Learning to bike as an adult (best, brand, distance, ride)

[KT13]

I am 34 and don't know how to ride a bike. Never had a chance as a child to learn. Does anyone have experience learning how to ride at a more advanced age? My DH is trying hard to make me ride a bike with him, he has rented different kinds of bikes for me to learn, but I am too scared of injury especially now as I am getting ready to have a baby. He found a bike that's fairly small and it's easy for me to put my feet down while still sitting in the seat. But I am still afraid when I start moving, I start loosing balance. I am also scared riding in the city environment where you have to watch out for cars and other bikers. I do well riding a tandem bike with him though.

I used to own a tricycle, on of the adult models and loved it! Had to sell it because I moved from the suburban area with the garage to the city where I have no space to store it (it's rather bulky).

What would you do in my place? Continue learning how to ride (I've been unsuccessful every time I tried) or just stick to the adult tricycles? Do people laugh when they see a fairly fit and young looking person riding a tricycle? I would prefer it, but I do feel a bit embarassed riding one in a very public place. In my old suburb there used to be trails that barely had any people on them, now in the city the trails are full of bikers and I hardly see any tricycles on them. I've seen only the funny recumbent trikes, that look more 'athletic' or more like race trikes. I considered getting one of them.

Maybe I should get training wheels and keep trying? At this point nothing else worked and I am not embarassed to get training wheels. I know that in a few years I will probably have to teach my own kids how to ride, that is why I started to try to learn in the first place.

[ogre]

First, congratulations on giving this a shot. That said, I would suggest waiting until you've had your baby before learning to ride. After you've waited this many years, a few more months won't be that much longer to wait, and right now your body is already having to adjust to a different enough situation without your making the additional demands of trying a new physcial activity that can be tricky to master.

I would also suggest finding a quiet spot to learn riding. Riding in city traffic when you're trying to learn gives you too much to have to pay attention to all at once. I realize that you won't have a lot of free time once the baby arrives, but it would work best to plan around your schedule to make time exclusively for learning to ride, not to try and learn on the go. I've never had the experience of having an adult learn to ride a bike, but I would think that in a quiet spot an adult could learn with the same methods that help kids learn, such as training wheels, or having your husband walk beside you holding the bike up while you work to get the feel of balancing. Also, try moving just a few feet at a time, trying to gradually increase the distance you can travel while maintaining balance.

By the way, I'm pretty sure that if you can put your feet on the ground, the bike is too small, or the seat is two low. If I'm recalling correctly from the last time I bought a bicycle, you should be able to straddle the top tube with about an inch to spare when your feet are flat on the ground. You don't want to be too high off of the ground, because the high center of gravity makes it hard to keep balanced, but being too low also makes it difficult to ride. You don't have the right pedaling motion when you're too low, so that your movements are awkward.

Aside from that, just find a quiet spot, and devote time exclusively to learning to ride, rather than trying to learn in the middle of an actual ride. Congrats again on giving this a shot, and best of luck!

[PerpetualDreamer]

I agree with the PP, if you are expecting, it's not a good time to embark on learning new physical skills and there is nothing wrong to be overly cautious. Just take your time and do what you are comfortable with. I don't know if training wheels would be of much use unless you are riding a little bike as a kid, I have never seen them on adult bikes and I am not sure they would hold. I also recommend to find a spot where there aren't many other riders, I've seen parents teach kids to ride bikes in empty parking lots on the weekends, because they are large and wide and if you swerve you don't get off the trail, also it's easier to practice turns in wider areas. Wear padded clothing and a helmet, the main thing is not being afraid to fall, this is how we all learn. You have to fall a few times to get the courage and realize it's not that bad, this way you won't be afraid to let go and learn to trust the bike. When you are a new rider, avoid city streets, just try to rent the bikes at first at the entrances to trails and use them on trails only to gain confidence and learn how to ride with others.

As far as tricycles are concerned, I don't see anything wrong with them if you want to ride one. Nobody is going to point fingers at you or make fun of you, IMO, there is nothing funny or weird about it at all. I've seen a few of them in my lifetime, not many, because the people who can ride a bike would usually ride a bike. But some prefer tricycles, especially if they have large baskets to carry things and are more stable. I guess one reason there aren't many of them on the trails is because they are wider and some trails are too narrow, but if the trail is wide enough, there is no issue. People who ride their kids in attachments behind their bikes occupy the same space width wise, there are many of them on the trails, so people are used to sharing with them, so shouldn't be an issue with the tricycles.

[Mr. Mysterious]

Nahhh you don't need training wheels, I taught my wife how to ride a bike and all I did was run and hold her, and set her free, while her legs where spread like a bird, just in case she falls left or right (Master balance firsts). Just remember, if you feel that your balance seems to lean left or right, just turn the handle bars on the side your balance is leaning on. Once you get the balance, now its time to put your foot on the pedal, now this part is where you fall, everybody falls in their first try. She learned how to ride a bike in about three weeks. I think?

You know what, I take that back, start with training wheels first, with about half inch margin off the floor!

[plaidmom]

You've already gotten some pretty good advice here.

I would just say find a quiet road (perhaps in a local park?) with little-to-no traffic and a slight downhill. Rolling downhill (and gathering a little bit of speed) will help with your balance.

What another poster said about saddle height is correct, although I think you can get away with riding with the seat a bit on the low side while you are learning.

Don't forget to pedal. It's actually more stable than coasting. Look where you want to go. To turn a bike lean your body in the direction you want to turn, don't just jerk the handle bars around.

No serious cyclist will laugh if you opt for the three-wheeled recumbent. They are actually serious bicycles...with serious price tags to match.

Good luck and have fun!

[Forever Blue]

I know this is an old thread, but it could pertain to others in the situation. I know how to ride, but haven't ridden in over 20 yrs, probably more like 30+ since I was a pre-teen.

However, fiance' & I just got some e-bikes, so we're brand new to those. Hopefully, the moment we sit down & pedal it will feel like we just rode last week.