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How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle: Reflections of an Influential 19th Century Woman
A nineteenth century leader of the women's reform movement describes how, at thirty-three, she learned to ride a bicycle
104 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1895
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233 people want to read
About the author
Frances E. Willard
94 books4 followersFrances Elizabeth Caroline Willard was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 29, 2023
Willard writes an apologia, presenting a reasonable, measured explanation of the persistence required to learn how to bicycle, the value of bicycling to women and of the small garment adjustment necessary for the safety of the female rider--five inches off the bottom of the skirt. Willard's apologia speaks to women who want to bicycle but who are also timid in their self-talk, and Willard also speaks to the families who are reluctant to allow their daughters to bicycle. Willard speaks to the the not-quite-daring-enough women and families.
Here in the linked article can be seen women of about the same time, the turn of the century--who are even more comfortable wearing skirts while exercising on their bicycles.
https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a35...
Here in the linked article can be seen women of about the same time, the turn of the century--who are even more comfortable wearing skirts while exercising on their bicycles.
https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a35...
October 20, 2018
Lika viktig som A Room of One's Own. Passionerad pamflett om hur författaren vid 53 lärde sig cykla och därmed erövrade en ny frihet i ett samhälle med viktorianska värderingar om vad och hur en kvinna är. "Go thou and do likewise!"
May 7, 2024
Gracias a la editorial Alquimia por traerlo al español 🥰
April 29, 2020
Yep. Read this in one day. Which isn't a surprise as it's more an essay than a book, but still, kudos to me!
I can't believe it took me so long to read this book, considering I fell in absolute love with cycling in 2005. Well, such is life. And the benefits of a global pandemic and unemployment.
Written in 1895, the piece is a first-person account from Frances Willard about, well, how she learned to ride a bicycle. There is a weird digression at the end -- first with her describing her experience under ether after she fell off a tricycle trying to go too fast around a corner, an experience which was religious in nature, then a poem she wrote about the death of General Grant. As I don't take much to linear thought and digress constantly, I shan't hold it against her.
(Of course reading this I immediately start to go into an older version of English, which dovetails nicely into my current binge watching of Downton Abbey on the PBS app.)
Willard writes more than 100 years ago about what is true today -- riding a bike (or running or swimming or hiking or climbing) can provide the necessary metaphors to teach you some invaluable life lessons. There is wisdom in moving our bodies -- even if we must dismiss current dress regulations to do it!
My favorite lines:
"For we are all unconsciously the slaves of public opinion."
"It is the curse of life that nearly everyone looks down."
"The best gains that we make come to us after an interval of rest which follows strenuous endeavor."
"That which made me succeed with the bicycle was precisely what had gained me a measure of success in life -- it was the hardihood of spirit that led me to begin, the persistence of will that held me to my task, and the patience that was willing to begin again when the last stroke had failed."
"Happy is he who knows that he knows nothing, or next to nothing, and holds his opinions like a bouquet of flowers in his hand, that sheds its fragrance everywhere, and which he is willing to exchange at any moment for one fairer and more sweet, instead of strapping them on like an armor of steel and thrusting with his lance those who do not accept his notions."
I can't believe it took me so long to read this book, considering I fell in absolute love with cycling in 2005. Well, such is life. And the benefits of a global pandemic and unemployment.
Written in 1895, the piece is a first-person account from Frances Willard about, well, how she learned to ride a bicycle. There is a weird digression at the end -- first with her describing her experience under ether after she fell off a tricycle trying to go too fast around a corner, an experience which was religious in nature, then a poem she wrote about the death of General Grant. As I don't take much to linear thought and digress constantly, I shan't hold it against her.
(Of course reading this I immediately start to go into an older version of English, which dovetails nicely into my current binge watching of Downton Abbey on the PBS app.)
Willard writes more than 100 years ago about what is true today -- riding a bike (or running or swimming or hiking or climbing) can provide the necessary metaphors to teach you some invaluable life lessons. There is wisdom in moving our bodies -- even if we must dismiss current dress regulations to do it!
My favorite lines:
"For we are all unconsciously the slaves of public opinion."
"It is the curse of life that nearly everyone looks down."
"The best gains that we make come to us after an interval of rest which follows strenuous endeavor."
"That which made me succeed with the bicycle was precisely what had gained me a measure of success in life -- it was the hardihood of spirit that led me to begin, the persistence of will that held me to my task, and the patience that was willing to begin again when the last stroke had failed."
