Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for July 11, 2020

That isn’t where the problem is.

I know something of how Dad feels: My kid doesn’t really like most of the things I like best. Except walking in the woods… which helps a lot.

The problem is the homicidal bike Dad, not some flipping ear problem!

Really Calvin. You’re just embarrassing yourself.

That bike sure has an attitude. Maybe it’s a Huffy.

Did they buy a bicycle from Stephen King?

That second panel is a classic. It is the best expression of terror in the comics.

Get him checked between the ears…

I don’t know why, but the theme from “Jaws” is running through my mind when I see the first three panels…

Millions of people ride bicycles every day, but every one of them had to make a leap of faith the first time they tried. And many had bad experiences until they learned to trust themselves, like Calvin.

My mother once told me that she had never ridden a bike in her life. Shocked, I asked why not. She said that as a young girl she always had a horse. (And lived on a ranch)

Well, it seems Calvin has met his match, and it lights him up every time it can.

I may be wrong but by my count the score is Evil Bike 3 – Calvin 0.

I think that the bike is possessed. Maybe Doctor Strange could help.

Hang in there, Calvin, you’ll get the hang of it one day and be very glad you did.

A bicycle named “Christine”

Dad is referring to vertigo because Calvin seems to be crashing for no reason!

…and your outer rear.

Maybe you should get the video camera.

There’s a pretty easy, no-fear way to teach a child to ride. Take off the petals and chain so they’re not in the way of her feet, and put the seat low enough she can easily reach the ground. Let her push it around this way. Immediately, she’ll discover that it glides when she pushes it. At first, she may turn by stopping to turn the bike then going again. Once you see her turning without stopping, she knows all she needs to know. Put the pedals and chain back on and off she goes!

The first arc where the bike was shown to be alive.

Training wheels are a good thing for kids like Calvin.

I could never get the metaphor for the attacking bike comics. I mean, everything is supposed to be his active imagination right? How does being chased and run over by a riderless bike translate into something that is actually happening?

Dad, you just don’t get it.

If you want him to ride a bike my friend, ACTUALLY GET IN and help him.

As an adult who never did learn how to ride a bike (even with my dad’s special training wheel that were patented and almost produced by Fisher-Price) I relate to all of these. I’ve considered getting an adult balance bike, but I’m about 99.999% sure that I wouldn’t use it enough to justify the cost.

I had a very active imagination as a kid. I still imagine a lot of things. I was never good at riding a bike, but I never viewed it as a monster…..

“A thing about Machines” the early years.

….Tire tracks all across your back, uh-huh, I can see you had your fun. (Jimi Hendricks – Crosstown Traffic)

Apparently, Dad can’t see the tire track.

My Schwinn was my first love.