Wobbling away

[KnittyNorah]

can't help but be intrigued - what's all this under the radar knitting machine transportation about?
some sort of northern criminal code?

LOL! I have joined a yarn-bombing group and take it to our meetings, so I can knit up vast long strips and tubes for covering lamp-posts and railings and bus-shelters. I've also joined another knitting group which is that rare thing - multicraftual-friendly - so I take it along to that one, too. Many knitting groups will mock, despise and look down on machine knitting, accusing machine knitters of 'cheating' by using a machine.
The last person to accuse me - loudly! - of 'cheating' in my use of a knitting machine was asked why , if using a machine was cheating, was she such a cheat in so many other fields, including using a machine to get to the venue when she could have perfectly well walked ...

 

[wooster]

When I started back riding, I thought I'd never get my balance and steering ability back. There was no way I could steer though bollards less than about 6 ft apart, I was scared of steering myself into the canal when riding along the towpath and if I was riding along the quiet lanes near my home, I'd get off and push if I heard a car coming as I knew I wouldn't be able to signal or acknowledge a courtesy if I was also steering the bike ...
I was trying to get out on my bike every alternate day at first, even if often only for fifteen minutes, and soon graduated to two days on/one day off. I think riding frequently, even if not for very long, was very good for me.
Three months later - by autumn last year - I could happily signal when riding on a fairly busy road, acknowledge drivers on quiet lanes with a 'thumbs up' and ride along the canal towpath in all sorts of under-wheel conditions. Not long after that, I learnt which bollards I could steer through - while riding not pushing! - while fully laden with a week's shopping from Lidl.

I've recently been transporting one of my knitting machines on my rear rack; it's slightly wider than my handlebars - and of course fairly fragile - although not as heavy as most, as it's not one of my solid metal ones (that wouldn't be manageable except in a trailer as they weigh around . This has been a bit of a challenge and once more I'm getting off to push through bollards and wheel along trafficed roads - but this is for the sake of my knitting machine, no other reason. And I get to where I want to go without having to rely on anyone else!

Keep on keeping on and you'll get there again!

I don't knit but otherwise can relate to your experience absolutely! The thought of riding along a canal towpath is quite challenging to me. I often try to avoid an obstacle and end up riding into the grass verge at the side of the path so a canal towpath would be frought with danger for me

I take courage from your description of your experience and your progress. Thank you.

 

[KnittyNorah]

I don't knit but otherwise can relate to your experience absolutely! The thought of riding along a canal towpath is quite challenging to me. I often try to avoid an obstacle and end up riding into the grass verge at the side of the path so a canal towpath would be frought with danger for me

I take courage from your description of your experience and your progress. Thank you.

Don't forget shifts of your body weight will affect your direction, you don't have a wheel at all four corners on a bike, and even moving your head can - indeed usually will - cause a shift in direction. Think of the physics of it - a bike is physics in action!

Somewhere or other on this site I posted about my feeling of achievement on the day I realised that I was able to signal - confidently - with no, or very little, wobble - my intention to turn left onto a bridleway/cycleway, to the car following me at a polite distance behind. And keep on a nice steady straight-ahead direction while riding/steering one-handed! (This by the way on a 20" wheel folder - inherently more 'twitchy' than 'full size' wheels). What a triumph that felt like!

Back in spring I had a break from cycling for a month or so, when I had shingles - and coming back to it was ... interesting ... even after that short break, I repeated what had been almost a full years progress. In just two or three rides I went from feeling very wobbly at the beginning of the first one, right back to 'normality' on the third, and not even having lost much fitness that I could tell. And that was after only a month or so's break. So it makes sense it would take a considerable time to return to a reasonable skill level after a long break - especially with the certain knowledge that you both break more easily and don't mend as well, as you get older ...

 

[Hebe]

I learned as an adult and the wobble is real . Bikeability sessions via my county council really helped - I recently had two top up sessions which were provided free of charge and they made such a difference to my confidence. KnittyNorah’s suggestion of plenty of short rides as often as you can chimes with my experience too. I really needed to make getting on the bike something that I did so often that returning home unbroken ceased to be remarkable. Somewhere along the line it stopped being something that worried me and started to be just another way of getting around. Albeit a very joyful and satisfying way of getting around.
edit to add - I don’t ride the tow path here at all. Too narrow, too busy, too many dogs, too many slippery leaves and too many twisty blind bits under bridges. It’s faster and much less stress to ride on quiet roads, so I do that now.

 

[harlechjoe]

if the balance problem is a confidence issue traffic then free routes will help keep you safe. If the balance problem is an unmanageable medical condition would a trike be a safer option?

 

[wooster]

Don't forget shifts of your body weight will affect your direction, you don't have a wheel at all four corners on a bike, and even moving your head can - indeed usually will - cause a shift in direction. Think of the physics of it - a bike is physics in action!

Somewhere or other on this site I posted about my feeling of achievement on the day I realised that I was able to signal - confidently - with no, or very little, wobble - my intention to turn left onto a bridleway/cycleway, to the car following me at a polite distance behind. And keep on a nice steady straight-ahead direction while riding/steering one-handed! (This by the way on a 20" wheel folder - inherently more 'twitchy' than 'full size' wheels). What a triumph that felt like!

Back in spring I had a break from cycling for a month or so, when I had shingles - and coming back to it was ... interesting ... even after that short break, I repeated what had been almost a full years progress. In just two or three rides I went from feeling very wobbly at the beginning of the first one, right back to 'normality' on the third, and not even having lost much fitness that I could tell. And that was after only a month or so's break. So it makes sense it would take a considerable time to return to a reasonable skill level after a long break - especially with the certain knowledge that you both break more easily and don't mend as well, as you get older ...

Good points about body position and shifting.

I was out yesterday for 30 mins on quiet road and some woodland paths. I did some one-handed stuff for a bit, which wasn't too bad. What I did find was that there were quite a few patches of leaves which were a little slippery and made me a bit nervous. Its certainly true that you worry about breaking bones at my time of life

 

[wooster]

if the balance problem is a confidence issue traffic then free routes will help keep you safe. If the balance problem is an unmanageable medical condition would a trike be a safer option?

i'm pretty sure it is just getting used to it coupled with a normal age thing. I don't fancy a trike TBH and I'm able to get around. I'm getting better at the whole thing now. Just impatient and contrasting with my last experience on a bike in my youth.

 

[DCBassman]

i'm pretty sure it is just getting used to it coupled with a normal age thing. I don't fancy a trike TBH and I'm able to get around. I'm getting better at the whole thing now. Just impatient and contrasting with my last experience on a bike in my youth.

Sounds to me like you're doing it right. Bravo!

 

[TK421]

Your bug could have affected your ears and thus your balance. Riding a bike is not something you forget . I’m sure you’ll get it back, confidence will come with practice.

@Cycleops may well have a point. My sinuses are knackered after nearly dying from meningitis, its amazing much a tiddly little virus can damage you, anyway I have been left suffering from paroximal positional vertigo, so looking up high, looking down or laying down makes my head spin and your bug may have affected you similarly BUT don't let it put you off. Just as I have found your wobbles wil go with practice and being mindful of your position on the bike can counteract some of it. also don't stress too much about possible obstacles, a tense stressed body will make jerky movements thus amplifying and exacerbating the wobbles. keep up the good work.