I am a beginner, feeling nervous to get started.

[bpr96]

Hi,

I can't remember the last time I hopped on a bike, due to running causing a lot of stress on my body I have decided I want to get started with cycling.

My main fear is my balance, I feel like I can get going but then I worry about when I need to stop, I imagine I am going to brake and then fall off to one side or another and cause myself injury.

An additional point to that is falling off my bike in a dangerous area, and generally just the overall embarrassment of falling off my bike.

There is a lot of skills that I need to learn to confidently ride a bike but I am very nervous to get started, any tips on how to deal with this? I do have a few parks around my area I have been considering going over there for the first few rides, if that scenario occurs that I do fall off, at least it will be in a safer area.

What do you think? thanks all

 

[Dan77]

Don't worry, you'll be fine. It's just like riding a bike (there's a reason for that phrase).

Practicing in a park to build confidence is a good idea.

 

[Oldhippy]

As Dan77 says you'll be fine. Park is a good idea to get your skills honed. Don't over think it most importantly.

 

[annedonnelly]

If it makes you more comfortable drop the seat low enough so that you can easily reach the ground with your feet. You'll need to put it back up when you're more confident, but lower will be fine to get you started.

And as for embarassment - who cares? At least if someone smiles at your antics you've brightened their day & we all need a bit of that at the minute.

Welcome, by the way.

 

[Archie_tect]

Start off with your bike seat low enough to easily put either foot down when you need to stop... then as you build up your confidence and your balance improves so that you're not thinking about it, you'll realise that when you stop you have a favourite side that you put your foot down first. When you reach that point you can start to raise the seat bit by bit until you have it at the optimum height- ie leg still slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke. There are lots of U-Tube videos to watch about cycling skills and how to get the most out of cycling.

Enjoy your bike and welcome to Cyclechat!

[Edit: Great minds think alike Anne!! 😄]

 

[alicat]

Go to the park. Ride round for a bit and when you want to stop consciously step off the bike just before you come to a halt. The bike will tilt to one side. Just take advantage of that and step off. The bike won't fall so fast that you can't step off the bike.

And if you do fall, it won't matter unless you have serious osteoporosis in which case you probably should not be riding anyway (I'm not a medic and that is not medical advice...)

Oh and have fun. Lots of fun.

 

[annedonnelly]

[Edit: Great minds think alike Anne!! 😄]

Obviously the most sensible people are in this part of the world

 

[Sharky]

Good suggestions above. Try to avoid turning right (in the UK), by using anti clockwise loops and dismount and walk across complicated road junctions. Confidence will quickly return.

 

[mjr]

Another possibility is to see if you can hire or borrow a small-wheel step-through bike, which usually means a folding bike now. Brompton Bike Hire is in some cities but I found it awkward to use.

Small wheel step through bikes are easy to adjust heights on and very easy to jump off and catch if it starts to fall. The drawback would be that it feels a bit different to a "traditional" bike.

 

[HMS_Dave]

I started riding when morbidly obese. Could only manage the end of the street and back and I was cacking myself incase I fell off and turned my skeleton into talcum powder... I never did fall off (few close calls down the canal since) but my fears of falling off have waned since I have a lot more confidence and lost a load of weight. The best advice really is to just jump on and start peddling. Good luck.

 

[stoatsngroats]

Just remember that balance is aided by the wheels moving, so the faster, the easier to balance. This picks up quite quickly, even under 10 miles per hour will provide some balancing for you. At walking pace, it’s not so easy.
If you can find a gentle slope this will show you.

 

[AuroraSaab]

You'll get more confident as you go out more. As said, lower the saddle so you can easily put your feet down. Practise on quiet roads, housing estates, or a quiet canal path. I live in an urban area so road traffic is my biggest worry - but you soon find routes that use quieter roads rather than main roads.

I haven't ridden over the winter so I'm a bit hesitant too at the moment. I don't go far anyway but I'll just do a few short rides till I get back into it.

When you are starting out, little and often is better than thinking you have to be out on the bike for an hour in my opinion.

 

[ColinJ]

It is all in the mind...

I had a 20 year break from cycling, then bought a bike in Manchester, brought it back to Yorkshire on the train, and rode it home from the station. It only took me a couple of minutes to get used to riding again.

To be honest, I did make a few mistakes in the first couple of years back on the bike, but generally it was not a problem.

Stick at it, be careful... you'll be fine!

 

[slowmotion]

No need to feel embarrassed about falling off the bike. People don't tend to stand about laughing at you. They seem genuinely more concerned about your well being, bless them.

 

[Arrowfoot]

I once fell sideways reaching a small road junction after coming to a complete stop. I was unclipping but got distracted. This was after years of cycling thru the most crowded London traffic with not a care in the world. 2 chaps came running and helped me up. Then one of them started laughing and told me how comical I looked after coming to a stop and then suddenly falling sideways. His friend also started laughing and all 3 of us had a laugh.