Never learned how to ride a bike. Recommendations?

[topriddle]

Good afternoon everyone! I'm fairly new to mustachianism and the FI journey. My car recently underwent repairs that siphoned too much money from me and I'm beginning to look into alternatives. MMM talks a lot about riding a bike most of the time, and as embarrassing as this is to admit, I never learned how to ride a bike. Could blame it on the lack of a father figure or what have you, but for one reason or another I simply never took the time to learn. Do you all have any recommendations for a good bike to look into for commuting? I live in an area where winter is pretty intense so something durable is preferrable. Forgive my ignorance. Thank you in advance to anybody who takes the time to reach out.

Warm regards.

[uniwelder]

I don't have any advice for you, but would suggest this question be placed in the 'ask a mustachian' section rather than Forum FAQ area, which is meant for navigating details and troubles of posting on the forum.

edited to add--- here's a thread that should provide some good info---- https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/antimustachian-wall-of-shame-and-comedy/i-don't-know-how-to-ride-a-bike-my-shameful-confession/msg2660138/#msg2660138

[GuitarStv]

It's not hard to ride a bike, but learning to balance correctly takes a bit of practice.  First you need a bike to learn though.

BIKE:
I know, most department stores sell bikes . . . but these bikes suck balls.  They're heavy, poorly made, use crappy components, and typically aren't worth your money.  They will suck to ride long term.  The cheapest way to get a bike is to look for a decent brand used one (Giant, Trek, Fuji, Specialized, Cannondale, Scott, etc.), however as a completely new person to the activity it will be difficult for you to figure out what to look for.  So it's probably best to go to a bike store and get a real bike (type of bike doesn't really matter, you just want the bike to fit you*).  Try to stay away from anything fancy - you don't need a front or rear suspension, you don't need fancy brakes or electronic gear shifting.  You're probably safe to aim for something like a non-suspension mountain bike or a hybrid bike if you're more comfortable with flat bars, maybe a touring/cyclocross bike if you're interested in drop bars.  Buying from a bike store will mean that the bike will be properly set up and in good working order while you're trying to learn to ride it, which is important.


RIDING:
As far as actually riding the bike, I taught my 5 year old son to ride a bike the same way I taught my 35 year old wife.  Lower the saddle farther down than you would want for regular bike riding - you want to be able to get your feet flat on the ground on either side of the bike while learning.  You want to find a big, mostly flat area to play around in (empty parking lots are good for this, as are quiet residential courts).  This is a graduated process.  Don't move on to the next step until you're comfortable with the previous one:

- practice scooting around with your butt in the saddle, pushing with your feet
- scoot faster until you can lift both feet off the ground for a couple seconds
- do the same scooting, but learn to use your hand brakes to slow yourself down
- now try scooting even faster, and see if you can coast/balance for slightly longer periods
- find a slight downhill/ramped area (not too steep) that you can roll down.  (Ideally you want a long flat area after the ramp.)  Then scoot down this and balance for longer periods of time (20-30 seconds is ideal).
- Then practice going down the ramped area, and putting your feet on the pedals, gently slowing down with the brake, then putting your feet down on the ground.
- After that, you want to practice leaning the bike gently to steer it left and right.
- Next up is putting your feet on the pedals and actually pedaling the bike.

Then it's a matter of practicing regularly (ideally you want to do this every day for 10 - 20 minutes) until you're feeling like you're in control of the bike.  Ride over different terrain (sidewalks are bumpier than parking lots and require different handling, riding on grass is very different than on pavement, etc.) and practice handling the bike.  Learn to shift gears and what the different rings/cogs do.

As you do this, you're going to want to raise the saddle height higher.  (Being able to get both feet flat on the ground on either side of the bike is much too low for proper pedaling mechanics and will make cycling much more physically tiring than it should be.)  Raising the saddle higher will require a different starting technique for riding the bike (good info about the best methods of starting/stopping here - https://www.sheldonbrown.com/starting.html)


GEAR:
- I'd recommend that anyone who buys a bike also buy a track pump with a pressure gauge and keep it in your garage next to the bicycle.  Bike tires go flat over time (air actually leaks out of the butyl inner tubes) and you'll need to do this periodically for as long as you own the bike.
- You need a bike helmet, but you don't need anything fancy.  The cheapest bike helmets protect just as well as the most expensive ones.  Just find something that doesn't look too ugly, and make sure that you know which end is the front (don't laugh, I had a co-worker who was wearing her bike helmet backwards).




*A bike store should be able to guide you towards a bike that fits.  I could write pages of info about this, but basically if you're new - listen to what the guys at the bike store say.

[Smokystache]

This seems relevant and perhaps will provide some inspiration. Two of my favorite Youtubers collaborate to teach Tom Scott how to ride a bike as an adult. Mike Boyd, the teacher, has a great channel that shows how long it takes him to learn a new skills (solve a rubik's cube, pick a lock, hold his breath for 4 minutes, etc.).

