Don't laugh but...

Fozzi43
Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I bought a bike yesterday :laugh:

Not been on a bike for twenty years...any tips coz I really think I'm gonna fall off :laugh:
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Replies

  • LupaNera
    LupaNera Posts: 170
    Nice!! Ehm no advices here since I never got to stay on a bike!
    Anything rollerblades ice skating but bikes were just trees or my face in the dirt :D
    They say that you can't forgot how to go in bike so I believe you just have to try :)
  • witchy_wife
    witchy_wife Posts: 792 Member
    I have no tips, I also haven't been on a bike in years and thinking of getting one. Hope it works out ok for you.
  • Ralphrabbit
    Ralphrabbit Posts: 351 Member
    I got on a bike last year after 25 years as my car died! Thought the saddle would kill me but suggest a gel saddle or cover to help. I just got a mileometre & that has boosted me to go just that little faster & takes the focus off the aches to a goal. Little at a time.......
  • KaityMarie379
    KaityMarie379 Posts: 14 Member
    I just got back on my bike after 2 years of driving everywhere...yes, I know, I'm a baby.
    It really feels good to speed around by the mercy of your legs and self cool with sweat. I think you'll really enjoy feeling sore in weird places because that means weird places are finally working and stretching out!

    I would go to WalMart or something and buy one of those reflective vests. They're not stylish, but for $7 they'll make you feel a lot safer at night if you plan on riding. Compare installing just blinkers/reflectors on your bike vs wearing one of these and the squeaky breaks behind you seem to start sooner. HELMET. Your noggin rocks.

    Otherwise, just take it slow, adjust gears to where you can keep up a continuous cadence but not so you look like you're pushing air with your feet...and drink water!

    Have fun :]
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    Thanks guys :smile:


    I think I may need stabilisers though :laugh:
  • Loveable64
    Loveable64 Posts: 24 Member
    Thats great ,am going to by me one and start off slow and take day at a time.
  • Eupho
    Eupho Posts: 201 Member
    Howdy! ..

    Just start nice and steady until you 'Find you feet' (pedals) :wink:

    Short gentle easy trips until you gain more confidence.

    I bought a bike about 18mths ago.. and I LOVE it!!! ...

    I do lots of off road trail bumpy muddy fun stuff now! ... (from starting out wobbley about on a quiet flat road)

    You can do it!! :drinker:
  • LupaNera
    LupaNera Posts: 170
    Thanks guys :smile:


    I think I may need stabilisers though :laugh:

    Well you might just use some pillows :laugh:
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    Thanks guys :smile:


    I think I may need stabilisers though :laugh:

    Well you might just use some pillows :laugh:



    :laugh: :laugh:
  • MaddameKat
    MaddameKat Posts: 200 Member
    i have been off my bike for about 16 years and now i have a partner who works fora bike company so i have been nagged for ages to get back on.

    Go somewhere quiet ( child free so we don't run them over and you don't need extra to panic about ) and have a little go up and down a path. DO NOT STOP PEDALING ( i fell off when i slowed down!)
    Oh and giant padded knickers are a total option - just hide them under some joggers

    enjoy!!
  • RiverMelSong
    RiverMelSong Posts: 456 Member
    Over here we practically give birth on bikes, so it's kinda second nature to me :p
    The only tip I have is start slow on quiet roads :) Before you know it you'll be biking everywhere!
  • Rozlynmac
    Rozlynmac Posts: 71
    Maybe it's worth checking out Halfords and any other local superstores to see if they carry adverts for cycling proficiency courses - get some pointers and a few wee test runs for practice/support? (Assuming you're in the UK?)

    Or google your local area and cycling and see what you get. There's likely to be graded cycle tracks so you can try out the gentler quieter ones until you feel more comfortable on the bike.
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member

    Oh and giant padded knickers are a total option - just hide them under some joggers

    enjoy!!




    I thought more of a suit of armour :laugh: :laugh:
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    I love my bike!

    If you have a pannier rack get a good bag that clips onto it. I have one that I can fit enough in for an overnight stay or pack my groceries in when shopping. It is also comfortable for carrying around town when I'm off my bike (Basil do a good range if you can get them where you are).