"Happy is he who knows that he knows nothing, or next to nothing, and holds his opinions like a bouquet of flowers in his hand, that sheds its fragrance everywhere, and which he is willing to exchange at any moment for one fairer and more sweet, instead of strapping them on like an armor of steel and thrusting with his lance those who do not accept his notions."
June 27, 2017
Originally published in 1895, this book gives insight into the importance of the bicycle in those times, especially to women. The book is wonderful and really describes the freedom as well as frustration in what it was/is like to learn to ride a bicycle. At times it felt like poetry, really nicely written.
June 24, 2022
“If I am asked to explain why I learned the bicycle, I should say I did it as an act of grace, if not of actual religion…That which caused the many failures I had in learning the bicycle had caused me failures in life. Namely, a certain fearful looking for of judgment, a too vivid realization of the uncertainty about me, an underlying doubt. At once, however, and this is all that saved me, matched and overcome by the determination not to give in to it…The will is the wheel of the mind.”
“It is the curse of life that nearly everyone looks down, but the microscope will never set you free. You must glue your eyes to the telescope forever and a day. Look up and off and on and out…You have much more power over the wheels and can get up better speed with a less expenditure of force when you are above the instrument than when you are at the back of it. And remember that this is as true of the world as of the wheel.”
“I have already chosen my motto for 1894 and it is this from a teacher who so often said to her pupils when meeting them in corridor or in recitation room, ‘I have heard something nice about you…now I have determined that my mental attitude towards everybody shall be the same that these words indicate. The meaning is identical with that of the the inscription on my fireplace in my den at home, ‘Let something good be said.’”
“Happy is he who knows that he knows nothing or next to nothing and holds his opinions like a bouquet of flowers in his hand that sheds its fragrance everywhere and which he is willing to exchange at any moment for one fairer and more sweet instead of strapping them on like an armor of steel and thrusting with his lance those who do not accept his notions.”
“We are like blood drops floating through the great heart of our Heavenly Father. We are infinitely safe and cared for as tenderly as a baby in its mother’s arms. No harm can come anywhere near us. What we call harm will turn out to be the very best and kindest way of leading us to be our best selves.”
“It is the curse of life that nearly everyone looks down, but the microscope will never set you free. You must glue your eyes to the telescope forever and a day. Look up and off and on and out…You have much more power over the wheels and can get up better speed with a less expenditure of force when you are above the instrument than when you are at the back of it. And remember that this is as true of the world as of the wheel.”
“I have already chosen my motto for 1894 and it is this from a teacher who so often said to her pupils when meeting them in corridor or in recitation room, ‘I have heard something nice about you…now I have determined that my mental attitude towards everybody shall be the same that these words indicate. The meaning is identical with that of the the inscription on my fireplace in my den at home, ‘Let something good be said.’”
“Happy is he who knows that he knows nothing or next to nothing and holds his opinions like a bouquet of flowers in his hand that sheds its fragrance everywhere and which he is willing to exchange at any moment for one fairer and more sweet instead of strapping them on like an armor of steel and thrusting with his lance those who do not accept his notions.”
“We are like blood drops floating through the great heart of our Heavenly Father. We are infinitely safe and cared for as tenderly as a baby in its mother’s arms. No harm can come anywhere near us. What we call harm will turn out to be the very best and kindest way of leading us to be our best selves.”
May 5, 2015
This 80-page gem summarizes the experiences of Frances Willard's cycling education. Having started at the age of 53, in a society that didn't particularly support womens' riding, Ms. Willard certainly faced some obstacles. She put her mind to it, and with the help of apparently many teachers and 15 minutes of practice daily, mastered the 'saucy steed'. As a modern day reader, this account is funny in that it takes 80 pages to describe something I completely take for granted (having learned when I was a child). However, the real value of the book lies in understanding how instrumental the bike was in history, particularly in liberating women from constrictive clothing and the constant requirement for chaperones (because on a bike, women were too fast for chaperones to keep up with). Ms. Willard's involvement in the temperance movement is also referenced in this work, an important aspect of history as well, in that it demonstrates one of the earliest womens' political movements in the US.
January 4, 2022
A very brief book, more like an essay. It is a documentation of ideas that came to Frances E. Willard in her process of learning how to ride the bicycle, so is not only about the technical approach to cycling but more like an integral experience, even spiritual. I really loved her sense of humor, her sensibility and her critical thinking around something that in the modern world seems very simple. I loved the glimpses of her Temperance's work and now I want to learn more about this movement.
