Beginner with crashing issues

[vickster]

Can you find some local cycle training, lots of councils offer similar

 

[Gert Lush]

Doesn't really matter. Most people used to ride before they could drive. I suspect Gert is thinking that inability to go straight is more common when learning to drive - the two classics are looking at the thing you're worried about and subconsciously steering towards it, and looking too close to the front of the car and so wobbling the steering wheel about. When you cycle, are you mostly looking at the way ahead? As in head up and towards the horizon?

No, I don't drive :/

Exactly what I was thinking, not trying to infer that they shouldn't be on the road or anything.

As with all things, practice makes perfect. Keep at it and you'll get more confident.

 

[MichaelW2]

Don't try to ride in a straight line. Cyclist travel in a series of big swoopy curves as they use steering to rebalance after leaning. Beginners use short swoopy curves and as you get better, your reactions become quicker and more subtle.
Pick an empty carpark and ride in big swoopy curves then try and make them longer and straighter.
Practice braking so that you can predict your stopping distance. As you brake, the bike slows but you don't, so brace your arms against the bars and drop your torso back and down a little.
Avoid a death grip on the bars. You can reposition bars up or down to suit.

 

[Spinney]

When I learned to ride a motorbike, the system was that you had to have your bike delivered to a training centre (bascally a playground with cones etc). You were not taken out on the roads for training until you could ride in a straight line, around a series of cones, and weave in and out of them (without falling off or having to put a foot down!)
It sounds like a similar idea might be useful for you (you have suggested this yourself). If you can't find a course, find an empty car park and challenge yourself to (for example) ride along the white lines, or some other challenge. Get a bit more confidence in riding the bike before you try riding in traffic again.
And good luck with it.

 

[Philhh]

Try to find an off road sustans route local to you without motorised traffic on and ride that pleasant and liberating

 

[PK99]

Errrrm; try looking in the direction that you want to go? Sounds like you might be suffering from "target fixation", whereby you tend to steer in the direction of hazards that you fixate on.
If traffic is such a problem, why not take the bike to a quiet place like an empty car park until you master the basics?

When my kids were small, we used to go on a regular riverside ride - they ran a script in their heads "I must not ride into the river", all the while looking at said river and riding towards it. Eventually we realised what was happening and why...

 

[Brandane]

maybe if I practice keeping my head up it should solve things?

Don't concern yourself too much about your HEAD, it is where your EYES are looking that is more important.

 

[Reynard]

Can you find some local cycle training, lots of councils offer similar

I did my Cycling Proficiency back in the day - still have the certificate and the enamelled badge. Might be something worth considering. If they still do this, of course. Was a very worthwhile thing to do and the skills have stood me in good stead over the years.

 

[vickster]

It's certainly offered by TFL in London. Other areas may offer similar

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/cycling-in-london/cycle-skills

 

[palinurus]

Errrrm; try looking in the direction that you want to go? Sounds like you might be suffering from "target fixation", whereby you tend to steer in the direction of hazards that you fixate on.

Once at the start of a time-trial I looked at a bit of broken kerb a few metres away from the start. 'I'd better avoid that' I thought. I rode straight over it, veered off into a gravelly lay-by, stayed upright.

 

[xahend]

Just thought I'd update you guys, have been practicing in a park at night and it's not going well - I definitely have that target fixation problem but can't find a way around it ://

Will practice again sometime this week

 

[fossyant]

Keep practicing and don't death grip the bars. You don't even death grip MTB bars flying down rocky hills

 

[Katherine]

Find an open space so you don't need to worry about crashing into hazards, then just ride around, let your mind wander, become part of the bike. After a while, start aiming for something ahead, think about the path you want to take and you'll go that way.
Don't even think about riding near traffic until you feel confident about controlling the bike.
Only then start practicing your road skills.

 

[Globalti]

That's the best advice so far. Steering a bike has to be completely intuitive or you will keep crashing.

 

[MichaelW2]

Target fixation is a problem in stressful situatio s. One solution is to break fixation by moving your head and visually scanning from side to side. Some people have very concentrated vision, others favour their peripheral visual capacity.