Bike Clumsiness

[dweebyhawkeyes]

This is really awkward but it's becoming a serious problem for me and my biking/commuting-at-all ways. So when on wheels, I am a seriously clumsy person. I used to roller skate but became so accident-prone it wasn't enjoyable; I can't handle a skateboard in the slightest. Lately, I keep falling off my bike because of momentum when I stop and I can't show a turn signal because I have to have both hands able to work the brakes at all times. I can't stand up like I've other bicyclists do when riding up a hill. A bit ago, I had to hobble around my college asking for someone to bandage the foot-long gash in my thigh- because I crashed into garbage can. Praise the Lord, I haven't had any issues with cars so far but I really hate what's happening and I don't understand it. I've never felt so on-the-ball intelligent as I do now and yet my coordination is deteriorating quickly.

To be clear, this is not a "I am entitled to a owning a car" whiny post; if anything this clumsiness makes me way more scared to ever start driving. I love bicycling and want to continue, but I just feel like a wreck right now.

Does anyone else have/help people with the same issue? Are there exercises I can do to build coordination?

[Deano]

You might want to have a look at the type of bike you're riding and the position you are in. For newbies, some bikes are easier to ride than others...and some bikes are just easier to ride for everyone! Weight distribution and even tire inflation can make a bike difficult to handle. You should make sure these things are sorted first before you look at other reasons. The red flag for me was you not being able to stand on the bike...something is wrong there, most likely with the bike. A reputable local bike shop can help out....in my bike shop days any shop I worked in would help out in a situation like this (you usually end up with a lifelong customer if you can help!).

Having said all of that, if it's not the bike or your position on it, you might want to have a visit with a doctor...maybe some inner ear thing or something else, who knows, but better to rule it out.

Keep us posted on your progress!

[sol]

If you can post a picture of your bike, preferably with you on it, we can probably tell if the source of your problem is you or the bike.

Some bikes are just inherently unstable.  They're twitchy and hard to manage.  Some bikes have had weird modifications to their geometry that might be all wrong for you.

Or you could have early onset Parkinson's or something, in which case I suggest something like this.

[dweebyhawkeyes]

I don't have a photo of me on it, but for now here's the bike.

I have the seat adjusted down because I'm short, so I'm in a pretty upright position. I've heard that an upright position is not great but I don't personally have any friends that bicycle so I don't know the specifics. When I bought the bike, the people at the shop adjusted it for me. I've been riding the same bike for over two years now so I'm not sure why the problem got so bad so recently... It'd be a real downer it I had Parkinson's or really anything out of ordinary. I'm going for a check-up soon so I'll mention it to the doctor but hopefully the bike is the issue.

[sol]

Does your bike look like that picture?  Like the seat and handle bar angles are all the same?  And you think it's an appropriate size for your body?

That big battery up high in the back certainly isn't helping you any, especially if your seat is down low, but it shouldn't be enough to spontaneously cause you to flop around like a fish in a boat.  Maybe enough to help you over a bit quicker if you lean too much at low speeds.

Bicycles want to stay up if they're moving.  I tell my kids the same thing; the faster you go the more stable it will feel.  Trying to crawl along super slow is a recipe for crashiness.

I don't know, it kind of sounds like you just need some more practice. 

[gooki]

Standing on electric bikes with the batteries ofer the rear wheel isn't easy. I've been commuting daily for the last 18 years, and when I stood up on electric bike with a battery over the rear wheel, I to felt out of control.

My current electric bike has the battery mounted very low in the frame, way more stable.

Indicating and slowing down also takes practise, you normally don't need to squeeze both brakes to slow down. I would try slowing down a bit, then indicate, the bring both hands back onto the bike and slow dow even more if necessary. It's not like a car where you are expected to indicate through the turn.

I second more practise. Go to a park, or empty parking lot and do some longer stints on your bike.

[marty998]

I find it's easiest to indicate at a steady pace, rather than down it while slowing down/braking at the same time. Maybe it's the deceleration effect on your body that throws out your centre of gravity.

At a steady pace, your centre of gravity is where it should be. When breaking it comes forward a bit and you have to compensate on your balance.

[Etihwdivadnai]

Hi,

I think I agree with Sol's observations about the positioning of the battery / batteries.

They do look rather high up. And more significantly they look like their weight is *behind* the rear axle.

This can be very significant if you ride with a saddle set quite low because when you come to a stop and put your feet down your weight on the saddle is no-longer holding the bicycle down ahead of the rear axle
so the bike will have a tendency to lift at the front.

