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Enter the "by reason of poverty" answer. It is amazing that financially strapped folks will scrimp,save and pinch pennies to get their youngsters a bike. If someone else in the house, a much older person needs to shorten the distance between two points, he may have no choice but borrow the kid sister or kid brother's bike. And then again, maybe that's all he could afford for a whole houseful of kids. The more impoverished the household, the more likely the older siblings and sometimes even the parents will use the kiddy bike to get from point A to point B.
There is no shame in people making do with what they have.
Yes it could be financial.
Or someone is just to lazy to buy their own bike.
Or they don't want to buy a bike because they don't plan to ride it that often.
Or it's stolen.
I'd probably go with Alice on this one. Most likely, if they had the money kicking around to buy themselves a bike, they probably would, but there are other more pressing expenses to deal with.
There are probably a small number of people that fall into the other categories.
I have a beautiful Discovery Edition Trek road bike sitting in my garage and a Mongoose BMX bike that I bought from CraigsList for $30.00. I prefer to ride the BMX because it makes me feel young and it brings back found memories of when I was a youth. I am 48 years old now and weight about 280 lbs so for me it is a matter of the BMX bike gets me out there and I can get some exercise than it is worth the embarrassment of a over grown man riding a children/teenage bike.
However one must be careful to abide by all bicycle laws when riding a BMX as a grown man because you will be profiled by the local police as a low life. So given any opportunity they will stop you and run your record.
I've seen guys in their thirties walking around looking like clowns with their pants hanging around their thighs and their butts sticking out...waiting for someone to make them their B!#ch I suppose!
I see lots of guys 16, 18, 20, 22 years old riding around on bikes made for 8 year old kids. I want to assume these guys are just dorky dumbasses, but maybe there's something I'm not getting being from an older generation that grew up in the 60s and 70s where you would have been laughed at if you rode a bike that small as an adult. Can someone enlighten me on this phenomenon?
Bonus question: What's with so many guys slinking around wearing knit caps or hooded sweat tops when it's 85 degrees outside? Are they on their way to rob a 7-11 or this some cool fashion statement I am once again too old to understand?
Why do miserable people put their misery on display to the public by taking time out of their lives they will never get back to slam other people and worry about what those other people do, instead of worrying about themselves and their anger issues?
Why do miserable people put their misery on display to the public by taking time out of their lives they will never get back to slam other people and worry about what those other people do, instead of worrying about themselves and their anger issues?
I thought this thread title looked familiar then realized I wrote it five years ago. Some good answers but I think I'll just stick with the dorky losers theory with possible drug problems.
No anger here thunderkat59, just really wanted to know, and you provided no answer, just a personal attack. naughty naughty.
In HS, before BMX, I rode a 10 spd. My younger brothers bike was a stingray. Cool looking but too small for me. However, when my 10 spd was down, I would ride my brother's bike to work. Knees banging into my elbows, probably looked as dorky as heck, but it got there.
Nowadays? I've seen them riding the BMXers. Probably for a variety of reasons. Maybe the family only has 1 bike. Maybe they are wanna be BMXers. And maybe some of them think it is a style statement. Who knows?
On their speed, a few years ago I was riding my Mtn bike. I zoomed past a teenager, 16 or 17, on his BMX. He caught me at the next light and zoomed past me as I was starting up. Obviously it was a challenge! I caught up with him, then held back about 10 ft. He would look back and kick it up. I would pick up the pace to match. Pretty soon we were both doing 19 or 20 mph, pretty fast for me on my Mtn bike. We did that for about 1.5 mi before a red light caught us. By that time we were both gasping for air. But we both started laughing.
I just think it looks ridiculous when an adult is riding a bike that is too small for them. Reminds me of a bear at the circus riding a bicycle. I wonder how they get up hills without killing their knees when the seats are all the way down and their knees are practically hitting the handle bars.
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Some good answers but I think I'll just stick with the dorky losers theory with possible drug problems. 
