.

Right after lunch time, the FedEx driver pulled up and manhandled the box to our front porch. I was waiting for him. He scanned the code on the box, took a picture of our door, and said, “It’s all yours.”

I rang the doorbell for him. Asher never heard it anyway.

I let Asher know the bike was here. Jubilation erupted in the house. I followed the simple instructions to assemble the bike. It wasn’t hard, and manufacturer included a set of tools to do the job. I could have had it put together more quickly if Asher hadn’t talked constantly and given me unsolicited advice on how to do the work. I got it done.

Asher put on a jacket, shoes, and helmet. I had the seat as far down as it would go. The bike has no training wheels. It’s a big boy bike. Asher got on it and I prepared to guide the bicycle until he could it balance and peddle it on his own.

We never moved. He sat on it and said, “Whoa…wait. I am too high on the bike. I can only reach the ground with my tiptoes. I’m scared. I don’t want to ride.”

This was disappointing. He got off of the bike, and I put into the garage out of the way. I told him,

“When you’re ready, the bike will be sitting here.”

I don’t know when Asher will get his courage up and go for a ride. There’s no rush. Maybe he will be ready by summertime. The bike will be waiting for him.