"I used to have a bike..."

[wiltshire builders]

My pet peeve is "I couldn't have a bike, I'd kill myself"

You wouldn't say "I don't go swimming because I'd drown myself" or "I don't do any cooking because I'd accidentally knife myself to death" but somehow it's not moronic to say that riding a bike would result in instant death

That really made me laugh!
You're quite right.
"I'd kill myself " sounds a lot more macho than "I'm scared that I might get knocked off and hurt myself "
I might use the cooking excuse thought...

[BB]

Love those analogies, Dabz. One of my stock replies is 'you could fall down stairs and kill yourself'

Exactly! WB

And if you do fall off and injure yourself it's the old 'of course you will give up biking now?' err, no. No one ever suggests giving up cars after an accident.

[Burbler]

No one ever suggests giving up cars after an accident.

My dad did !

My girlie friend and I were going to my brother's wedding with dad in the two-tone silver / mauve Cresta.

We were t-boned by an old ice cream van driven by a student. He came straight on at a downhill left hand bend and hit us (coming tother way) partially onto the pavement.

Girlie and I got a taxi, dad had to stay at the scene.

He never drove again when the car was written off.

[BB]

I recall an incident years ago where an old duffer said to my then OH, 'I used to have one of those, same colour too'. The bike being a Suzuki engine & tank, Norton framed parts bin special he had knocked up just because he could, sprayed a blue he had liberated from the paint shop of the place he worked at.

[Scotty]

That really made me laugh!
You're quite right.
"I'd kill myself " sounds a lot more macho than "I'm scared that I might get knocked off and hurt myself "
I might use the cooking excuse thought...

Often heard, sadly from eejits who think that it makes them sound like a crazed speed demon whom we should all admire, but it's a euphemism for "I'd be a crap rider with no idea what to do and a desperate need to impress others and likely make a total tit of myself"