Cycling for the Terrified

[Hop]

Hi all!
I was just after a bit of advice really. I want to ditch my car for my bike. I've managed to talk myself into it (just about) but if I stop and think about it too much it terrifies me! I feel terribly exposed after getting used to the safety and comfort of a car! Any good ideas on overcoming The Fear?

 

[musa]

Until you get the bike you won't know
So

Ummm

How about


You get the bike and ride

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Just take it easy. Are there any gentle non-public highways nearby? I have a friend who is terrified of traffic so we cycle around a local reservoir to raise his confidence on two wheels.

 

[Red Light]

Get the book Cyclecraft by John Franklin and give it a read. The advice may seem counter-intuitive to someone fearful of traffic - e.g. riding out in the road rather than hugging the gutter - but it actually makes it much better and safer. Also consider finding some local Bikeability training course to go on.

Give it a go and you will soon find the fear level drops with familiarity.

 

[Hop]

Until you get the bike you won't know
So

Ummm

How about


You get the bike and ride

Thanks, but I'd already assumed that it would involve both of these things. Nervous, not stupid.

 

[Hop]

Get the book Cyclecraft by John Franklin and give it a read. The advice may seem counter-intuitive to someone fearful of traffic - e.g. riding out in the road rather than hugging the gutter - but it actually makes it much better and safer. Also consider finding some local Bikeability training course to go on.

Give it a go and you will soon find the fear level drops with familiarity.

Ok, I'll give it a go. Thanks for the tip. I just basically want to make sure I'm not making classic cyclist mistakes!

 

[ufkacbln]

Thanks, but I'd already assumed that it would involve both of these things. Nervous, not stupid.

Hi,
I think you misunderstood the original post by musa, there was no sarcasm intended.....

The "get the bike and ride" is sound. If you dither and think about it too much you will simply convince yourself that there are issues to prevent you.

You will soon find out just how easy and enjoyable it is.

(..and forget the horror stories on here, we are like fisherman in that "I had a really good ride today and nothing happened is boring and not worth posting. That is why you see more negative stories. We use them to learn from.)

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

One of the big differences between driving and cycling is that when you're on a bike you're actively managing risk - so much of driving has the risk already managed for the driver. Of course, neither driving nor cycling are entirely safe, but I'm certain you learn more about dealing with, and reducing, danger on a bike than in a car. And in many ways you have more control over where you are and what you do on the road, in traffic jams, etc. If a junction or roundabout ahead looks particularly dangerous, I've been known to simply pull off to the kerb (which you can do without holding up traffic) and watching how the traffic flows or jams up before undertaking it. If you still don't fancy it, you can simply swing one leg over the bike and walk it - there's no shame. The failure's not yours, it's the highway engineers'.

 

[Hebe]

Get the book Cyclecraft by John Franklin and give it a read. The advice may seem counter-intuitive to someone fearful of traffic - e.g. riding out in the road rather than hugging the gutter - but it actually makes it much better and safer. Also consider finding some local Bikeability training course to go on.

Give it a go and you will soon find the fear level drops with familiarity.

+1 to both of these. A good cycling instructor will help you apply the techniques in Cyclecraft and will also have strong local knowledge which is invaluable. I asked about training at my LBS and they gave me contact details for an instructor.

I found that learning a few maintenance basics really helped my confidence too.

 

[Scoosh]

Give us some idea of whereabouts you live and there will almost certainly be some friendly/friedly CycleChatter along to offer to chum you around on a ride or two to get your confidence levels up - and to invite you on a CC Forum Ride - and don't worry - NO ONE gets left behind on a CC Forum Ride !

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Try your commute a couple of times early morning on a weekend: this way you get to know potholes, obstacles, traffic lights, shortcuts available to you.
Find out the less busy roads you could take, even if it means a slight detour: when you are more confident, you can go for the quicker route. Me, at peak traffic times I still chicken out on the occasional pavement
Good luck!

 

[slowmotion]

The things that I found hardest were indicating, looking over the shoulder and steering, all at the same time. It just takes practice, but I would say looking over your shoulder is the first to master....every few seconds.

When you have gained a bit of confidence, riding in traffic can be quite fun. Good luck.