Good luck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7GKK3liv8M

[sonofsven]

Just one very simple piece of advice, applicable at all stages of riding, is to visually focus on where you want to go, not on where you don't want to go.
For example, a huge pothole next to a curb with a narrow window of smooth pavement: focus on the smooth pavement. If you focus on the pothole thinking "I need to miss that!" you will invariably not miss it.

[Dicey]

Nowadays they make "Balance bikes". Our granddaughter started on a borrowed BB and learned to ride a real "big girl bike" in a week. An adult could achieve the same thing by removing the pedals on a real bike. And empty parking lots or the top floor of a parking garage are great places to learn.

https://us.woombikes.com/products/1?variant=37051188543638

[HPstache]

Balance bikes are amazing for kids learning to ride bikes... I agree with other posters that this would be a great way for a adult to learn as well, except with a full size bike, lowering the seat, etc.

[BikeFanatic]

I also agree about the balance bike I have seen it work with kids. You are an adult and do not need a special bike borrow or buy a bike,  just remove the pedals ( or try it like a balance bike seat low and just don’t use pedals) and if your feet can touch flat footed, then that’s a great way to start. I know you can do it!!!

[Tester]

My wife learned to ride a bike at 35.
Low slope, just coast, no pedaling.
After you this done, add the pedaling.
Should be fine in less than 8 hours :).

One more thing: accept that you will fall at least once (so you won't get discouraged when it happens).

[yachi]

Take advantage of your age by learning some of the mechanics of cycling too.  I'd suggest you watch a few youtube videos on getting on and off a bike.  Something like this:
https://youtu.be/R0CJk5UpY4w

You want to get the bike moving quickly when you start, so that's it's stable.  When you start to slow, you want to be ready to put a foot down.  It's not as much about balance as it seems at first, it's about getting the bike moving, and being ready for when it's stopping.

[HPstache]

I get the feeling this is one of the "one post and OP leaves" type threads...

[topriddle]

Thank you everybody for the recommendations. I'm going to check out everything ya'll mentioned and get going on this. You're all incredible. Thank you

[Minotaur]

Just one very simple piece of advice, applicable at all stages of riding, is to visually focus on where you want to go, not on where you don't want to go.
For example, a huge pothole next to a curb with a narrow window of smooth pavement: focus on the smooth pavement. If you focus on the pothole thinking "I need to miss that!" you will invariably not miss it.

LOL this is a thing.

I know, most department stores sell bikes . . . but these bikes suck balls.  They're heavy, poorly made, use crappy components, and typically aren't worth your money.  They will suck to ride long term. 

In the UK there is a sort of not so bottom end with the likes of Halfords and Decathlon so I would look for bikes reviews in your country. The big problem is what you are going to use the bike for and then finding the spec to match.

The cheapest way to get a bike is to look for a decent brand used one (Giant, Trek, Fuji, Specialized, Cannondale, Scott, etc.), however as a completely new person to the activity it will be difficult for you to figure out what to look for. 

If your country has a cycle to work scheme there will be a lot of barely used bikes knocking about it just knowing what you want and what to look for.
I rode from London to Paris on a £300 Halfords bike so cheap bikes can work well.
My current bike cost twice that and it was the only hybrid with racing bike gear ratios I could find as all the rest are mountain bikes with road bike tyres.

RIDING:

Really good plan!

- I'd recommend that anyone who buys a bike also buy a track pump with a pressure gauge and keep it in your garage next to the bicycle.  Bike tires go flat over time (air actually leaks out of the butyl inner tubes) and you'll need to do this periodically for as long as you own the bike.

You have to learn how to change a tube and carry spares. I know what people are thinking however tyre repair is fine if done at home in the dry. Also a pressure canister pump is so much easier to use in the rain at the side of the road. Just make sure you have spare canisters. If you want to wait in the rain look for the dual chamber pumps as they so much better than the singles.
Top Tip 1 - Check the tyre for what caused the puncher.
Top Tip 2 - Hard Shell Gator tyres are your friends if you get into it.

- You need a bike helmet, but you don't need anything fancy.  The cheapest bike helmets protect just as well as the most expensive ones.  Just find something that doesn't look too ugly, and make sure that you know which end is the front (don't laugh, I had a co-worker who was wearing her bike helmet backwards).

Gloves for hand protection and keeping warm. Also lights are a good idea and bright neon clothing.
I do not know what the limit is however if you cycle more than 20 miles in 1 go look into cycle shorts of some description.
Also cycle shoes are worth looking at if you do miles.

*A bike store should be able to guide you towards a bike that fits.  I could write pages of info about this, but basically if you're new - listen to what the guys at the bike store say.

