Originally Posted by
Sammyboy
What you should do is what kids do. Ride like a nutcase, accelerate and slow down lots, fall off sometimes slalom round things, dive through narrow gaps, but do this in safe, low traffic places. This is how all kids learn bike handling, and it'll work for you too.
+1 to this. Roll down to the local park or elementary school parking lot, wear jeans, and recognize that you will fall - and there's nothing wrong with it. Those of us that learned to ride as kids did - I know I've got more than a few knitted bones and scars from riding as a kid - and thats the way to do it. The main idea, in my mind, is just to get out in a car free environment and ride like a psychopath -- that way you'll begin to feel how a bicycle works. Do the stuff kids do - sprint, slalom through tetherball poles, ride down stairs (unless you're on a roadie...that could be bad), ride through the grass, pop in and out of gutters - all of that should help you start building the muscle memory that any activity requires.