I'm 41 and damn it, I'm gonna learn how to ride a bike!

[Reg]

I just taught my daughter to ride this past Sunday. Same place I learned to ride and same place I taught my nephew and son to ride.

The key is to have a long, very slight grade. At our home our laneway is as such so it happened to be ideal. Make sure you can touch ground. Wear a helmut, understand how to brake ( a coaster type brake would maybe be easiest) and look straight ahead NOT at your feet and hands and pedal going as close to a staright line as possible, Turning will come later!

The momentum will keep you moving and you do not have to keep going faster just glide once you are rolling and start to pedal when you slow.

Great for you!!! when you get it, and you will, you'll feel like a kid all over again!!!!

[Racerbvd]

Too bad you aren't close to me, I would help you, I even have extra bikes
Just like anything else, just takes a bit of practice & patience..
Good luck..

[tweezers74]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

Too bad you aren't close to me, I would help you, I even have extra bikes
Just like anything else, just takes a bit of practice & patience..
Good luck..

Love this.

[nostatic]

Helmet
gloves
no ego

Know which brake lever is for which wheel. Start coasting down a gentle slope and only use the rear brake. It is easier to stay upright with some speed and with pedaling. As others said, look where you want to go. The handlebar isn't a steering wheel - you turn by leaning and you initiate that with a slight opposite turn.

Bicycles are wonderful contraptions. Enjoy.

[McLovin]

1. As counterintuitive as it seems, speed is your friend.

2. Please videotape.

[Flieger]

Yes, faster you go the more stable it is.

I am just going to confuse you here for the fun of it.

Also, you need to push on the right handlebar to initiate a right turn, then reduce the steering angle as you start to lean. And likewise for a left turn. I like my seat low if I am doing seriously twisty descents because I can lean off to the inside of a turn and get low and back when braking- otherwise it is easy to lock the rear but that is not a big deal on a bike - you can control the attitude with your arms, unlike in a car.

[snbush67]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Helmet
gloves
no ego

Know which brake lever is for which wheel. Start coasting down a gentle slope and only use the rear brake. It is easier to stay upright with some speed and with pedaling. As others said, look where you want to go. The handlebar isn't a steering wheel - you turn by leaning and you initiate that with a slight opposite turn.

Bicycles are wonderful contraptions. Enjoy.

Did I miss something....26 posts before someone mentions brakes.

Learn to stop before you go.!!! and remember that everyone in a car is trying to kill you.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

Too bad you aren't close to me, I would help you, I even have extra bikes
Just like anything else, just takes a bit of practice & patience..
Good luck..

It looks like your shirt was photo-shopped on.

[look 171]

Yep, a little speed will help you stay up. Next thing you know, you WILL be smiling ear to ear. it is too much fun once you get rolling. I still remember the first time I got going as a little boy. My kids had that same smile and you will too. Good luck. Oh one more thing, please don't slam on the front brake too hard and DO NOT do tricks like Byron. Guys like that got all the girls when they were young, and now they are old, they still get all the girls. DAmn those BMX guy.

[slodave]

More on the helmet!!! I am old skool, hate wearing protective stuff... But... But... I did buy a helmet when I bought my bike a couple months ago (First time I voluntarily bought something like that.). I rode BMX as a kid/teen, gave up riding when I bought a car. After 20 years, bought a entry level mountain bike that I use 75% on the street at the moment... Took a few minutes to re-acclimate myself, but I love the freedom! Since I have decided to use it as a mode of transportation, my biggest learning curve has been riding in the street, with automobile traffic.

Good on you for taking it up! Don't fear the crashes!!! They will and do happen. Go, go, go!!!

[911SauCy]

Yep, just like a dirtbike...Speed=stability, guide yourself by looking where you want to go.

Bring Band Aids and Balls

Good Luck !

[creaturecat]

wow. amazing.
you belong in the smithsonian.
: )

[Don Ro]

I love this forum!!!

[Hugh R]

Wear some gloves. Good luck.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by speeder

It looks like your shirt was photo-shopped on.

LOL..
So have you taken a ride yet??

[Weaver]

Everyone, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the kind words of encouragement. I really appreciate all of the comments and suggestions. I must say, I'm usually a thread killer, so for this one to be two pages makes me feel good.

Racerbvd, when I posted this originally I thought of you because EVERY pic you post has at least one bike in it!

Update:

I am the s4!t riding a bike in a straight line!! After reading all of y'all's suggestions, I took the pedals off my wife's bike, coasted up and down our driveway (150' x 2.5 cars wide) successfully. Replaced the pedals and got the push off and pedal thing pretty much after the third fall. After a half hour I was pedaling up and down the drive with some pretty good pace. The problem is......

I can't fu@king turn to save my life!!!!

I swear, if my neighborhood was the Bonneville Salt Flats I would be in great shape! But I just can't turn yet. It's that whole body leaning versus turning the handle bars thing. I'm also coasting while turning which I think is bad. I need to find a larger parking lot to practice in. My kids school is across the street from my neighborhood, I think I'll make an ass of myself over there on Sunday.

Again, thank you so much for y'all's help. Oh, and a video might be coming on Monday.

[Flieger]

Don't pedal while turning. I've tried it numerous times when not thinking but what gets your attention right quick is when your inside pedal scrapes the ground and you have to correct with your ninja reflexes to keep from going down. In my case blind luck saved me a couple times and my ninja reflexes were on vacation several others. Of course, if you can shift your body off the bike you don't need so much lean angle, but then you have an awkward body position for pedaling.

[Racerbvd]

Do you have anyone to ride with you and give you encouragement??

[JAR0023]

Couple of things on your turns. There are two types of turns. At slow speeds you keep the bike upright and turn the direction you want to go.

At anything above a walking pace you don't actually turn the bars left to go left. Google countersteering. Get yourself a little speed and a little room. Put your weight on the outside pedal, with the outside pedal down. With your hands put downward/forward pressure on the inside handlebar and lean a little inside. At speed just remember push left/go left, push right/go right. -J

[Flieger]

With countersteering you shouldn't really be thinking about doing it. You need to just be in tune with the bike and learn that muscle memory whereby a little body language will get the bike to bank and turn.