ride a bike

After many years of bad knees, I had knee replacement surgery in July 2009. I’m walking ok, but need to be able to walk longer and faster. I want to be riding a bike by next spring.

I never made it past training wheels when I was little. Soon after all the kiddies in my neighborhood shed their own trainers, I stopped riding out of embarrassment, always too afraid of my own clumsiness to try it myself. 20 years later! and I still have never ridden. I’ve lost count of how many people have reacted first with shock and sometimes following with pity, then saying, “Hey, I’ll teach you how to ride a bike.” At this point it’s just drawn-out, awkward, embarrassing… something I’d rather quietly sneak off and do on my own. Maybe soon I will.

Day 2: Success =D

On just the second day I managed to ride my bike successfully =D Here’s 5 things which might help people to ride their bike:

1. Make sure your seat is adjusted low enough to allow you to reach the ground (flat-footed) with at least one leg. This will make sure that you’ve got enough reach to give you the initial push and to help you stop when you need to.

2. Push with one leg, pedal with the other. Keep one pedal up (and the other down) and put one leg on it. Keep your other leg on the ground. Now, simultaneously, push with your ground-leg, and pedal down with the other. Now, as you pedal down through the first half-circle, pull your ground-leg onto the pedal and pedal!! It might take a few tries, and your ground-leg will sometimes have to return to the ground for balance, but if you haven’t pulled your ground-leg up until the first half-circle finishes, start over.

3. Without enough speed (that of a brisk walk) you’ll never manage to balance the bike. Don’t worry about kicking off some speed in the beginning, you’ll never manage to balance without some speed. It’s almost impossible to balance on a stationary bike.

4. Look ahead! Not down, not at your feet, not at the sea, ahead! Looking ahead will help you balance and take your mind off the imminent crash. Also, it will allow you to see the path you’re taking and plan ahead.

5. Steer! Steer like your life depends on it… because it does. Balance includes steering, which means that when you steer you can control your balance apart from your direction.

Keep all these in mind, and you’ll be up and running in no time.

I got a Raleigh mountain bike and tried riding it this morning. I failed, miserably lol I used to ride a bike when I was about 8 but now, 15 years later, somehow I forgot.

They say you never forget how to ride a bike… whoever said that must have been smoking some heavy shit!

Day 1: Fail.

Don’t you think?

Just got back from Miami and one day we rented bikes and drove through the city. Beautiful! Ocean and sun, people watching and gorgeous architecture, and then a big rain storm—but it was fun. Too bad that I had to concentrate on staying upright and not crashing into anything (I wasn’t able to take many pictures).

Riding with the love of my life through Miami, Florida: heaven! Can’t wait. It’s coming up soon :)

My husband gave me a trip to Miami for our anniversary, and I was thinking how fun would it be to ride through South Beach on a bike! This would be a great opportunity, as we’re not going to do anything but relax on this trip and I think gliding along in the sunshine and salty air would be blissful!

So basically I wiped out really hardcore the first time I tried to ride a bike as a child. Confession: ever since, I’ve had no interest in getting involved with any sort of transportation with two wheels (including a skateboard, which is sad because I love those). But lately I’ve been reconsidering. I want to get a shiny red bicycle (Pee Wee’s Big Adventure style) and cruise down one of the bike paths on Venice beach.

Crazy that something so simple would be on my 29 list, but it’s something that I haven’t done in years and would really like to. I don’t own a bike, but think that it would be extremely enjoyable. You never forget…do you?