For newbies a bike store is one that sells only bikes. A store that sells other things as well may have people claiming to know what they are on about however it a roll of the dice if they do. I have heard good things about the Decathlon people. The Halfords people are very hit and miss.
For newbies if you get into it expect to have lots of conversation about bike fit as it the holy grail of cycling.

[Taran Wanderer]

But a used bike that’s a size too small. Take off the pedals. Lower the seat so that when you’re sitting on the seat your feet are flat on the ground. Go push yourself around with your feet. Once you’re comfortable with the balance, put the pedals back on and start pedaling. Build skills by using some empty aluminum cans or plastic bottles or chalk to build obstacle courses. It got my kids riding at 3 years old without training wheels. It can work for you. Oh, and get a helmet and gloves.

Once you can ride, go the bike shop and get a properly sized bike appropriate for your riding goals. Only ride bikes in your price range. Buy the one that feels best. Note:  More expensive bikes often feel better because cost goes up with component quality. I’ve found it’s better to stick with only the bikes in your price range for test rides, and don’t quibble over a 10% price difference.

[Minotaur]

Once you can ride, go the bike shop and get a properly sized bike appropriate for your riding goals. Only ride bikes in your price range. Buy the one that feels best. Note:  More expensive bikes often feel better because cost goes up with component quality. I’ve found it’s better to stick with only the bikes in your price range for test rides, and don’t quibble over a 10% price difference.

More expensive bikes often feel better because they are lighter which costs. It like anything once you get a bit of experience and do some reading you will start to notice odd things like the cheap gear set up on an expensive bike. As I said there is the hybrid thing where they all seem to have mountain bike gear set ups when the point is to spend a lot of time on the road.
Something else worth thinking about, disc brakes are really worth it as they are brakes rather than slowers. If you around cars or pedestrians a lot they are really worth it.

[GuitarStv]

Something else worth thinking about, disc brakes are really worth it as they are brakes rather than slowers. If you around cars or pedestrians a lot they are really worth it.

If you ride your bike in dry conditions, there's little to no difference in performance between rim and cable actuated disc brakes.  Properly setup, a rim brake bike can lock up the front or rear wheel of a bike.  You're not limited by stopping power of the brake . . . you're limited by traction that the two postage stamp sized sections of tire have on the road.  :P

Hydraulic disc brakes are great though - they offer fantastic feel/response and this allows the best possible braking performance in any weather condition because you can feather the brake perfectly for maximum stopping power.  Cables cause slop in response that make this level of control impossible.  But hydraulics are usually pretty expensive and a little finnicky to setup.

Cable disc brakes are cheap, but lose the perfect/no slop control over braking that hydraulics have.  Their main benefit over rim brakes is slightly better performance in wet weather.  With rim brakes your brake pads have to make a full revolution of the bike wheel before they dig in and start to perform properly.  Cable discs do not have to do this squeegeeing first so they'll stop a tiny bit faster.


I've ridden thousands of miles in rain and snow on rim brake equipped bikes around cars and pedestrians, and once you're aware of how the brakes behave in different conditions they're perfectly safe to ride.  (One exception being the old steel rims that were popular on some bikes from the 70s.  These are dangerous to ride on, and won't stop at all in wet conditions.  Any modern alloy rim from the past 30 years will not have this problem.)


TLDR - If you just want to ride a bike sometimes on mostly nice days brakes don't really matter.  If you're planning on riding your bike in pouring rain / slush all the time it's probably a good idea to get disc brakes.  If you want the absolute best braking performance all the time, get hydraulic discs - but they're going to cost you.

[Minotaur]

Something else worth thinking about, disc brakes are really worth it as they are brakes rather than slowers. If you around cars or pedestrians a lot they are really worth it.

If you ride your bike in dry conditions, there's little to no difference in performance between rim and cable actuated disc brakes.  Properly setup, a rim brake bike can lock up the front or rear wheel of a bike.  You're not limited by stopping power of the brake . . . you're limited by traction that the two postage stamp sized sections of tire have on the road.  :P

A disc will stop you dead where as a rim will let you travel at least the length of the bike. I do not need to prove this as anyone really interested can just Google why the Tour stopped using Rim brakes.
My big point was when the person and/or car just appears in front of you it very useful to be able to stop rather than end up in the road or having to ditch the bike.
Also get a bell so you can warn/attract attention.

[GuitarStv]

A disc will stop you dead where as a rim will let you travel at least the length of the bike.

Properly adjusted (and in dry conditions) it should be pretty easy to lock both the front and rear wheel using rim brakes (cantilever, V, or caliper).  That's why disc brakes don't offer any advantage as far as stopping the wheel goes - you can't get more stopped than not moving at all.

I don't really want to argue here - discs are great (and will definitely perform better in wet weather).  My point was that there's nothing unsafe about using a rim brake bike that is working properly in normal conditions.



