Help! I am scared of my bicycle!

Hi everyone,
I have been reading the posts on this discussion board for about a month now, and I finally decided to join today. My DH bought me my first road bike (Bianchi Brava 49cm) in June and I have been on the bike about 5 times.

The first time I got on my bike, it was in the house, on the trainer practicing clipping in and unclipping, and that went really well. However, the second time I got on my bike, we were in a parking lot and I tried to unclip and fell and hurt my knee (and pride). :rolleyes:

The next few times, we have been doing ~20 mile rides. I really enjoy riding, but I am still scared of falling. I have an irrational fear of falling on the road and having my head smashed like a pumpkin (Silly, I know! But I can't help it) :p

So now, everytime DH wants to go for a bike ride, I make excuses not to go (traffic is too heavy, its too hot, I don't feel like it, etc). Once I am out on the road, I feel great, but its the MOTIVATION to get out there, that I am lacking.

Am I the only one who feels this way and what can I do to stop being scared of jumping on my bike and pedalling? Any advice is appreciated!!

The only advice I have is to just keep doing it. When I first started cycling I was terrified of traffic/getting hit. The more I did it (in short sessions w/traffic) the more confident I became. Just keep on trying and your fear will subside over time.

Could you perhaps switch to plain pedals for a little while, until you're more comforable with the handling the bike, riding out on the roads, etc. ? That might help.

I am assuming you always ride with a good helmet and that the helmet is positioned properly on your head. FOrward protecting your forehead, not ont he back of your head.

OK, here's something to practice... falling. I know sounds weird, but once you practice falling and know you won't get hurt (at least badly) hopefully your fear will subside.

Just practice on a nice soft area, lawn, sand, beach is good, you need to fall forward (as that is how most falls occur - up and over bars) tuck in your neck and shoulder, arms in never out and hopefully you will roll over onto to your side and hip without problem.

Falling does occur - it is just part of the sport - either road or mountain. Just keep riding. Remember more falls (and bad ones too) occur at slow speed then high.

I am not clipless yet. I'm using the top clips that came with the bike till I'm more comfortable or I have a need to go clipless so take what I say with a grain of salt. But from reading the posts, when you go clipless, one fall is a given.

You've gotten it out of the way. :) That rite of passage is behind you and you haven't fallen again.

If you can't get through it, it's okay. You can bike and not be clipless and still do well. Sometimes it's two steps forward and one back. If changing your pedals will make you more comfortable - do it. You can change 'em back again, in a heartbeat, when you want to.

I've been riding for a couple months new, and I still have problems not wobbling sometimes. I chose to stay using PLAIN pedals for now, until I feel way more confident turing, stopping, starting, etc. I feel way more safe with plain pedals as a beginner rider.
I did buy some "PowerGrips" straps today and will put them on (not too tightly either at first). I think they might be a good alternative that will enable me to pull on the upstroke pedalling, but without feeling too scarily attached.
http://www.ekosport.com/pg_how_works.shtml
http://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2005/11/power-grips.html
http://www.performancebike.com/produ...50/62_1016.jpg

I look forward to them, but I don't feel scared about them. :)

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Originally Posted by bcipam

OK, here's something to practice... falling. I know sounds weird, but once you practice falling and know you won't get hurt (at least badly) hopefully your fear will subside.

Falling does occur - it is just part of the sport - either road or mountain. Just keep riding. Remember more falls (and bad ones too) occur at slow speed then high.

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I'd second that idea. I've gotten banged up several times in the last few years, and most of those times have been on my bike. Each fall has been stupid and embarassing, but not only have I survived, I've also learned to see falling and getting back up as proof of how tough I am. I've even been known to go into work the next day and show off my "battle scars" and tell a funny story about what happened. When I walk in the door with a bandaid on my knee or my arm in a sling, folks just shake their heads and say "She's been reliving her childhood again..." ;)

I would take the clipless pedals off for now, put flat ones on; get comfortable with road riding; and try clipless again later if you want. Why not make it easy for yourself to like riding, and then get to the clipless part after you're otherwise at ease on the bike?

Absolutely take the clipless pedals off if it's keeping you from riding, I just put mine on last weekend, so it also took me a long time, a couple months before making the change, I also took a tumble and still nursing my bruises, but I just get back on with a vendetta. It gets better I promise.

