Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
  • not just new to mountain biking – New to actually riding a bike
  • Whathaveisaidnow
    Free Member

    Someone I know has taken the plunge and decided to get a bike . . . so is learning to ride for the first time, being taught and encouraged by friends, i can’t be there . . .

    any words of encouragement or ideas to make the process go smoothly?

    garethcolins89
    Free Member

    helmets ARE cool!

    andrewh
    Free Member

    Start with SPDs, then he won’t have to ‘unlearn’ ridding with flats 😀

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    alfabus
    Free Member

    never ridden at all?

    take the cranks off and get them to balance bike it for a bit, until they can confidently lift their feet and cruise along.

    M1llh0use
    Free Member

    +1 on balance bike method!

    Ringo
    Free Member

    Just push them down a grassy hill was good enough for me

    I_Ache
    Free Member

    Ringo isn’t that just your method of riding anyway?

    garage-dweller
    Full Member

    I taught my ex wife to ride a bike at about 24 years old. She had never ridden one before.

    As an adult she had an ok starting point for balance so it was just about helping her find the balance and launching for the first few starts (like an old manual tt shove start) then teaching her how to push off and get on the saddle. The rest is practice.

    Ringo
    Free Member

    Haha yes andy it is 🙂

    svalgis
    Free Member

    Get someone to film it.

    That is all.

    gavtheoldskater
    Free Member

    definitely helmet.

    email a few skills schools and ask if they have a course.

    i always reckon, after not riding mtb for a while, it hurts like hell for a month of regular riding before it starts to get fun.

    jackthedog
    Free Member

    I did this with the other half when she was nearly 30. Agree with the balance bike method, removing the pedals.

    Another good thing I did was demonstrate that bikes want to stay upright. I did this by riding across a gently sloping bit of grass in the park at jogging pace, then jumping off the back and watching the bike continue ahead in a perfectly straight line without any human input whatsoever.

    Once I showed her that, something seemed to click.

    Just make sure there’s nothing for the bike to hit, that there’s a hedge or something at the bottom to catch it, and that there are no dodgy looking folk in the vicinity, because bikes can ghost ride for a scarily long time and can end up a long way away before they eventually hit the ground.

    We found early Sunday mornings in the summer in the park was a good time for learning to ride a bike.

Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)

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