Anyway - far more important than the type of brake used is the braking technique used.  The majority of your braking on a bicycle should be using the front brake as it has the greatest slowing power.  It's very important to learn to feather the brake and feel when it's getting too close to lock up.  The closer you get to locking the front wheel without actually doing it, the better your braking with be.  But if you grab a little too much brake - boom.  You're going over the handlebars.  This skill can take years to learn, and a great many newer cyclists get afraid of using the front brake - which means they never learn to stop their bikes properly and will always underperform in this area (again regardless of brake used).

[Taran Wanderer]

On the subject of brakes, cable rim brakes are pretty simple to adjust as long as you remember that they need to toe in on the front. Hydraulic discs can be a maintenance headache, with the need to bleed them if you get any air in them. Cost is high, too.

In any case, this is advice for beginners. Get a less expensive bike and get used to riding it. Then figure if it’s worth it to get clipless pedals, front suspension, rear suspension, disc brakes, dropper seatpost, electric boost, etc…

[Minotaur]

On the subject of brakes, cable rim brakes are pretty simple to adjust as long as you remember that they need to toe in on the front. Hydraulic discs can be a maintenance headache, with the need to bleed them if you get any air in them. Cost is high, too.

I agree however I ride where there are people and stopping on a dime is a lot more important. I loved my road bike in the middle of nowhere however riding to work it was a pain.

In any case, this is advice for beginners. Get a less expensive bike and get used to riding it. Then figure if it’s worth it to get clipless pedals, front suspension, rear suspension, disc brakes, dropper seatpost, electric boost, etc…

I agree however a lot of the less expensive options have those as standard because it what people think they want. Front suspension is great unless you going to do a lot of road riding when it will kill you at every hill and good luck getting a mountain bike that does not have it these days. Do enough road riding on a Mountain Bike and you will almost never change gear. On my current bike I could ride to work in top gear and I have Sportive gears.
I have to this day no idea what rear suspension does apart from making a pain to fit a rear rack.
Clipless pedals are an add on which is worth it if you do enough road riding as they increase your power out put by 25%.
Electric boost adds a £1000 to the price of the bike and you can get it as an after market add on for about the same price.

[Taran Wanderer]

My brain is a mountain biking brain, so that popped out first. Not much for suspension or a dropper post on a road bike.

[Fi(re) on the Farm]

Good afternoon everyone! I'm fairly new to mustachianism and the FI journey. My car recently underwent repairs that siphoned too much money from me and I'm beginning to look into alternatives. MMM talks a lot about riding a bike most of the time, and as embarrassing as this is to admit, I never learned how to ride a bike. Could blame it on the lack of a father figure or what have you, but for one reason or another I simply never took the time to learn. Do you all have any recommendations for a good bike to look into for commuting? I live in an area where winter is pretty intense so something durable is preferrable. Forgive my ignorance. Thank you in advance to anybody who takes the time to reach out.

Warm regards.

Go to your local bike shop. Even if you can't afford to buy a bike from them they'll help you because people who work in bike shops are total bike nerds (me included). For me, bikes are like flying, I feel free. They really are very understanding and ready to help.

[Taran Wanderer]

Do they make one of these for grown-ups?

https://www.rei.com/product/780754/skuut-balance-bike-kids

[Minotaur]

Go to your local bike shop. Even if you can't afford to buy a bike from them they'll help you because people who work in bike shops are total bike nerds (me included). For me, bikes are like flying, I feel free. They really are very understanding and ready to help.

There is something about those times when you are just motoring along by your own power that feels great.
A good bike shop is like gold. Evans in the UK even do maintenance courses so you can learn how to repair your bike from people who know what they are doing.
Something for everyone to think about my 6 mile commute takes the same time by bike or car. You will do 12 to 15 miles an hour on the bike however it just never really stops moving except at traffic lights honest. The car often just sits there in a queue of other cars.

[GreenToTheCore]

Do they make one of these for grown-ups?

https://www.rei.com/product/780754/skuut-balance-bike-kids

TW had a good suggestion:

But a used bike that’s a size too small. Take off the pedals. Lower the seat so that when you’re sitting on the seat your feet are flat on the ground. Go push yourself around with your feet. Once you’re comfortable with the balance, put the pedals back on and start pedaling. Build skills by using some empty aluminum cans or plastic bottles or chalk to build obstacle courses. It got my kids riding at 3 years old without training wheels. It can work for you. Oh, and get a helmet and gloves.

Once you can ride, go the bike shop and get a properly sized bike appropriate for your riding goals. Only ride bikes in your price range. Buy the one that feels best. Note:  More expensive bikes often feel better because cost goes up with component quality. I’ve found it’s better to stick with only the bikes in your price range for test rides, and don’t quibble over a 10% price difference.