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

I did buy some "PowerGrips" straps today and will put them on (not too tightly either at first). I think they might be a good alternative that will enable me to pull on the upstroke pedalling, but without feeling too scarily attached.

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I also used PowerGrips for a few months before I moved on to clipless pedals. I needed that time to get accustomed to the position and handling of my road bike, and to just get more confident.

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Originally Posted by spatlese

So now, everytime DH wants to go for a bike ride, I make excuses not to go (traffic is too heavy, its too hot, I don't feel like it, etc). Once I am out on the road, I feel great, but its the MOTIVATION to get out there, that I am lacking.

Am I the only one who feels this way and what can I do to stop being scared of jumping on my bike and pedalling? Any advice is appreciated!!

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I missed this thread and I agree with what others have said thus far. I was truly terrified of bikes. Seriously freaked out at thee mere thought of being on a bike. Then I would only go out when the odds of a car coming were slim to none. How did I get over this fear? I made myself get out every, single day. I have an extremely supportive husband who put up with a lot the first week of me biking. He is a wonderful and patient man who never once made me feel as though my feeling we stupid or irrational. His love and support helped me a lot.

I spent on day (and I assume I entertained the neighbours) just riding up and down the cul-du-sac, practicing stopping, turns, etc. For me, I need to feel in control on my bike. I practiced and practiced and practiced. I was determined to be a safe biker and someone who was safe to bike with. Did any of that make sense?

After I felt totally comfortable in my neighbourhood I slowly ventured out onto busy streets. I must add, I was always with my DH and I am extremely stubborn. It also helped to read what the women on this site were accomplishing every day.

As far as clipless goes, if you are uncomfortable, your LBS can place a removable cage on one side of the pedals so you can choose to ride clipless or platform. Mine still have the removable cage on the one side-it seems so final to take them off. It is my next challenge which I hope to have completed by the weekend.

Please, keep riding. I had a cul-du-sac to work in. Many go to parking lots to practice. There is no time limit. Practice until you feel confident and then you determine how far out you go each day. Eventually you will find yourself wanting to go out farther and farther each day.

Read the forums daily for a boost. Nothing makes me want to ride more than when I read what others are accomplishing.

There is a lot of wisdom in these posts here. I want to add one thing.
Fear keeps you alive. (a lady who rode HER bike around the world told me that)
Follow your fear. If it's those clipless things, take 'em off. you have lots of time
to put them back on later. Right now you need to get comfortable on a bike.
Later on you can try all sorts of alternatives. You're not alone. I'm 54 and I
don't find falling down amusing, so I do not have my feet anchored in by any mechanical gadgets. If and when i do I will probably try the frogs because they seem to have the least number of "haha I fell down 2x today" stories.
I have cages on my Raleigh and those power grips
http://www.powergrips.com/

on my new Bianchi bike. You might like those. I've never felt "Caught" or "stuck" in them, yet on a 184 mile trip that i did last weekend, my feet never came out of them when I didn't mean them to. They work.
good luck
Mimi

Ditto to all of the above. The more you do it, the more comfortable you'll feel. I'm not just talking the pedals - if those don't work for you, don't feel pressured to use that. I'm actually thinking more about the riding in general - the more you get out and do it (on nice, quiet roads, and with DH understanding your fears), you will get more confident. Try riding the same route repeatedly, so you know the places where you are more nervous and need to 'have a plan' in mind, and the places where you can just focus on the riding. You'll be able to formulate solutions for the 'what-ifs' that run through your mind, and once you do that you'll get more comfortable. As you get more comfortable with the what-ifs on your 'regular route', then you can start branching out to riding other routes.

Don't worry that you are the only one with these fears. I just started riding this summer, in May, and I always ride with a heart rate monitor. While it has started getting better, I'd have high heart rate (like 105-110!) before getting on the bike, just because I was anxious. The general anxiety has decreased, but I completely understand the nerves. Again, the more I got out and did it (cycling is the only exercise I can get DH to do regularly, so I knew I HAD to go out, no matter how nervous I was feeling) the better I felt.

