Riding a Bicycle !

Do you wish to go outside and ride a bike? Maybe you're embarrassed that you don't know how to ride a bike yet? Or quite possibly, you're as eager as anything to start riding and enjoying one of the healthiest and most satisfying forms of self-transportation possible! To ride a bicycle, follow these simple steps.

1. Find a safe place to practice. Concrete is the easiest surface to bike on but is unforgiving if you fall. (With correct braking technique and a properly adjusted seat, however, this should not be an issue. See steps below for more details.) Short grass or even tidy gravel would be acceptable alternatives for anyone who feels panicky about falling, but be forewarned that these surfaces make balancing harder and offer more resistance to bike tires. Wherever you end up going, make sure it has both flat areas and gentle slopes (to help you build momentum) but no tight spaces, steep slopes, or traffic.

 

2. Make sure you know how to ride a bicycle safely . If it is your first time riding, consider lowering the seat so that you can put most of your feet on the ground while seated. You should also check the tire pressure, brakes, and such. If you’re wearing long jeans or other long pants, be sure to roll up the right pant leg so it doesn’t get caught in the mechanisms on the right side of the bike. Avoid long skirts or baggy clothing (which could become caught in the gears or tires) and flimsy or open-toed shoes (which might prevent you from stopping yourself effectively should you opt not to use the brakes).

• Riding on the sidewalk is inappropriate or illegal or dangerous in some areas, particularly urban areas.
• Helmets are necessary and helpful. 

3. Make sure you know how to brake. While practicing, it’s a good idea to allow yourself a long distance over which to brake gently so that you feel prepared to dismount if necessary.

• If your bike has brakes on the handlebars, test to see which brake controls the rear tire and which the front, as it varies between countries and can be modified to suit a person’s handedness. To do this, lift the front end of the bike, spin the tire manually, and test both the left and right brake lever separately. The rear brake is normally used by beginners for simplicity. The front brake is much better at stopping the bike, but has the potential to cause a crash if used improperly. If the rear brakes fail then the front brakes should be gradually used until the bike is stopped. It is much better to become comfortable using the front brake to stop, as this will allow you to stop in much less distance than the rear. Also, being familiar with the use of individual brakes is important, in case one does fail.
• If your bike doesn’t have brakes on the handles, it should have back-pedal brakes. In order to brake, you will need to bring the pedals so that they are more or less level underneath your feet and then press down on the pedal that is farthest back as though you were going to backpedal. What will happen, however, is that this will engage the brake and slow down or stop the bike. Apply more or less pressure as necessary.
• If your bike is a fixed wheel and hasn’t been modified, it has no brakes. Instead of braking, you will need to slow the bike down by either slowing the pace of your pedaling, which will bring you to a gradual stop, or skid-stopping, which will bring you to a faster stop. To skid-stop, lean forward on the bike to shift some of your weight off the rear wheel, then stand up into the forward lean and lock both pedals in the horizontal position. Since the pedals control the rear wheel (which has been freed from your weight), it will lock, bringing the bike to a skidding stop. Bicycling on a fixed wheel is much more complicated than a traditional bike and is not recommended for beginners.       
• 4. Mount the bicycle. With the seat lowered, this should be a breeze. 

5.  Practice balancing on the bike. Push yourself along a flat surface with your feet and get the feel of how the bike leans and steers. Do this until you have a good feel and some confidence about steering the bike. Try pushing yourself along fast and "gliding" with your feet up in the air, steering only with your hands. Notice the tendency of your body to lean slightly into the curve to keep balance when just using your hands to steer. When you are up to it, instead of using your hands, try to make turns with your body and let the bike follow you; you'll notice that the front wheel will also make the turn automatically. This is the key bike-riding skill: balancing and steering. Take as much time with this step as you need to feel confident.

• Balance is easier to keep when the rider is moving faster. Going too slowly while riding will not keep the rider safe.
• If you’re practicing with a helper, have them hold your bike behind you and try to steady it as you pedal. 

6.  Practice gliding down gentle slopes. Walk the bike to the top of a slope that ends in a sizeable flat area, mount it (keeping one or both feet on the ground until you’re ready), and glide down, allowing yourself to slow naturally in the flat area at the bottom. Dismount and repeat as necessary to get used to the feel of the speed, balance (which should be easier now that your speed has increased), and incline.

• When you are confident you can put your feet on the pedals and coast for a few feet, try not putting your feet down to train your sense of balance.
• When you’re comfortable with putting both feet on the pedals, practice braking gently on the way down the hill. Do this until you don’t feel the need to put your feet out to brace yourself.
• When you’re comfortable coasting, pedaling, and braking in a straight line, practice steering slightly to the left or right.

7.  Get ready to ride. Raise the seat a bit, but still keep it low enough so that you can touch the ground with the tip of your toes while seated.

 

8.  Pedal down the slope and onto the flat area. Use the techniques you learned while gliding to pedal and steer, only this time, instead of stopping on the bottom, continue biking along the flat surface. Practice making gradual turns, then sharper turns. Brake to a complete stop and try putting only one foot out to hold yourself up.

9.  Pedal from a complete stop on the flat area. Make sure the pedal your foot is currently on is level with the other (free) pedal, then begin pushing it down with that foot as you lift the other foot onto the pedal and begin biking. Do this until you’re comfortable starting and stopping on a flat surface.

10.  Pedal up the slope. Bike from the flat area up the slope to get used to the additional work you have to do to move uphill. Lean forward into the pedaling or even stand up to give yourself extra power. Bike up and down the slope several times until you’re comfortable with both. When you feel confident enough to do so, bike halfway up the slope, come to a complete stop, and re-start pedaling upwards. Once you can do this with ease, you’re ready for a more challenging terrain.