titanium

I found an intresting quote

People do not 'drive' cars, they steer them.
People do not 'ride' bicycles, they drive them. --- A. N. Mouse

notice how we put all our effort in to cycling up that hill, it totaly wears us out, we power the bike ourselves yet we are said to be riding it depsite the fact we are the driving force that is making the bike go! In a car you are sitting comfortably in your seat turning the wheel, foot on the accelerator, you are said to be driving a car! The word drive does have sevral defeinitions including to control a vehicle, but with that definition i think its a case of what came first the chiken or the egg because the main definition of drive is eg "the driving force behind somthing"

jeff-o

You ride a horse. Since the seating position is similar on a bike, I guess the verb stuck too.

Good quotation, though. I might use it sometime if I'm feeling snarky.

LordOpie

Thing about "ride" vs "drive" is that drive has the connotation that you're not part of the vehicle. People who drive bikes aren't becoming one with them. Sounds all mystical mumbo jumbo, but anyone who isn't part of their bike on a twisty descent is gonna be part of the pavement.

powers2b

I drove cattle once.
I have to admit it was difficult to steer.

Enjoy

norton

Groan!.....of appreciation....

powers2b

Thank you, thank you....I'm here all week....

titanium

you drive a formula 1 car, yet Schumacher would not be able to drive properly if he was not 'at one with the car' oh wait maybe i should be saying Alonso

Kokoro

jeff-o hit on the origins there. Our terminology is a hold over from when horses were the major form of transportation. You ride a horse (bicycle, motorcycle, etc.) and drive a wagon (car, truck, etc). Just think back to all those westerns.