If you then combine this with handlebars that are set quite high, then there is also rather less of your weight holding the bike down at the front.

Also if your bike is indeed exactly like the one in your photo, theni it looks to have quite a short fork rake, which will also tend to make the bike's steering rather more twitchy.

So I would suggest trying the following:

1) repositioning the batteries further forward and / or further down towards the ground if at all possible

2) using a lower handlebar height so that some more of your weight is placed even further ahead of the rear axle.

3) Try a handlebar-mounted bag with some weight added to it to act as a steering-damper, or better still a front rack and some front paniners.

[Deano]

Eesh, that bike looks like Hans Rey would have trouble riding a straight line on a rail trail with it. Slack angles, the aforementioned batteries high up.

To the guy who mentioned early onset Parkinsons...geez man, no need to scare the woman!!

[boy_bye]

sometimes i notice myself getting a little clumsy on my bike, too. for me, i think it's when i over-exert myself without having eaten enough. i usually stop and take a break when this happens, then get going again once i've recovered.

does it feel like it's all the time, though?

also, with the standing up thing, i don't really know how to do that. i've tried but it just doesn't come naturally to me. i'm going to work on it, but just wanted to say that might be something separate from the handling of the bike, a new skill you have to learn -- that's what i'm assuming my current inability to do this is, too.

[BlueMR2]

...I can't show a turn signal because I have to have both hands able to work the brakes at all times.

Does anyone else have/help people with the same issue? Are there exercises I can do to build coordination?

Practice I guess, but that only goes so far.  I ride a lot and am very comfortable riding normally.  However, I am completely incapable of riding "no hands", which it seems like everybody else on the planet can do easily.  I only manage to signal about half the time too because of the need to manage the brakes and balance (I consider not falling off the bike more important than signaling).

[mpbaker22]

Turn signalling is definitely a problem for me as well.  I guess it's a desire to not lose momentum, and I have a road bike, so sticking one hand outward while trying to balance while angling the bike 20 degrees .... tough combination.

[KS]

Do you wear glasses/contacts? and if not, should you? Had a friend growing up who had major clumsiness problems (could honestly fall down out of nowhere walking across an open flat lawn just by tripping over her own feet) and eventually she found out one eye had much different vision from the other which threw off her depth perception. Glasses helped a lot, although I think she said recently she's still a bit clumsy due to weak ankles and such. I think some people do just struggle more with balance than others too, although it is something you can work at to get some improvement! I mostly have pretty good balance in general but often feel like a giant klutz on a bike too.

But if you always used to have good balance and suddenly don't anymore without any major changes in your muscles/fitness, it's worth mentioning at your next doctor visit. I don't think you need to worry about it being something scary like Parkinsons or whatever someone else said, but I'd think even just a minor inner ear thing (or eyes as mentioned above) could throw you off and it'd be silly to suffer tipping over so much if it was a health thing that could be easily fixed. Good luck!

[BlueMR2]

Do you wear glasses/contacts?

Actually, that's a really good point there...  Perhaps one or the other would work better if you need them.  Example, I grew up wearing glasses and was pretty clumsy.  As soon as I was old enough, I go t contacts and instantly was a lot less clumsy.  High powered prescriptions have a LOT of distortion, especially around the edges.  Sometimes I throw glasses back on, and it's definitely a big difference.  Everything is slightly smaller (looks more distant) with glasses, the peripheral vision goes away, and the closer to the edge of the glasses, the greater the distortion.

[dweebyhawkeyes]

Thank you all for your many opinions. I'm glad most of you are pointing toward the bike. As emotionally attached as I am to that bike (it's my equivalent of a first car) I'd rather have it be the problem and not my health. I've been thinking about the battery- a possible reason my clumsiness is getting so pronounced is that I'm much stronger now and rarely turn the assist on. This means I'm doing most everything by my own strength and the strange center of balance is getting more noticeable? Maybe.

sometimes i notice myself getting a little clumsy on my bike, too. for me, i think it's when i over-exert myself without having eaten enough. i usually stop and take a break when this happens, then get going again once i've recovered.

does it feel like it's all the time, though?

No, I definitely eat plenty :p And it is just constant. Lately it's been getting worse. I've been thrown off the bike when stopping at intersections maybe three times a week for the past month or so. And I'm going sloooowly to avoid risk.

Do you wear glasses/contacts? and if not, should you?