The old fables, myths and follies associated with the idea of woman's incompetence to handle bat and oar, bridle and rein, and at last the cross-bar of the bicycle, are passing into contempt in presence of the nimbleness, agility, and skill of "that boy's sister" [...] her physical achievements will be such that it will become the pride of many a ruddy youth to be known as "that girl's brother" (Willard, 1895).
The old fables, myths and follies associated with the idea of woman's incompetence to handle bat and oar, bridle and rein, and at last the cross-bar of the bicycle, are passing into contempt in presence of the nimbleness, agility, and skill of "that boy's sister" [...] her physical achievements will be such that it will become the pride of many a ruddy youth to be known as "that girl's brother" (Willard, 1895).
November 4, 2008
Bicycles and rational dress were a major influence on freeing women to participate in more strenuous social activities. Cycling though gave women the freedom to move at will unlike any other sport they participated in.
The difficulty though lay in learning to ride. The wheels then did not coast, they were fixed gear only. Imagine attempting to learn to ride a machine the pedals always turn while the machine is in motion. These means ankles will be struck if not lifted quickly yet they are hampered by yards of cloth skirt. Ms Willard mentions that it took her nor more than some 30 hours to master mounting, starting and stopping unaided but then she grew up handling long skirts.
The difficulty though lay in learning to ride. The wheels then did not coast, they were fixed gear only. Imagine attempting to learn to ride a machine the pedals always turn while the machine is in motion. These means ankles will be struck if not lifted quickly yet they are hampered by yards of cloth skirt. Ms Willard mentions that it took her nor more than some 30 hours to master mounting, starting and stopping unaided but then she grew up handling long skirts.
January 20, 2024
Fun read, easy read. Really enjoyed the historical context bits at the end. That Frances started riding a bicycle at age 53 in part because many people said she shouldn't is spectacular. My kind of gal.
Frances' bike was called Gladys, and mine is called Sharlie, but on this point we are agreed:
"As we grew better acquainted I thought how perfectly analogous were our relations to those of friends who became slowly seasoned one to the other: they have endured the vicissitudes of every kind of climate, of the changing seasons; they have known the heavy, water-logged conditions of spring, the shrinkage of summer's trying heat, the happy medium of autumn, and the contracting cold that winter brings ... They can count upon one another and not disagree, because the stress of life has folded them to harmony."
Frances' bike was called Gladys, and mine is called Sharlie, but on this point we are agreed:
"As we grew better acquainted I thought how perfectly analogous were our relations to those of friends who became slowly seasoned one to the other: they have endured the vicissitudes of every kind of climate, of the changing seasons; they have known the heavy, water-logged conditions of spring, the shrinkage of summer's trying heat, the happy medium of autumn, and the contracting cold that winter brings ... They can count upon one another and not disagree, because the stress of life has folded them to harmony."
September 1, 2024
Really liked this book. So much so that I'm wondering why no one ever made this into a play. Could be a great one woman show. There was a lot here that was probably to be inspirational to women, but I think there were some universal ideas for men too. There are some fantastic gems and useful thinly veiled metaphors, not the least of which was her description of what her bike might say to her: "I did not ask you to mount or drive, but since you have done so you must now learn the laws of balance and exploitation. I did not invent these laws, but I have been built conformably to them, and you must suit yourself to the unchanging regulations of gravity, general and specific, as illustrated in me. Strange as the paradox may seem, you will do this best by not trying to do it at all."
November 5, 2017
I had to use a dictionary to fully understand the part written by Frances E. Willard (it includes some fancy words) but it was well worth it.
The story is positively inspiring (Willard learned riding the bicycle when she was 53 and when it was still a controversial thing to do for women). Her personality (her kindness, enthusiasm, and hardihood) comes through.
The commentaries included in the book provide a historical and biographical context and make it much easier to understand the personal story.
Also, I loved the photographs.
The story is positively inspiring (Willard learned riding the bicycle when she was 53 and when it was still a controversial thing to do for women). Her personality (her kindness, enthusiasm, and hardihood) comes through.
The commentaries included in the book provide a historical and biographical context and make it much easier to understand the personal story.
Also, I loved the photographs.
