cantbutwill

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum as, at 28 years old, I still can't ride a ruddy bike. Admittedly, I've not tried to since I was 7, but still - that's pretty embarrassing. So long story short, I've decided to sign up for the cycle2work scheme, buy a bike and teach myself and would appreciate any help/tips you might be able to give me. Here's a few questions I have:

- What sort of bike should I be getting to learn with? Mountain, hybrid, road? What's easiest, why etc?
- I'm 6'2" but concious that I'll probably want a bike I can stick my feet down when the going gets tough - what size bike should I get?
- Other than the obvious accessories, helmet, lights, lock… what else should I be getting?
- Any hints, tips or otherwise on how to learn as a grown adult

Many thanks in advance,

Ashamed Grown Man.

onbike 1939

The problem with learning how to ride a bike is that you are trying to learn various skills at the same time. That is to keep balance, change gears, steer and use the brakes and all at once. This applies to all learners including children.

My advice would be to break it down. First remove or have someone remove your pedals, lower the saddle to the point where your feet touch the ground (this is not the position needed when cycling as the saddle should then be positioned higher). Find a private place with some gentle inclines and begin by using your feet to propel you along while using only the brakes. When you are confident regarding your balance, then raise your seat by increments to its proper position. To find this use Google. Now you can replace the pedals and begin practising changing your gears and modulating your speed and manoeuvring the bike.

The bike chosen must be appropriate to your height and a good bike shop should be able to assist here but do make sure that the type of bike you choose is appropriate to the kind of cycling that you do. A race bike would be a no-no but a hybrid with a good spread of gears would probably suit.
Again the "put you feet down thing"; with the saddle at the right height the rider does not put his feet down while seated. The rider moves forward from the seat and then when positioned with body weight over the Top-tube and hands positioned over brakes, brings the bike to a controlled stop and leaning to one side, places one foot on the ground. This will come to you easily with practise.
I carry a spare tube and a puncture repair outfit but it might help your confidence to enrol in a basic bike maintenance class which covers puncture repair et al.
This all sounds intimidating but you will be astonished how quickly you will learn. The main thing is to enjoy the experience.



Good luck.

cplager

Basically what was said.

* Take off the pedals and just get used to pushing yourself around. You could use a folding bike that has folding pedals, but they are usually a little harder to ride.

* I've seen videos where they start on a slight grassy hill. One pushed off and moving move your feet to the pedals and start turning. Repeat. As mentioned above, you are going to want to raise your saddle for this.

* Some people can get this in one outing, others may need more. If you happen to be part of the latter, then that just means your part of the latter group and doesn't mean anything else.

Finally, I have recently had two friends (both older than you) learn how to ride. There's no reason to be ashamed. Going out and trying something new is good. If you decided to let this be an issue and not try, then you could consider being ashamed.

Good luck and congratulations on making this step,
Charles

p.s. You can Google for learning to ride videos. Watch a bunch of these to get a flavor.

rydabent

If I were you, I would go to a parking lot some Sunday morning where you can be alone. Try to pick one that has a small down hill or slant. Actually most any bike will do. You will be surprised how fast you catch on.

dpeters11

You definitely are not alone. My wife didn't learn until in her 30s.

This is my advice:
I would not start with a road bike, I would at most start with a hybrid. They are easier to handle at low speeds in general, and are more resiliant to outgrowing as your abilities increase. Later on, you can add a road bike to your collection. You should not be able to put a foot flat on the ground, the saddle isn't supposed to be that low. You can put it so that you can put a toe down, but not much more than that. You need to be able to get the proper leg extension. There are pedal forward bikes, like the Electra Townie or Trek Pure which are pretty good to learn on, but you will quickly outgrow it. They are not good for commuting, more for bike rail trails and such with no hills.

Based on your post, I'm assuming you are not in the US (UK?). I found my wife an instructor with the League of American Bicycists, you may have something similar. He really helped her a lot in the process. We did not take the pedals off, we basically started pushing and keeping her upright so she could get a sense of things, and gradually moved to less pushing. I think it only took 2-3 sessions with him, and she had it.

And do yourself a favor and get a good bike. It doesn't have to be new but does need to be in good working order with a tuneup by a mechanic, and the right size. Avoid the department store type bikes.

