Teaching an adult to ride a bike

[Cathryn]

We have a Ukrainian family living with us. We live in a village a few miles from the nearest town, there aren't many buses and our lovely guest can't ride a bike. I'm keen to teach her because a) cycling is amazing b) it would give her so much freedom. However the last thing I want to do is add any stress to her situation. Has anyone ever taught a nervous adult to ride a bike and how did they do it? Is there a step-by-step guide that is simple and effective?

 

[Seevio]

Does this help?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7GKK3liv8M

 

[HobbesOnTour]

The first thing I'd do (assuming you're supplying the bike) is to make sure that it's fully functional and set up as best it can be for her.
I'm assuming that language might be an issue? Then I'd suggest looking in to any Ukrainian support network and seeing if anyone would be willing to help out. At the least a basic rundown of the rules of the road / highway code (or whatever ye call it there) in her language could help.

An outside the box source might be YouTube!

Are there any bike shops/charities that are offering bikes to refugees in your area? They might be able to help.

I think the most important thing is that she wants to cycle. If you can demonstrate the advantages, have a bike available and a safe space for her to practice then that's the basics covered.

Is it Cycling UK that is the main cycling body? Could they help? Surely they have info for adult cyclists?

It's a good thing you're doing. Best of luck.

 

[annedonnelly]

Take her somewhere quiet and safe so if she has to stop or jump off there'll not be loads of people to look and maybe laugh.
Lower the seat so she can easily put a foot on the ground. Let her scoot along a bit. Perhaps start on a gentle downhill slope. Make sure the bike is in a nice easy gear.
Walk or run along beside her. If she can only manage a few minutes leave it and try again tomorrow.
Head to the cafe to relax

And well done for providing a home for a family!! That's an amazing thing to do.

 

[steveindenmark]

We are in the same position in our village in Denmark. As part of your teaching make them physically change a tube and give them a puncture repair kit. Its the one big mistake we made But keep everything as simple as possible. Look up and ahead and dont look down. Because you go where you are looking.

 

[MichaelW2]

Teach stopping before you teach starting.
Dress them in long clothes, practice on grassy gentle slope.
Tell them to keep hold of bars if they topple over (to avoid broken shoulder.)
A smaller ladies bike in a low gear is safest to learn on.

 

[Roseland triker]

Hand em the bike and let them get on with it

 

[Paulus]

Similar to a way of getting kids to learn to balance.
Take the pedals off, lower the saddle a bit and firstly get them to scoot along until they can get their balance with both feet off the ground
Then put the pedals back on and take it from there.

 

[cyberknight]

find out if it something she wants to do first would be my advice , i know we are all cycle nutters but some people are not.

 

[Illaveago]

It is quite interesting !
It is something that we take as being natural by just jumping on a bike and cycling away . It must be quite a learning process . I can still remember the first time I was actually riding but can't remember what happened next . I sure that there must have been loads of crashes.
I think the best way to start would be as has been suggested above and just get the rider to balance on the bike and not worry about pedaling. I think balancing , steering and braking would be enough to figure out before compensating for the unbalancing action of pedaling .
I think starting off by just rolling along with both feet touching the ground like the Hobby Horse might be a way to begin with .
Good luck ! It does sound interesting .

 

[Cycleops]

Remember that you need to get a little speed up starting off when learning otherwise going slowly will cause you to wobble and fall.
I’d say she’ll be riding like a pro within a couple of hours.

 

[keithmac]

My daughter was nearly 8 before she decided she wanted to learn to ride a bike, as said above worth asking first if they want to learn.

Nice flat piece of grass, teach them how to brake and also how to set of (rhs pedal at 2 o'clock).

I learnt to swim at 39, never liked water but did it for my children. For an adult learning any new skill can be stressful so bare it in mind.

 

[Hebe]

What a great thing to do! I learned as an adult in my 40s... it still feels miraculous that I can stay upright on a bike let alone go anywhere. Anyway, if she wants to learn I suggest a step through bike or a mountain bike not shiny and new (she might worry about damaging it), offer a helmet if she wants it. If she's happy riding then maybe concentrate on traffic free paths to start off with? I'm trying to imagine how I would have felt learning to ride in another country under such circumstances - I'd probably want to take it easy, be with someone kind and have cake somewhere. Good luck.

 

[Cathryn]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I haven't broached it yet, waiting for a calm moment and considering my words carefully so as to not add stress or pressure.I'd put her on my MTB (step through, smaller than she would usually ride) so she can put her feet down very easily. I'll report back if and when we ever give it a shot.

 

[CharleyFarley]

We have a Ukrainian family living with us. We live in a village a few miles from the nearest town, there aren't many buses and our lovely guest can't ride a bike. I'm keen to teach her because a) cycling is amazing b) it would give her so much freedom. However the last thing I want to do is add any stress to her situation. Has anyone ever taught a nervous adult to ride a bike and how did they do it? Is there a step-by-step guide that is simple and effective?

It's almost guaranteed that she'll take a fall or two. Grass isn't the easiest place to learn, so perhaps provide her with padded or other protective clothing so she doesn't end up with road rash.