    It's also good to learn some basic bike maintenance - being able to fix a puncture yourself when out and about is very useful. Being able to replace and adjust my own brake blocks and tyres etc. also saves me a lot of money. You just need a few basic tools to get started and some Youtube videos :)
  • funkylemur
    funkylemur Posts: 55 Member
    Well done! Last time I rode a bike I was about 8 !
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    Right.....now going to have a go :laugh: I live on a very quiet road...I shall report back but if you don't hear from me you'll know I've fallen off and am crawling back :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • kat191
    kat191 Posts: 35
    I had the same problem until my mum told me that riding is a bike is like learning to walk once you know how to do it you dont forget!
  • bernieh27510
    bernieh27510 Posts: 16
    Good one Lizzie. I bought myself an exercise bike a few weeks ago and I totally love it. xxx
  • dragonfly_em
    dragonfly_em Posts: 122 Member
    i just got a new bike too!!!! before kids (12 years ago) used to cycle everywhere and was fit - now it's time to stop driving and get back on 2 wheels! I got a really fancy bike thru the cycle to work scheme as my old bike is now over 20years old. first thing i did was fall off coz i couldn't get my feet out of the clippy things in time. I've been going to spin classes to get in shape and figured it was time to get out of the hot stinky room and into the fresh air. What about putting in some time on a stationary bike and getting used to the feel and getting the right muscles working. obviously won't help with the balance and working brakes and gears but that will all come as you get on a real bike.
    just relax and have fun!!!
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    I'm back! :laugh:

    I just had a go round the block where I lived...and didn't fall off:laugh: but just need to get used to stopping with the brakes instead of just slowing right down before applying the brakes. Will need to get a seat cover as its very hard but that's ok :laugh:

    I live just a stones throw from work and I wanted a bike to ride to work as the time my son goes to school to the time I have to be at work isn't long enough to walk.
    It's got gears and they are set so to pedal is pretty hard but just got to learn how to use them :laugh:

    I'm very pleased with myself :laugh:
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    I thought I was reasonably fit...but it got me out of breath! :laugh:
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Should try cycling around the new forest then, that really is out of breath country.
    I have cycled for just over a year now, and oddly, just slipped into it relatively easily, but then I got a trial by fire as my bf took me straight out onto the roads to go to a car boot sale. I was pretty annoyed when we got there that he hadn't kept a close eye on whether I had managed to remain behind him and intact, lol.

    Now I cycle most days where I can, usually for an hour to two and a half hours.
    I get breathless still up hills, but then it is not for lack of fitness but rather I have emphysema.
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    I've just got back from pedalling to the shops and back, took ten minutes and bit puffed but am sure I will get better.

    I'm so glad I got it!
  • estelle74uk
    estelle74uk Posts: 465 Member
    I did exactly the same last nite!! Picked up my bike, rode it home, then me and my partner went out, he jogged whilst i rode and it was great.

    Butt hurts a little this morning but loved it!!

    Happy riding
  • gjulie
    gjulie Posts: 391
    I would love to cycle but the roads here are so damn dangerous and no cycle lanes would be taking your life in your hands!
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    I did exactly the same last nite!! Picked up my bike, rode it home, then me and my partner went out, he jogged whilst i rode and it was great.

    Butt hurts a little this morning but loved it!!

    Happy riding
    [/qu



    Glad you enjoyed it, it's fun!

    Thank you, I'm going out on it again twice today to go to work then get my son from school..am sure my backside will hurt tomorrow!
  • LupaNera
    LupaNera Posts: 170
    Great stuff! I believe that I am the only one completely incapable of riding a bike... I will just stick with walking. Rollerblades are out of the question if I want to get home in one piece. Crazy traffic and big streets...
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    My mother got her first bike at 38. She knew how to ride, but had grown up pretty poor in the city and never had one. Our whole family would ride together after dinner.

    Have fun!
  • lilpoindexter
    lilpoindexter Posts: 1,122 Member
    YAY!!!! I bought a bike three months ago, you will love it. It is so much more fun than walking...CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

    I have gone through two seats, I currently have a Sunlite Cloud-9 that I bought on Amazon, it really helps, but my butt still gets sore, but...I like to go on really long rides, like 30 miles, plus, so that probably has more to do with it...

    One day in the shower, I looked at my thighs, and noticed they were a little swollen, at first I was a little sad, thinking I was getting fat again, but then when I kept looking, I realized, the long quadricep muscles on the top of my legs were filling in really nice.

    I used to neglect my legs in the weight room, but after I bought my bike, I started hitting them on a regular basis, so that plus the bike rides is really making big changes...
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
    I rode a bike for the first time in 45 years on holiday a couple of years ago. It's quite true that you don't forget how to ride, but you need plenty of space while you re-learn it - and don't expect much stamina in your leg muscles or bum! I found that if I went fast I was less likely to fall off, but the steering was rather "hit-and-almost-miss". After about half an hour I was reasonably under control provided I only wanted to go straight ahead.

    Enjoy!! :wink:

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