DH has been riding (on and off) for ever. And he didn't quite understand the fears, but he was generally patient with me. We started off riding the same basic loop, so I talked to him about places where I got nervous (there is a 3-way stop, for example, that I worried about), and he helped me formulate a plan for each of those spots. We also spent a lot of time in parking lots practicing specific situations, so I'd feel better. Talking through my fears with DH helped a lot, too, so that when we were on the road, he'd know where I'd be apprehensive and so he'd give me guidance/encouragement.

And (since I operate heavily on positive reinforcement :D ), I'd reward myself for 'baby steps'. Just sort of a mental pat on the back. Successfully stopping at an intersection. Confidently making a left turn. Taking a hand off the handle bars to signal a turn. Stuff like that. It might sound silly, but each little personal 'atta boy' let me know that I was making progress.

Frankly, I still have moments where I feel a little nervous, but definitely getting a lot of miles under my belt have made me feel a little more confident about handling 'unforseen' situations. Good luck to you, and keep us posted - hopefully you'll be out enjoying yourself soon!

i second Dr Liz and our other wise friends. You could check out some of the advice given me when I dealt with so much fear after a scary but fairly injury-free fall. The thread was called "Help, my ride's gone ka-blooey."
I rode as often as I could - tiny rides, sometimes. But heaped praise on myself each time - each corner, each descent, no matter how slow or shaky. Still do. There's one kind of courage, when a person is fearless, and God/Goddess bless them whoever they are - and another kind, demonstrated when you face your fear however you can, in small bites, until you are finally bigger than the fear.

It took me over a month to feel happy on a bike again - but I did - on my hybrid. Then one day, my intuition told me I was ready for the road bike - with platform pedals. A couple of rides later, I eagerly put on the bike shoes. My heart rate went to 180 standing still. I valiantly tried my easy route, but my heart was surely visible through my shirt. I put the shoes away. I'll ride on the platform pedals until the intuition says "now."

This is not a race, and you don't have to compare yourself to any other rider. This is your journey. Every day that you can ride is another small present of health and courage that you give yourself. These are the things I tell myself every day. PM me ANY time you need support. I know what it's like to ride with tears in your eyes, saying "I'm so scared." The only thing that was scarier than riding was not riding.

I still have that voice that tells me not to go out, that I'm no good, I can never do that many miles, etc. Sometimes it's really ridiculous - the imp will tell me I can't ride 20 miles when I just rode 35 pretty darn well. I tell the imp to get lost, that it's full of lies. (an idea I sort of stole from a wonderful old fantasy novel called Damiano.) Can you make that voice into a character you can deal with? Moany Myrtle from Harry Potter? Either borrowed or something you come up with yourself, personalize it into something over which you can gain some power? I don't know you and I may be wrong - but for me, fear is the dark side of a powerful imagination. How can you use that imagination for good? A riding angel? A crew of TE riders leading you on the road? There is nothing too silly if it works.

(with a big hug from Lynda Gene)

I don't like traffic either, so I do the majority of my rides first thing in the morning.

When I started cycling (in the stone ages, we had fixed gears and coaster brakes :D - OK - I'm kidding) I took an Effective Cycling class through my local community college. They taught me all kinds of tips & tricks to get through traffic. For example:

When approaching a busy intersection, shift to an easier gear so that your feet are moving faster and slowly apply your brakes. Cars won't see that you are slowing down because your feet are moving fast and they're less likely to cut you off.

Ride like you are invisible. When you approach an intersection where cars are stopped - assume that the car in the right lane will turn right and keep one car length behind him. Don't assume that because their turn signal is not on that they will not be turning.

Listen to the traffic. If you hear a car slowing down next to you, know that it is going to turn right. Be prepared for the car to turn in front of you. Again, shift to an easier gear (your feet are moving quickly), gently apply your brakes. Drivers think bikes = slow. Not always the case!

This is important. When you are riding down a road where visibility of cars approaching the road is poor, due to vegetation, street signs, etc., DO NOT ride in the far right side of the bike lane. Cars will not see you and will turn in front of you. Ride more to the left - I often will ride right on the bike lane stripe or even in the traffic lane (if it is safe) so that I am visible.

Signal your intentions. Even if it should be obvious that you are turning right or left - signal anyway. It makes you more visible and removes all doubt.

