Learning how to ride a bicycle

[bugi66]

Guys, I am a 42 year old man and I never had the opportunity to ride a bicycle when I was young. This week I borrowed a bicycle with the intention of starting to learn it. I think it will be hard but I really want to try. Do you have any tips so that it will help me. Thanks a lot.

[buzz]

One of the things that I have heard that helps young children ride a bike could just as easily work for an adult, I would imagine. It recommended taking off the pedals so the child can push the bike along with your feet. How this helps is that it will allow you to learn balance on a bike and it will also allow you to let your feet easily brace yourself if you start to fall one direction.

Now, that being said, you would need to lower your seat so maybe you reach the ground more easily.
Also, if you really are just learning, remember it will be a process. It may not be a bad idea to wear denim pants and a jacket so you will be better protected when you will eventually crash. Also, make sure you have a helmet.

I hope this helps.

[calvin]

The very most important thing in any activity requiring balance (from standing on one foot to any type of skating to bicycling to any kind of skiing) is to NOT look down...keep your eyes on the horizon. Why is that? You've heard of hand-eye coordination. Balance is body-eye coordination. The horizon provides the most stable visual reference. If you've ever watched kids trying to master new skateboard tricks, you will see them with their heads down watching the board...this really slows the learning process...instead, feel the board and feel what you want to do with the board WITHOUT looking at the board...instead aim high. Same with cycling. You don't need to be looking at the pedals to pedal. You don't need to be looking at the handlebars to steer.

The second most important thing is to breathe.

[cyclerUK]

I taught my sister to ride (many many years ago) using the method that Buzz posted. Only we left the pedals on.
Find an open space and scoot around until you can feel comfortable and then rest your feet on the pedals. Once on the pedals just start to turn them and that's it.

Major learning point is to practice using the brakes as soon as you can. !!

[marcdominic]

When riding a push-bike a cyclist actually maintains their upright stance by slightly twisting the front wheel when moving forwards – this may simply happen due to slightly shifting angles from the upright whilst pedaling on the left then right side. Now this is not something that one can teach easily and it has to be learned empirically – most including myself, won’t actually realize that you’re doing it as you progress along. However, look at the track left behind when cycling on soft ground and you’ll see what I mean.

By the way, when the front wheel track, which repeatedly crosses the rear wheel track, enters the cross over with a narrower inclination to the rear wheel track this further gives the direction of (forward) travel …
All of this comes quite naturally and indeed if you cycle hands free, you’ll see the push-bike performs this action of its own accord. The bike acts a bit like a gyroscope in forward motion trying to re-align itself to the vertical for ease of rolling resistance. In physics we always strive for a low energy state, but hopefully this is not the base state: on the floor!!

Once again, I’m afraid it has to be learned, rather like learning to drive a car, or motorcycle for that matter…
Good luck, I see your post is from a few months ago, how’s it going now…?