The Danger of Riding Slow

Think back to childhood. Of all the fears and frustrations, learning to ride a bike had to be high on the list of scary endeavors.

You desperately wanted the end state — independence, transportation and the thrill of having your own wheels. This, of course, was offset by the fear of falling flat on your face, splitting your lip and getting teased by Rebecca Forman in the second grade (hypothetically, of course).

First-time riders’ first instinct is to ride super-slow. A slow crash would be less...