[General] to ride a bike/to go by bike

[kompstar]

Are the sentences below correct? What's the difference between them?

1. I'm riding a bike.
2. I'm going by bike.

 

[bhaisahab]

They are both correct sentences. How do you want to use them?

 

[kompstar]

How do you want to use them?

I don’t know. I just wondered if the two expressions may be used interchangeably. For example would it be correct to write the following:


1. “I usually go to work by bike”
2. “I usually ride to work a bike.”


If the sentences above are correct if there is any basically the difference between them?

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think #2 would be grammatical if it was rewritten as 'I usually ride a bike to work', but I am not a teacher.

 

[kompstar]

Thank for your answer Matthew Wai but I'd like to know,too what the native speakers think about it....

 

[bhaisahab]

Did you notice that four native speakers/teachers "liked" Matthews post? I don't think we would have done that if we didn't agree, do you?

 

[kompstar]

You're right. I didn't notice. Although I still don't understand why #1 is correct and #2 is wrong.

 

[tzfujimino]

You're right. I didn't notice. Although I still don't understand why #1 is correct and #2 is wrong.

Do you mean "I usually ride to work a bike" when you say #2?

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think it would be correct if 'on' was added before 'a bike' in the above post, but I am not a teacher.

 

[kompstar]

Do you mean "I usually ride to work a bike" when you say #2?

Yes

 

[Eckaslike]

I don’t know. I just wondered if the two expressions may be used interchangeably. For example would it be correct to write the following:

1. “I usually go to work by bike”
2. “I usually ride to work on a bike.”

If the sentences above are correct if there is any basically the difference between them?

I think the problem is that in order for the two sentences to mean the same thing, you need to add the preposition "on" where shown above.

In the first sentence, the word "by" tells you that the bike is the means, or method, of how you get to work. The second sentence doesn't work because on its own "a bike" just tells you what the object is that you use to go to work on, but the "on" is needed to convey the sense of how you use it as your means of travel. In the case of a bike you usually have to sit on it to use it [unless you are riding in the Tour de France where you might stand up on the pedals, but even those riders sit down on the saddle for most of the time].

In the same way other phrases could be used which follow the same pattern:
"I usually ride to work on a horse" rather than "I usually ride to work a horse".
"I usually ride to work on a motorbike" rather than "I usually ride to work a motorbike".

 

[Matthew Wai]

What's the difference between them?

1. I'm riding a bike.
2. I'm going by bike.

I think a possible difference is that you are not going anywhere if you are riding a bike around in a park, but I am not a teacher.

 

[kompstar]

I have some doubts yet. Am I right #1 and #2 are correct, #3 and #4 are wrong?

1. I usually go to work by bike.
2. I usually ride to work on a bike.


3. I usually go to work on a bike.
4. I usually ride to work by bike.

 

[emsr2d2]

3 is fine in BrE.

 

[kompstar]

3 is fine in BrE.

Ok. I understand that 4 is wrong in BrE and US, too?

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes. It's tautologous. To "ride a bike" means "to propel yourself on a bike" so if you use "ride" and "on a bike", you've effectively repeated the word "on".

I usually ride my bike to work.
I usually ride a bike to work.
I usually cycle to work.