Like your username, you can't now but put a little into it and you will. It's amazing how little it really takes. I would have someone that is sensitive to your situation with you, at least as a spotter to help. When I started the process with my wife, we asked a local bike shop, and their suggestion was to go to the top of a big hill and push. That just doesn't work. As adults, we generally have more of a fear of falling than we did as kids, because now we have a bigger fear of actually breaking something and it's a larger mental hurdle. I won't say that you won't fall, but it's better falling at a low speed than going fast down a big hill.

And once you've learned how to ride, learn to change a tube and other basic skills. Find a local cycling club that has beginner rides to get comfortable riding in traffic. I wouldn't ride in traffic until you were confident on stopping and starting, using the gears (if your area isn't flat).

Dudelsack 

Best. Video. Evar.

cplager

That is the video for which I was looking!

Fastfingaz

Hey can'tbutwill you're lucky you didn't grow up in my neighberhood ,,,, the boys would beat you up if you couldn't ride a bike or skate,,,, but the best way,,, get a cheap cruiser type go to a desolate open area and get on it,,, once you get it going don't stop pedaling,,,, the faster you go the more controll you'll have and if you fall and scrape something,,,, well that should have happened to you a long time ago,,, so get up and try again!!! good luck,,,,,,

cantbutwill

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Yeah, I'm based in the UK so will look at tutors etc. So, I guess I'll go take a look at hybrid bikes to start with - I had thought mountain for the wider tyres but I guess I would outgrow this?

Fingers crossed...

onbike 1939

Living in the UK as you do, you might find it better to browse the CTC Forum for information, advice on available bikes etc.

Again, the problem with mountain bikes, is that they do tend to be heavy (very expensive bikes tend to be lighter), inevitably come with front or back suspension or both, which makes them heavier still, and would be overkill if your use is confined to roads and canal paths. I repeat that a hybrid would appear to be most suitable for your needs. Sizing is critical, so it would be helpful if you did some research as to what size you would need. At six foot two, you would need quite a large frame, I would guess at around 24" or 25". A good cycle shop may be the answer but be aware that some may try to sell you what they want to sell rather than what you need. The number of bike shops involved in the cycle to work scheme are limited but do avoid Halfords and go to a good quality shop which can offer a wide range and a good back-up service. Not knowing where you live makes recommending shops difficult but the Edinburgh bicycle Co-operative chain do offer their own range which are exceptional value and in general this firm has a good name.

MichaelW

I would get a learner bike, a cheap non-suspension bike that is a little on the small side for you (not hard at your size) They usually cost £30 at car boot sales. Set it up as singlespeed in a lowish gear.
Dress to crash, in tough trousers, jacket, helmet and gloves.
If you do fall off, avoid falling injuries: tuck your chin and elbows in, keep your hands ON THE BARS and roll over as you hit the ground. At low speed it is harmless. Falling on an outstreched arm will break your collar bone.
Set the bike up as suggested, low saddle, perhaps no pedals.
Pick a grassy slope on a dry day and learn to stop, using the brakes and bracing against the bars.
Learn to go with the correct pedal starting position.

Then learn to balance and steer. Counter-intuitively, you steer by balance and balance by steering. You also ride in curves, not straight lines.

BlazingPedals

Definitely learn your balance by removing the pedals and treating it as a hobby horse, propelling it by pushing with your feet while sitting on it. As you walk it around an empty parking lot, practice turning in the direction of the fall to re-balance yourself. The idea is, riding is basically a series of falls - you start falling to the right, you steer to the right and as you re-balance you start falling to the left -- so you steer left. If you're good at it, the falls and corrections can be so small they *look* like a straight line. As you get more comfortable with what you're doing, you can start pushing and gliding until you're comfortable coasting to a stop without having any unplanned foot-plants. Finally, when you feel comfortable that you can control your balance, put the pedals back on and take off!

Myosmith

Absolutely no reason to be ashamed. Hell, you're willing to go out an try something new, that puts you in the top half of the class already.

First off, avoid low end bikes from big box stores. You will be money ahead in the long run to go with a brand name entry level or higher bike from your local bike shop, especially since you are looking for reliable transporation to work. Go to your local bike shop (LBS) or several of them if you have that luxury. Tell them what you want to do with your bike and give them some idea of what kind of budget you are working with. Since you are learning to ride, you can't really test ride bikes, but at least sit on several of various designs and see what appeals to you. Don't be lured in by overly cushy bikes with big soft seats, suspension seat posts and the like. They are inefficient and not as comfortable on long hauls as you would think.

