teaching a 36 year old to ride a bike

[gt6267a]

a friend (girlfriend? it's new and unknown) is 36 and does not know how to ride a bicycle. she borrowed a suitable vehicle from a friend and we are going to make a first attempt this afternoon.

There is no doing what my father did with me when I was 2. It was the classic run along holding the seat and let go without telling me. That’s just not going to fly.

My current thinking comes from my days as a lifeguard / swim instructor. start small and pile on new tasks. start with getting in the water, then blowing bubbles, then dunking the head under the water, then kicking with or without a kickboard … find the bicycling equivalents and it will all fall into line.

That said, I've never taught someone to ride a bike and am looking for advice on how to go about said mission. Ideas?

[Ginger]

You'll find out soon enough if she's a girlfriend or not if you're going to try to teach her to ride the bike...

Just like a kid, put the seat low so she can put her feet flat on the ground, scoot around the parkinglot for a while that way til she gets a handle on steering and stopping. Then add the pedaling. Mention shifting, but don't insist.

Once she has the steering, stopping, pedaling done, go for an icecream (or beer) Shifting can happen another day.


You know...I wouldn't have a S.O. who didn't ride a bike...but lots of guys seem to be quite happy that their S.O. doesn't ride at all...


Let us know how it turns out and post whatever tips and tricks you picked up in this project. Good luck!

[flydhest]

absolutely listen to what MaryAnn said.

Lower the saddle to make sure she can have her feet on the ground--both feet. Make sure she can reach the brakes without any difficulty. On a slight (repeat: slight) downgrade, have her sit with her feet forward so that her heels are touching and the brakes are locked. Slowly have her release the brakes so that she rolls forward until she is on her toes. Have her apply the brakes again.

This is the way some motorcycle instruction courses work to teach people how to use a clutch. It should work, with the help of gravity, for the brakes.

Once she's comfy with the brakes (hopefully only takes 5 to 10 minutes), work on balancing. With the saddle still low, roll down the gentle grade. She can stop herself now and can have her feet down. Slowly extend the distance that she rolls. She'll be amazed at how quickly she picks it up.

If she leans, tell her to steer in that direction. One has to (in my view) learn the feeling of leaning and steering and the interaction they have.

Report back.

Oh, and remember, seeing if you can kiss it and make it better if she scrapes something will also help to find out if she's a girlfriend. As far as I can tell, the difference between hanging out with a friend and a date is whether or not you kiss her/him.

[gt6267a]

No riding today. I put the seat all the way down on the loaner bike and she was barely able to touch the ground with her toes. If she was already a competent rider, she could have used it for a ride, but it was not a good learning vehicle. We will have to find another bicycle to borrow.

Without question, the gig was a date. I didn’t need a wound to venture a kiss. That said, a kiss does not make her my girlfriend, though we are rapidly moving in that direction.

[BURCH]

Lower the saddle to make sure she can have her feet on the ground--both feet. Make sure she can reach the brakes without any difficulty. On a slight (repeat: slight) downgrade, have her sit with her feet forward so that her heels are touching and the brakes are locked. Slowly have her release the brakes so that she rolls forward until she is on her toes. Have her apply the brakes again.

This is the way some motorcycle instruction courses work to teach people how to use a clutch. It should work, with the help of gravity, for the brakes.

Once she's comfy with the brakes (hopefully only takes 5 to 10 minutes), work on balancing. With the saddle still low, roll down the gentle grade. She can stop herself now and can have her feet down. Slowly extend the distance that she rolls. She'll be amazed at how quickly she picks it up.
.

I have read about this technique for kids and bikes. They also mentioned doing it on a grassy decline.

[flydhest]

They also mentioned doing it on a grassy decline.

That's a good idea, but she's not quite at girlfriend status . . .