Greetings from sunny (!) Essex!

[Terpsikhore]

Hallo! I got bought a bike for my 8th birthday, but never learnt to ride it...I went to school in a different part of the county, so I had no friends in my home town, and when you're that age going out on your bike to ride around by yourself isn't a very appealing prospect.

Now I'm in my 20s, I decided learning to ride would be useful to keep me reasonably fit - not only because of the cycling itself, but because if I could bike the 2-mile journey instead of having to walk for 30 minutes to get to the gym, I might actually go more than once a fortnight!

Only problem is, it requires learning to ride a bike first. And I'm finding the hard way that, while most people smile encouragingly at 6-year-olds with stabilisers and kneepads, a gangly-looking adult wobbling her way down the bike trail doesn't get such kind responses. Gulp. I'm not doing too badly - I did half an hour continuous cycling round an industrial estate this afternoon, with only minor bloodshed (and that was because I'd bought a new bike this morning and was so scared of falling and chipping the paintwork after I mounted a kerb badly, I practically threw my body to the ground first to save the bike! Bloodied knuckles are a small price to pay for not scratching a 3-hour-old bike...). Still a way to go before I'd trust myself to ride on the road, though. If nothing else, I haven't learnt to indicate without falling over yet!

So if anyone from the Essex area sees a ginger girl on a bright purple machine, weaving her way down the road with a look of grim determination... do us both a favour and give me a wide berth.

 

[Scoosh]

Terpsikhore and to CycleChat !

Congratulations on starting learning to ride a bike as a non-6 yr old .

There will soon be much wiser and more knowledgeable folk offering accurate advice but I suggest you contact your local council and enquire about Cycle Training Courses. These are run for adults as well as for youngsters and can be a really good introduction to not only the physical skills involved in riding a bike but also some aspects of riding on the road, safe positioning, clothing etc. They might even include some basic maintenance (like fixing a flat tyre).

HTH and keep us updated - I want to know when you do your first 50km ride !

 

[Steve H]

Nice one Terpsikhore. Welcome to cycling.

Fascinating to hear about you getting started with a bike. Keep giving us updates on how you are getting along.

 

[richard205]

Hi Terpsikhore, an essex boy here.

a quick tip, get yourself some cycling gloves, helps to keep the skin on your hands when you come off. Certainly saved the palms of my hands on two seperate occaisions in the past couple of weeks.

Have fun!

 

[summerdays]

Welcome ... and well done for attempting something that must seem hard when you are more aware of hurting yourself than a child.

Don't look at the ground immediately infront of you - look further ahead and it will help with both balance and also seeing obstacles sooner.

 

[Dayvo]

Hello terpsikhore and welcome to the CC forum from a Brentwood lad!

As scoosh said, find out if there are any CTC schemes, or failing that, see if the council/any bike clubs offer such courses for new beginners.

There are a few folk here from Essex/East Anglia/London, so keep an eye out for a ride/get-together in the area.

There's also plenty of good advice from knowledgeable and experienced cyclists, so don't be afraid to ask any question.

You'll soon be flying along with the novice tag way behind you.

Have fun!

 

[Dilbert]

 and   




Hello Terpsikhore and welcome,

I believe that Level 1 Bikeablity is aimed at people such as yourself, and the instructors I have met round here are very friendly and enthusiastic, they will have you cycling confidently in no time.

Don't worry about what anyone thinks about you - you are doing something positive for yourself and the world at large

You might be able to get it free:

Try

Essex County Council
Essex County Council
Grahame Pinder
County Hall
Chelmsford
CM1 1QH
01245 437131
grahame.pinder@essex.gov.uk


or

Southend on Sea Borough Council
Bikeability - Southend
Sara Hadden
Victoria Avenue
Civic Centre
Southend On sea
SS2 6ZQ
01702 215338
sarahadden@southend.gov.uk
www.southend.gov.uk


There are more available on bikeability near you

If you need any gear Aldi have got Cycling stuff on special from Thursday

Good Luck

  

 

[Toshiba Boy]

Hi Terpsikhore, and keep going, you'll soon be doing distances and rides that at the moment you wouldn't believe were possible. This lark is great fun.

 

[Terpsikhore]

Thanks for the encouragement, guys!

I did have a look online for CTC courses, but the ones I found were way too expensive for me right now. I'll e-mail the council about that Bikeability thing Dilbert mentioned though.

My younger brother is a good cyclist/mountain biker, so he's been helping out a bit (well, okay, mostly laughing at me!) and showing me how to maintain my bike. He's also promised me cycling gloves for my birthday!

Thanks for the heads-up on the Aldi stuff, too. The irony being...I don't own a car, so I'd have to cycle to Aldi.

 

[EssexRider]

If your local to southend check out www.cyclesouthend.co.uk for local rides and clubs

I'm not local to southend and dont take part in these rides.. but just incase haha

 

[Dayvo]

If your local to southend check out www.cyclesouthend.co.uk for local rides and clubs

I'm not local to southend and dont take part in these rides.. but just incase haha

Whaddya mean not local!?

It's only 20 miles down the road! Down Ingrave Road and turn left at the A127!

 

[EssexRider]

Whaddya mean not local!?

It's only 20 miles down the road! Down Ingrave Road and turn left at the A127!

hahaha I live just off brentwood road... like nearish the halfway house
but 20 miles to me isnt local.. its an hours ride.

 

[Firestorm]

If you are in the Southend area and are tempted to use the sea front, be wary on the cyclepaths on the west of the pier, they have been "re-vamped" in the last year or so and are coming in for a lot of criticism.
The car parking bays right next to them mean that a lot of car doors just get flung open accross the cycle lane and the lack of definition between the cycle lane and the footpath means a number of peds just wander across.

Mind you the cyclist on a three man training ride ploughing into a young kid whilst travelling on the cyclepath at a fair lick on a crowded sunday did not help public sympathy.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

Hi and Terpsikhore. As a matter of interest what bike are you riding? Did you get it set up for you (is it even the correct size?) If it's a store-bought BSO with knobbly tyres you may have set yourself up for a harsh learning curve. Please get some training with a bit of mechanical learning thrown in. Its amazing how just a cursory knowledge of how a bike works will improve your riding (and may get you out of a mechanical fix at the side of the road-punctures at least). All this might seem a lot to take in but it really isn't, and the net result will be that you are a more confident rider with more confidence in your bike.
As an aside, I was following a man last evening up the road on his 'hybrid' and every time a car came up behind him he began to wobble all over the place. I have seen this gentleman around town for years so it's never too late to get trained. Even now, I still find I have something to learn myself.

Enjoy your riding,

Bill

 

[babycake]

lol, im in Essex too, i'll keep a look out for ya!

Welcome!