My username is an actual high school nickname. My eyesight is better than average. My hearing is tragically bad, but my eyes make up for it. So the inner ear problem sounds more likely. I will mention it to the doctor when I go, but like I said. Hopefully it's the bicycle.

Anyway, are there any light bikes for short women that you guys would recommend taking for a spin? I'm only 5 feet tall but I want a more forward position and drop handlebars. It would be nice to go test ride some bikes to find out if I'm less clumsy on those than my current baby.

[olivia]

A lot of bike makers make women's specific bikes these days, but since you're extra petite, it will probably take some extra work to find a bike that truly fits you.  I'm 5'8" so can ride men's bikes, but when I was bike shopping for my current commuter bike there was a very petite woman shopping for a road bike, and not all of the models came in her size, particularly the lower end models.  That said, I have a friend who is 4'7" and got an bike that fit her through a local bike shop, but it was a special order.  It was a road bike-not sure if that's what you're looking for or if you'd prefer a commuter/hybrid.

I did a little googling and found this website that is all about petite bike fitting.  Here's the FAQ, looks helpful! http://www.petitebikefit.com/about/faq/  It sounds like you'd need anywhere from a 43-47cm top tube depending on your torso length. 

Another possibility that would likely be less $ is to see if you can find a high quality children's bike at a local bike store that would fit you. 

[Micheal]

Might try to just remove the assist and see if that helps you, also i would re-setup the bike yourself until you find a good setting.  If you are not using the assist anymore why not remove the extra weight and see if that helps.

[kt]

is being able to signal a new problem or one you've always had?

i'm left-handed and always found signalling left almost impossible but could bike for ages without my right-hand.
so for a while i made a point of going on quiet roads or to the park to practice cycling without my left hand. first i just held it slightly above the handlebar so i could grab back quickly when i wobbled. i gradually got to the point where i was happy with it down by my side for short periods.
this has really helped my signalling. my right hand is still not as strong but it's plenty enough for signalling purposes.
if it's an old problem (i.e. not related to any bike or ear problems) i'd definitely recommend doing something like this.

[Deano]

Hawkeyes, on your current bike, do the following...with the bike standing up, measure from floor to the top of the saddle. Do the same for the handlebars (to where you grip them if it is a flat bar bike, as I assume it is). Now, find the difference, I'm willing to bet that your handlebars are 5 to 10 cm above the saddle (given your height and your handling issues). It could be more. Imagine trying to steer a stairmaster and you're getting the picture.

Specialized makes some solid women's specific smaller bikes, as does Trek. If you're looking for a road bike they're a little high dollar for this blog, but I don't have a problem on spending more to get something that fits for a hard to fit person. Fit is everything!

[davisgang90]

Hawkeyes,

As others have said, I would recommend you get fitted to a proper bike and sell your current one.  Especially since it sounds like you don't really need the battery assist anymore and it may be the source of your balance issues.

On an unrelated note, I always crack up upon seeing your avatar picture, too funny!

[fallstoclimb]

To make you feel a little better, I was a clumsy mess on my first bike, which was too big for me.  Then I got one that was my size, and suddenly I could control it.  However, while I can stand all day on my road bike (in general it's a much more intuitive ride once you get used to it), I am still incapable of unawkwardly standing on my hybrid, even though it fits me and I'm strong enough.   Sometimes its just a bike geometry issue.  Also these days I ride my hybrid more than my road bike (its my commuter) and I'm still sometimes awkward about signaling on it, if I'm going down a hill or something.  I appreciate being able to hold the bars towards the center on my road bike, makes it much easier to take one hand off.   

Also, FYI, I'm a 5'3" woman and I found better luck with Specialized brands vs. Trek -- they seemed to fit my small proportions better.  My road bike is a Specialized Dolce.  To be honest, being only 5'0", you're not gonna be able to find an appropriate road bike that fits you without the help of your LBS.  I'd recommend starting at one that carries Specialized brands. 

[Rollin]

And I'm going sloooowly to avoid risk.

As said previously, the slower the more apt you are to fall.

One thing not mentioned so far.  Since the bike is two years old you may want to check the tires.  Could have a tread seperating.  They shouldn't go bad yet, but I've had that happen and it affects the ride.  Far-fetched, but something to look at.

I'd think it was something to do with balance though - eyesight or inner ear.  Many of the earlier suggestions involve more practice, which we all can benefit from, but since it is after two years on the bike I'd say it is something that has changed since then.  Look for or think of anything that might have changed recently (diet, stress, tires, vision).  I am not a doctor BTW :), just guessing and trying to provide support.