learn to ride a bicycle

i can ride… in a ziq-zag formation! got scratches on my left calf, but i’m so happy! i dance when i’m riding the bicycle (it sure made everyone have a good laugh) and almost crashed into (stationary/parked) cars countless of times in the neighbourhood at 9pm tonight :)

Although I don’t think I’ve gotten on a bike in probably two years, I did ok tonight. It was probably the fourth time I’ve ever practiced, and I was surprised at how quickly I was able to pick up where I left off. I still have a long way to go as far as feeling comfortable, but I’m able to start much more easily, and go for a considerable amount of time without getting nervous and skidding to a stop. I’m also getting a little better at steering.

The issue is that I feel more comfortable when my feet have better contact with the ground, but that means the seat needs to be down so low that my knees have to come up super high, which makes for a wobbly ride, and the tight jeans I was wearing didn’t help my leg mobility at all. At some point I need to make the switch to a bike that fits me better (I’ve been riding Greg’s BMX). But I have a feeling that I might take a couple of spills if I can’t touch the ground that well.

Still, making great progress toward a goal that I was beginning to think I’d never be able to reach!

Is that enough time to learn how to ride a bike expertly? I’m going to Amsterdam in September, and I have this vision of riding through the countryside on a bike, but as the trip gets closer and closer, I’m getting worried that, even if I were to get back to practicing tomorrow, it still won’t be enough time to feel comfortable.

But this is the new can-do me! I need to at least give it an honest try. Even if it doesn’t work out for the trip, I’ll still be that much closer to actually riding.

I’ve just come back home(Kenya) from Amsterdam & Germany. I was so impressed by everybody riding bicycles from the very young to very old. It’s ahealthy and cheap way to get around so I’ve decided to learn. I wonder if they have stabilizers for adults

I am 25 years old and don’t know how to ride a bike. My parents just never really bothered to teach me. In any case, I’ve decided that I should really give it a shot this summer, but unfortunately I live in Chicago, and I don’t think it’s the best place to try this out. So, I think I might take a trip back home to Minnesota to learn. Any advice?

Fifth time, this time it was raining. It’s not soooo much fun when it’s raining, but it’s ok. I did much better than before. My confidence is growing. I can see myself biking around soon. The problem is the seat a bit – it’l like my bu@@ is hurting from too much biking :). Maybe I will get used to it?

this time we did a tour of about 5 hours – mainly on cycling roads (plenty of them around here in the Netherlands) and quite some riding on the country roads. I got used to cars passing by next to me and I don’t feel nervous about being in the traffic with the other vehicles any more. My legs are aching! My face got sunburned. But boy, I had fun! I learned to let go freely downhill and not feel nervous that the bike is going faster and faster. I learned so many things! I am so excited!

wooohooo finally today I did go out for the first time to try and bike. It went incredibly well and I did great! Technically after about 5-6 minutes I was just biking! So here is how it went:

1. bike: I used a small bike – on the advice of a friend who also learned recently + I put the height of the seat so I could easily put my feet on the ground if I felt off balance

2. place: chose a biking track with grass on both sides, almost no people/bikes and no cars around – that helped!

3. friend: my friend was helping to hold the seat for the first few minutes. then he let go of it and told me I was biking by myself. then he was running next to me for psychological support and then I started biking on my own.

4. stopping and turning: then we went to another open space with no traffic, so I could practice turns and emergency stops. I learned how to stop correctly and still working on the turns :)

5. next steps: practice a bit more in isolated areas to get full control of the bike. then bike with my friend into town to get used to traffic and all. and then start biking to and from university!

what a sense of libearation I feel! My word of the year is FREE and free movement is a big aspect of how I want to see myself and feel this year. I felt very determined to do the biking also, I think that helped chase away the fear completely. Free, free, free I kept telling myself as I was feeling the wind blow in my face and as I was breathing the fresh air…free from the bus…free from waiting on the busstop…free from the stupid idea that I cannot baalnce…just free :)

i dreamt i was riding a bicycle, but i can’t remember what the dream was about….

I started to learn when I was a kid. I wasn’t very good and the neighborhood kids laughed at me, so I never truly learned.