Wear BRIGHT CLOTHING. Black or gray jerseys are generally not a good idea.

Those are the tips that come to mind but there are lots more. So, if you can get into a class, I highly recommend it.

I really appreciate all the good advice and suggestions.

Switching to plain pedals is a good idea, but DH thinks I am confident enough to stick with these and he thinks I just need to get used to them. I am able to unclip at stop signs etc., but I am still worried about emergencies when I forget that I am clipped in and try to avoid traffic or something. :o This has not happened yet, but it might!.... :p

Another problem I have is my shorts occassionally get 'hooked' on the nose of the saddle when I am starting off. This has happened to me several times and I try to keep my body really close to the handlebars before I start pedalling. (Does this make sense??!!:o ) Once this happened when I was trying to cross a busy street and that really freaked me out because I was sorta on my seat, but not quite and almost fell (again!) :rolleyes: OOh... and I am also afraid of starting on hills coz I have (another) fear of rolling backwards.. LOL

Yes, I do ride with a good helmet. Another reason why DH thinks my fear of having my head smashed like a pumpkin is unreasonable. :p Practicing falling sounds like a good idea... but also the scariest thing to try :eek:

DH and I do ride the same route repeatedly (whenever he can convince me to get out there!), and I am starting to remember the 'dangerous' spots and turns. Hopefully this will help me be prepared to unclip and be a little more comfortable on my bicycle. However, DH wants to do an organized ride at the end of September, and I don't think I am ready yet to ride with a whole bunch of people or in unfamiliar territories (plus there is a BIG hill to climb on that ride!). I hope I don't sound too whine-y but I am just SCARED!! :o How long did everyone ride before they went on their first organized ride?

latelatebloomer, you really hit the nail on the head when you said "I know what it's like to ride with tears in your eyes, saying "I'm so scared." This actually happened to me on one ride when I was lagging behind DH and some friends and a creepy guy in a pick up truck slowed down (he was coming in the opposite direction, so he'd passed DH and everyone else) and he gave me the creepiest look. I was afraid he was going to pick me up and throw me in the bed of his truck! :( I tried calling out to the group but I was breathless and they were too far away to hear me anyway. I was tempted to pull over and cry and hope DH noticed but I sucked it up and kept pedalling anyway. Finally DH noticed that I wasn't keeping up and came to my rescue. So now, he cycles behind me all the time. :o

Oh well.. there are most of my other fears laid out for now... :) Thanks again for the wonderful advice everyone.. DH and I will go out for a ride this evening and I will keep you updated on my (hopefully less and less fearful) progress.

Read up here on chamois suck - could be your shorts or it could be that you aren't hoisting the patootie far enough.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ht=saddle+suck

Somewhere else we discussed the emergency stop. If I can find a link I'll post. Mimi might know. We were discussing good tips for beginners.

nope, sorry, not sure about the emergency stop. But thanks for that thread; it was Hilarious!
saddle suck happens to the hubby sometimes and me once too.

Oops, it was pooks. Sorry, mimi.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...emergency+stop

I bought gear - elbow and knee pads - to practice falling... but haven't got the nerve to do it. The good news is that now three times I've crossed what would have been my "panic threshold" (like, when you're learning to play softball and you just cower down and throw your glove in front of your face and they say "don't be afraid of the ball!" - but it's afraid of the pavement coming at you) and found myself with all parts in appropriate places, wheels and feet nicely planted. Whether it's bike experience or taknig yoga and getting "awareness of the body" (which I wasn't aware was happening, so how can it be awarness :p ?) it's something that never happened before... there's hope!

JUST DO IT :) :) ... in small doses...

I am also afraid of traffic and falling and I haven't been riding long. But last Tuesday I managed to completely fall over, bike and all, with my feet still in the cages, and I was fine. I did fall into the grass, which certainly helped. It taught me that panicking is not a good thing. I should have thought about the problem (being in the wrong lane) and either tried to move over or pulled my feet out and put on the brakes.

The good thing was that it happened so fast that I wasn't actually aware I was falling until I was on the ground. So I may be less nervous next time.

