Beginner bicycles outside

Not sure what you mean you can't balance pedal. Do you mean you're having a hard time staying upright? Have you ever been on a bicycle before? If not, is there anyone that might be able to help you as you learn?

1. If you can, take the pedals off
2. use your feet/legs to push yourself along
3. once you have a little momentum, keep your feet off the ground and cost along - this will help you learn balance

Practice, practice, practice. Then, once you have the balance mostly down, put the pedals back on and try pedaling.


Depending on the bike, you might want to lower the seat, too. Having the seat too high and/or having your weight too far forward can make it harder to balance.

Keep in mind that going very slowly on a bicycle makes it hard to balance. Most can balance pretty easily around 6 mph once they get the hang of it. There are some folks who can balance at basically a stand still. The technique is called a track stand if you would like to do a search.

Cycling for both myself and my wife is just awesome. We’ve lost over 125lbs combined, been on some amazing cycling vacations and met great folks. I’m 63, my wife 44 and she kicks my butt every time.
The great thing is that we do it together.

kaykaur6703 wrote: »

I’m 48 just brought my first mountain bike second hand

nice! idk how much this will help, so ignore what doesn't:

- a lot of the balance comes from your hips, on a bike. to get the feeling for that, you can set up near a wall or pole so you can keep a hand on it to save your balance. you can practice just sitting to get that feeling, if you like.

- if you can, ask someone to check the bike 'fit' for you. it probably doens't have to be perfect at this point, but if (for instance) the saddle is seriously too high or low, or the handlebars are seriously too far away for your reach, then the job of learning will be much harder than it needs to be because your body won't be in its own natural shape.

- once you're ready to add movement, i agree that coasting down a slight slope is a good beginning. that lets you get the feeling of how bikes like to move, without you having to do any of the work yet.

- wear a helmet! really. i know it sounds like overkill while you're not planning to go very fast, but height is one of the contributing factors for head injuries in bike falls. plus, it's good to get into the habit, and wearing it may help your confidence too. same goes for long sleeves and pants, provided they don't restrict you. riding in jeans isn't too comfortable even for people who know i suggest sweats and some kind of 'real' shoe.

good luck and again, congratulations. i can attest you're not alone in picking this up late in life. i get accosted by a surprising number of women my age, who tell me they don't know hwo to ride a bike because they were never allowed to learn when they were kids. and then as adults it gets harder and harder, and most of them just experience it now as a loss that they'll never make up.

so \o/ if you're doing it.

kaykaur6703 wrote: »

I’m 48 just brought my first mountain bike second hand never ride before, do spin classes but this cycling outside is completely different!!

Never too late to start.

Do you have a local cycling club? Some of them will offer adult "learn to ride" programs.

The only thing about practicing in a grassy field is that it's harder to pedal in grass (or dirt) than it is on pavement. I second or third the suggestion of taking the pedals off of the bike and riding it as if it's a balance bike at first so you get the hang of balancing. It would also be harder to work on balancing in the grass because again, it's harder to go fast (I don't mean like, bombing down a hill fast, but fast enough to easily balance) because of the rolling resistance. The faster you go the easier it will be to balance.

Have you considered training wheels? Do they make them for adult bikes? Off to Google.


https://www.top5reviewed.com/adult-training-wheel-kits/

The ones on amazon.ca look pricey.

MostlyWater wrote: »

I also take spin classes, three times a week for over 5 years. I'd love to ride outside but never learned how. I've heard that bicycle accidents are the #1 cause of Emergency Room visits.

If I ever moved out of the city, I'd get a big tricycle to ride outside.

You heard wrong. I work with health statistics, and ... no.

But here ... this might give you a better idea of the top reasons for ER visits.
https://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/10-common-reasons-for-er-visit10.htm

Also, those big tricycles can be tippy.

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

or trippy

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Lh5aenhVuBk/maxresdefault.jpg

as kirsty maccoll said: . . . in those shoes? i don't think so

I do concur that speed helps you learn to balance on the bike better.

It was very frustrating when my mom was trying to help me learn how to ride a bike and she kept making me slow down. She wouldn't let me ride fast but every time she let go of the bike I would tip. Wash rinse repeat over and over and over to the mutual frustration of me and my mom.

It wasn't until my uncle decided it was time I learned how to ride a bike and he did it with me. And he kept telling me go faster and I said really and he said yes really go faster faster faster as fast as you can! And then he said look no hands and I was shocked when he wasn't holding on to the bike for me. That's one of my happiest childhood memories.

I agree with everyone who said try a gentle slope and build up your speed you'll get it. And kudos to you for trying this as an adult. Many adults would be afraid to at this point. Good for you.