Originally Posted by
AndreyT
Er... No. The normal way to start up is as follows:
1) Grab the bar and put your foot on the pedal on the same side as yourself (the pedal should normally be at the bottom point)
2) Give the bike some forward momentum
3) Put your weight on the pedal, lift your body and swing your other leg over the rear wheel, thus putting yourself in the saddle
4) Start pedaling
That's the "cowboy mount". The "straddle start" as you've defined it is perfectly valid and lots of people use it.
What would not be valid (IMO) is if the straddle start meant that you could reach the ground with both feet while in the saddle.
- Scott