Riding in a group has helped me build my confidence in riding, especially with traffic, left turns, and stops.

and it only lasted 0.5 miles... DH had a blow-out :D, so we had to walk home. I am still not confident enough to go out on a ride by myself. But I didn't complain one bit on my way out. In fact, I was actually rather looking forward to riding after all the encouragement I got from everyone here! Thanks!!

We will try again on Wednesday... will keep you all posted... :)

Just keep getting out there, it gets a little less scary every time.

Some of my scariest moments on a bike so far have not been caused by cars at all, they have been caused by pedestrians!

This is my first season riding - so I know you can do it! I was scared of everything at first and I too had to learn the clipless routine. I think I must have sounded the same to my husband ("No, I don't wanna ride THAT road, it has too many bumps, cars, curves, or ...insert excuse here.") But since then I've ridden through a crowded tourist village dodging clueless peds, downhill on a rutted up road, crossed train tracks, and ridden alongside (get this) logging trucks among my travels. I am not a fan of logging trucks and might suggest you skip this step in your therapy ;). But now cars don't really phase me too much.

I still ride with a pocket dose of fear, but I use it to protect me rather than prevent me. Just keep at it and enjoy it as much as you can.

Oh and hello to mlove from CU! It's my hometown!

ok...so i got into biking oh about almost a year now. my husband has been a cyclist (mountian) for most of his life. and he kinda got me into it and for most of the time i have been riding i was doing it because he wanted me too. so now i am wanting to do it for myself!! i havent been on my bike in about 3 months and right before i stopped riding we got me clipless shoes to go with an extra set of peddles my husband had. i got on the trainer once with them 3 months ago. so now i am wanting to get into for the right reasons, i am a bigger girl so we went looking for bike clothes to fit me and that is how i came apon this site. but anywho back to the story....

ok so tonight was the first night i had been back on my bike. i was initally going to get on the trainer and practice, but my husband called me on my way home from work and i decided to go with him. well we went out to the park and i asked him to help me practice with clipping in....he did once. so then i was too nervous to start riding, and i was getting alittle frusterated with him not being helpful. so we went to the playground where they had padding under soft mulch. this helped me not to be as scared of falling. so i started practicing and got it once then went to stop. i had one foot unclipped but the other wouldnt come when i stopped and i fell (right in frount of a bunch of kids!) but it didnt hurt too bad except i hit my head on the slide(yes i had my helmet on). so i kept going and almost fell again. then the last time i got it and was doing good then i tried to start coming to a stop and neither foot would unclip! and because of the soft mulch it slowed my bike down so much that i just fell. it was a hard one too. yeah you tend to find that soft mulch still hurts! and to make it better i have bad knees from growing as a catcher in softball. and my left one has a pocket of fluid. well my bike slammed into that pocket of fluid and the mulch cut me some. it wasn't that bad except the fluid in my knee. so we stopped then. but i am not as scared of fallling...the practicing falling on your bike helps. maybe you should try falling on to soft grass or something like on a playground. it helps and it doesnt hurt as much.

sandy

oh and about the group ride...i like it better cause people encourage you when you are getting tired. i went once with my husband, his brother, and two other guy friends (they all can ride longer, faster, harder, and more technical than me). we did a road ride in downtown san antonio. and we went more than my limit of 5 miles and atleast one of them hung back with me the entire way. and they pushed me to finish. and i did!! (even if i had to use my inhaler when i got back)

i enjoy group rides much more than just the two of us. i had my first group ride my second time riding!

I remember being afraid of the pedals -- it wasn't so very long ago! I've only had them for a hair over two weeks now.

I fretted over the possibility of falling down a LOT. I kept reading about the tipping over thing, and that scared me even more than emergencies, I think! I mean, you know, if people can't even get off the pedals for normal time, well, emergencies, you just count on it's gonna happen, only worse, right?

Anyhow..... Bike guy at the LBS says, just put yourself in a doorway and practice in and out for a bit, then take it easy while you give 'em a try. He set them to "easiest" to get out of, and sent us home with our new pedals and cleats.