August 10, 2021
Written in the 1890’s by a 53 year old woman who learned to ride a bicycle.
“I always felt a strong attraction toward the bicycle because it is the vehicle of so much harmless pleasure, and because the skill required in handling it obliges those who mount to keep clear heads and steady hands.”
“But at 53 I was at more disadvantage than most people, for not only had I the impedimenta that result from the unnatural style of dress, but I also suffered from the sedentary habits of a lifetime.”
It took practice- 22 hours over a two month period and helpers for mounting and dismounting.
“I always felt a strong attraction toward the bicycle because it is the vehicle of so much harmless pleasure, and because the skill required in handling it obliges those who mount to keep clear heads and steady hands.”
“But at 53 I was at more disadvantage than most people, for not only had I the impedimenta that result from the unnatural style of dress, but I also suffered from the sedentary habits of a lifetime.”
It took practice- 22 hours over a two month period and helpers for mounting and dismounting.
February 21, 2022
A short collection of thoughts from the author, who learned to ride a bicycle at the age of 53 in 1895. You can read it in one sitting, and it's often funny and interesting. She connects the process of learning to ride a bike to a lot of personal endeavors and even trends in society, and it's interesting to see her vision of the future from the perspective of the late 19th century.
February 14, 2017
This slim volume by early feminist, educator, and temperance advocate Frances Willard is so much more than a treatise on how to learn to ride a bicycle. This is a book I think I should re-read fairly often.
May 29, 2020
An okay book/essay. I wish she would have written it in chronological order so that it felt more like a story, instead of jumping around to tell several seemingly unrelated anecdotes. But there are a lot of wise words that she gives, and some of them are very thought-provoking.
August 24, 2021
A fun little treatise by a 19th century feminist and suffragist. Enjoyed the extra essays on bicycle riding in context.
January 2, 2022
Written in the 1890s, this is a memoir of a temperance reformer on how she learned to ride a bicycle while in her 50s.
April 26, 2024
Anda, toma la bici y pedalea así sea sola ♥️
February 26, 2017
A glimpse of another time, when our "Wheels" were our first taste of freedom.
November 1, 2016
I have to start out with this: You just don't hear of people in their 50's learning to ride a bicycle for the first time in their life, but back in the 1880's it was happening all the time. Just another example just how different the times are. This book gives you more perspective on what it was to live back then. I found it very interesting and not boring. Frances was ahead of her times! She was also a slow learner on her bicycle, but that just might be because she started out trying to ride in her 50's. Now days everyone learns to ride a bicycle when they are kids!
November 8, 2015
Good for the look into biking, suffrage, and temperance attitudes of a very famous woman for all three. I attempted to live tweet it with #willardbike, but so many of her sentences just don't fit into 144 characters. People were longwinded back in the day. But some good gems. I love that there were things she had to add/emphasize (women should wear realistic clothing! Let's quote a doctor saying biking is ok for women and won't cause their uteri to fall out!) because of the era.
February 8, 2008
This was a wonderful book! An older woman decided she needed to get some exercise and so decided to learn to ride. However, this was at a time that it was taboo for a woman to ride such a contraption because it was cause to much..."excitement". It was an easy read, and a wonderful look at Women's lib through a hilarious diversion.
October 20, 2014
I chose a this book because of my new interest in the role the bicycle played in the feminist movement of the 1800's. Fun philosophy and wit from at 1890 feminist. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting to envision an adult woman learning to ride a bike with the help of 3 other adults. She analyzes the process like no child ever could.
December 31, 2015
I read America's Women 400 years of dolls, drudges, helpmates and heroines and Ms. Willard is featured for her efforts in women's suffrage. She wrote this book about taking on learning the newest traveling instrument of its time...the bicycle. She is funny and full of wit and wisdom. I found that I wanted to sit and have coffee with her. A book every women should read.
December 27, 2016
Riding a bike takes on tremendous importance late in life for Frances E. Wiliard. Her determination to ride is impressive and not always fun, but she did succeed. Great metaphor of getting yourself out of the gutter, back on the seat and take off.
August 7, 2007
Apparently I am the only person on goodreads to read this book...no one else has rated it. Weird and exciting at the same time...
January 1, 2011
The will is the wheel of the mind.
June 21, 2011
A small and beautiful book.
May 17, 2012
Frances Willard was one of the first women to master riding a bicycle, and this delightful book is the story of how she did it and how it freed her spirit.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews