Can adults learn to ride bicycles?
There are several organisations that will teach an adult to ride a bike. Try searching for a local cycling action group or contact the cyclist touring club or perhaps sustrans. One suggestion was to initially remove the pedals from a bike, lower the seat and ride downhill in order to gain your balance and to get used to steering the bike and using the brakes. Then replace the pedals and following advice already given, begin riding. Once you have mastered the basics, a whole new life will be opened up to you. Get a copy of the highway code. It does offer some good advice and hopefully will keep you safe until you have the experience to keep yourself safe. Get a helmet at least. Probably a reflective vest, and enjoy.
I didn’t learn until I was 7 (okay not that old but it felt painfully old to me back then). I took up riding on those little street scooters with the tiny wheels, at first I could only stand on it for a second before putting my foot on the ground, but soon I could balance on it for extended periods. Then on my 7th birthday I got a bike and once I managed to get on it (the seat was too high) I just rode off with no difficulties at all. I’m not saying a scooter is the best way to learn, but it worked for me, and you don’t have to worry about falling when learning your balance on them and they translate really well to balance on a bike. Your foots always an inch or two from the ground, so it’s pretty safe. Don’t bother with training wheels, they’ll only teach you to ride a bike…with training wheels.
Yep! Go get yourself a nice cheap bike to learn on; try a single speed (freewheel) bike, just to get the feel for it. Coaster brakes or lever brakes will work well; either one should be fine. The hardest part about cycling is getting your momentum going, so get someone to help you stay balanced (i.e. hold the seat) and run with you while you get started, until you feel comfortable doing it on your own. It may take a little while, but a good day of practice should yield some results, and hopefully within a week or so of steady practice, you can learn to bike on your own!