Maybe it's just cuz I couldn't stop my bike without hopping off the seat so I could reach the ground anyway, but it seemed and still seems entirely natural and why the heck doesn't everyone just do it to unclip a foot, put it on the ground and take my butt off the seat too so I'm resting my foot flat on the ground when I stop, and then I don't tip over -- which makes me wonder why people tip over while standing still, y'know? Seems like a simple thing to avoid, yes? But, apparently not -- so, my wee bit of advice is unclip a foot, never mind the other one, and put that foot on the ground with your butt off the seat before worrying about unclipping the second foot -- if you really need to! At stop lights, I just get that clipped foot ready to get started again.

Lately I'm reading about falling over as people start up again -- downshifting before I get to the stop so that pedaling is easy helps me here, and I've read about doing that lately. I was doing that before the new pedals too, just because it made getting going easier. I've also been waiting until I feel like my balance is steady before I try to clip that loose foot back into the pedal. I don't know if this is typical or not, since I don't remember reading it here, but it helps me. I'm not sure how DH is doing things, but I know this little habit I'm building makes him a little nuts: I don't get off to quite as fast a start as he does at intersections since I'm not clipped with both feet as soon as he must be!

Sandy's right about group rides -- it helps to have a reason to push ourselves onward, and if it's just me and hubby, it's easy to convince him that I really need to go home now! I find myself making more effort when I'm "biking in public" on these group things!

Shorts -- I HATE when that happens! BUT, if it means that the shorts are too big, and it starts happening more and more, then maybe I'll learn to like when it happens?

Karen in Boise

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Originally Posted by Kano

Maybe it's just cuz I couldn't stop my bike without hopping off the seat so I could reach the ground anyway, but it seemed and still seems entirely natural and why the heck doesn't everyone just do it to unclip a foot, put it on the ground and take my butt off the seat too so I'm resting my foot flat on the ground when I stop, and then I don't tip over -- which makes me wonder why people tip over while standing still, y'know? Seems like a simple thing to avoid, yes? But, apparently not -- so, my wee bit of advice is unclip a foot, never mind the other one, and put that foot on the ground with your butt off the seat before worrying about unclipping the second foot -- if you really need to!

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Karen, I think it happens when people unclip one foot in preparation to stopping, but then when the bike stops it unexpectedly tips over to the OTHER side that is still clipped in.

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

I think it happens when people unclip one foot in preparation to stopping, but then when the bike stops it unexpectedly tips over to the OTHER side that is still clipped in.

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Exactly what happened to me. Unclipped my left foot, eased on the brakes, shifted my weight forward off the saddle with the left foot extended and ready to hit the ground, but apparently leaned my shoulders a bit to the right and caused the bike to tip that way instead of to the left. I've learned to be much more conscious of how I'm shifting my weight as I move off the saddle, whether I'm clipped in or not.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

Karen, I think it happens when people unclip one foot in preparation to stopping, but then when the bike stops it unexpectedly tips over to the OTHER side that is still clipped in.

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Which probably takes us back to that thread from the other day where "we" got talking about how it's a good idea to figure out which foot your body wants to have you put down first -- and unclipping THAT one! I just figure don't worry too much about having both feet unclipped as you roll to a "planned" stop -- there's lots of time for the second one! Probably need to add figure out which foot should be the routine first foot out, though...

Karen in Boise

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Originally Posted by spatlese

I hope I don't sound too whine-y but I am just SCARED!! :o

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Before I got into biking three years ago I was an avid rock climber (these days the climbing takes a back seat to the riding). I learned that it was OK to get scared. The thing is to *NOT* let the fear keep you from doing what you want to do.

There's absolutely no reason why you need to use clipless pedals, but before you ditch them (temporarily) try loosening up the setting on them so that they are easier to get out of. I have my Shimano m520's set 3 or 4 clicks looser than their default setting. They are still tight enough to keep me in while climbing, etc. but loose enough that I know that I can get out of them when I need to.

If you decide to take a break from the clipless, try cages and straps. I used them until a month or two ago. I kept them, too, loose enough that I could get out of them easily. Even set loosely, they are an improvement over platform pedals. My caged pedal are sitting collecting dust. If you'd like to give them a try I'd be happy to lend them out.

I appreciate your offer to lend out your caged paddles. I am trying to stick with the clipless pedals and learning to unclip at the right time and leaning to the unclipped side when stopping. I have had several near misses the last few times I've been on the road, but managed to regain my balance at the last minute. :) I can't wait till the day when unclipping and stoping become second nature!