Originally Posted by
EKW in DC
+1 to everything AdamDZ said.
Not sure of your experience level, but this may prove helpful.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/starting.html
That site generally is a treasure trove of information for cyclists and mechanics of all levels. The linked article happens to be from a series of articles designed for beginning cyclists. Hope it helps!
As a kid I tried hard to master the (as Sheldon describes them) Cowboy and Shuffle Mounts, to some degree of success. When I took up cycling again some 20 years later, the method had escaped me. So much for the "Once you learn to ride a bicycle you never forget how" theory. Every time I tried I would be full of anxiety and if my foot was strapped in the toe clip... forget it. I was happy to read this cycling guru's suggestion that straddling the frame and simply taking off as I had learned the first time I rode a bike was the proper, safe way to do it.
Originally Posted by
travelmama
Depends on where I am at a light. If I am close to the curb, I sit and relax on the saddle with my right foot on the concrete and left foot at the 12 o'clock position. If I am in between lanes, I either stand with one leg down and the other engaged or get off and stand with the bike between my legs then get back on when the light turns green.
Ditto - me too.