It'S Never Too Late To Learn To Cycle

Let’s be honest for a second. There are many of you out there who never learnt to cycle when you were young and now you feel that It’s way too late to learn to cycle. Although this is perfectly understandable, the notion that you can’t learn cycling as an adult is ridiculous. All it takes is the will to learn, the courage to ride and consistent practice.An immediate advantage you have as an adult is that you are quite familiar with your surroundings. Thus, it will be much easier for you to locate an empty stretch of road or a parking lot. All you need is a bicycle, preferably a single speed bicycle. Make sure you wear a helmet and comfortable shoes. Please do not fit training wheels to your cycle as it generally increases the learning curve.Kids prefer to learn it the hard way. But this way of learning might involve a lot of bruising on your knees and elbows. A slightly different approach might work better for adults. 

Lesson 1

The first thing to do is to get comfortable with your bicycle. If you are going to purchase a new cycle, make sure that the top tube of the cycle is not pressing into you, when you are standing over it. You should also be able to reach the handlebar and the brakes comfortably. The store salesperson will help you choose the correct frame size. Now, adjust the cycle’s saddle so that your toes touch the ground. Perch yourself on the saddle comfortably and try using the brakes, pedals etc. Getting comfortable with your brakes is one of the most important aspects of cycling. You can do this initially by standing by the side of your cycle and pushing it forward and applying brakes.

Lesson 2

The second part of your lesson should be gliding. Gliding here is defined as moving your cycle forward without using pedal power. Use your feet to propel yourself forward and to maintain balance. Your feet will thus act as training wheels, thereby improving your ability to balance the cycle. The idea is to move as far as you can without putting your feet on the ground. If you are able to glide reasonable distance without the use of either foot, then you are ready for the final stage.

Lesson 3

You have mastered gliding and braking. Now, you are ready to start pedalling. A useful tip to enhance your balancing skills is to look forward rather than looking at the ground. This will most certainly improve your balance. Before starting to pedal, position yourself for forward thrust by placing one foot on the ground and the other foot at the 2 o’ clock position on the pedal. Now, add your other foot to the pedal as you start to move forward. Remember, it becomes easier to balance the cycle as it picks up speed. Practice, practice and practice some more until all this becomes muscle memory.Now, you have learnt the basics of riding a cycle. It’s time to test it out in real world condition. Try to commute to your local supermarket or grocery store on your bicycle. This will help you get accustomed to traffic as well. 

After you have mastered the basics of cycling you have a choice to make-You can either use your cycle as a fun way to commute or you can take it a step further and get into serious stuff like mountain biking, cycling between states, stunt cycling etc. The choice is yours to make.