My suggestion would be to look at a hybrid, touring or rigid (no suspension) mountain bike. As this is going to be a commuter bike, make sure it has the eyelets to give you the option of putting on fenders and/or a rack later on. You should also make sure you have clearance for some slightly beefier tires in the 28-40 mm range. The bikes styles I mentioned will have more relaxed geometry and a more upright riding position than "road" bikes but are more appropriate to the rigors of city commuting than cruisers or "comfort" bikes. If you like the looks of a road bike, a touring bike is similar but with a slightly longer wheel base, relaxed geometry, room for larger tires, and a higher carrying capacity with options for racks, fenders and other accessories you might find useful. If you like a flat bar, then a hybrid or mountain bike (with the appropriate tires for on-road use) may be more to your liking.

Touring Bikes

Hybrid Bike

Rigid Mountain Bike

If you are looking to keep the costs down, a good used chrome-moly steel mountain bike or hybrid like a Giant Yukon, Specialized Hardrock or a Trek 700 series Multitrack makes a great commuter and you can often find them in good working order for under $200. If you aren't familiar with bicycles, take a friend who genuinely is, or purchase a used bike from a reputable bike shop. The majority of roadies are big fans of drop handlebars, but for commuting either drop or flat bars work fine. If you want the ability to change hand positions on a flat bar, there are a variety of accessory bar ends available.

You'll want a good (doesn't mean expensive) helmet, a flashing red light for the back and a steady white light for the front (if you are riding in the early AM, late PM or after dark), and a good lock. For commuting you might find a rear rack very handy if you need to carry anything with you. If you are commuting by bike rain or shine, fenders are a good idea as well. Some touring bikes and commuter hybrids come with these as part of the package or as options, but you can add them to many types of bikes. Some people ride without gloves, but I, and many other riders prefer a set of cycling gloves. They protect the ulnar nerve from pressure (which can contribute to carpal tunnel symptoms) and prevent burgering your palms if you have an accident. You don't have to get fancy or expensive ones, just decent fitting ones with a thick suede palm will work fine. Eventually you will want to learn to change your own tire / fix flats and you will want a small underseat bag and a few tools and spare tube, but the bike shop can help you pick that out when the time comes.

The rest of this is going to reflect much of what has already been said:

Purchase a bike that is going to fit you well even when you are an experienced rider. For learning you can start with the seat a little low, so you can rest the balls of your feet on the ground while sitting on the saddle, but not so low that you can stand flat footed on both feet at the same time. Find a park or some other grassy area with very gentle slopes. Start out on flat ground and just push off with your feet coasting a few feet and then stopping by gently applying the brakes. Don't worry about pedaling yet, in fact, you can take the pedals off for now if you prefer, but it isn't necessary. Once you have the feel for slowing and stopping, move to a gentle hill starting 20-30 feet from the bottom and just lift your feet and coast. Move further and further up the hill until you can coast in a straight line and control your speed with your brakes. Avoid grabbing your front brake hard as it can cause you to flip over the handlebars. Use your back brake first and then gently apply the front brake which has the greater stopping power. You will learn more braking skills later but you shouldn't need them on a gentle slope.

Now try making some gentle turns. You don't turn the handlebars so as much as you lean the bike slightly in the direction you want to go. Work on going down the hill in a gentle serpentine path. By this time you should be comfortable enough to rest your feet on the pedals while coasting. Now, while coasting in a fairly straight line with your feet on the pedals, just start turning the pedals until you feel that you are actually adding momentum to the bike. At the bottom of the hill, instead of stopping, just keep pedaling for a bit. Once you get the feel for it, you don't need the hill any more and can start pedaling from a stopped position.

Start with one pedal about 45 degrees forward of top dead center. Balance the bike by standing with the opposite foot on the ground. Step down on the raised pedal with one foot and slightly push off and forward with the other. This will give you enough momentum to coast for a few feet while you put the second foot on the opposite pedal and off you go. When you stop, use your brakes to bring the bike to a standstill or very near standstill before putting a foot down. Don't try to Fred Flintstone it by trying to assist the stop with your feet.

Practice in an open area until you can start and stop smoothly and control the bike through serpentines and figure 8s. This all sound like a lot, but I've helped teach several adults to ride and most people can get the hang of the basics in an afternoon of practice and can ride on quiet street or bike paths within a day or two. Many bike shops have beginner rides or family rides designed to improve basic bike skills. Above all, don't be embarrassed to be the new guy. Everyone starts somewhere and it won't be long before you are the one getting questions from the next generation of newbies.