Please share your wisdom with a newbie..

[effy]

I just recently started riding and I find myself wanting to go for the ride but I find a million in one excuses to not get out there and ride.
I need and want some motivation.

I will admit that I'm intimidated by the traffic. I live on a busy road that has large shoulders to ride on and it's very rural also. I know that I need to practice looking over my shoulder for traffic due to the wind in my ears.

Thats another question is there anything out on the market the help buffer the noise of the wind and still allow for you to hear things?

Do you think that doing trails would be better? I just got the bike rack out of my hubbys truck and put it in my car so I can put it on this afternoon. I like the giddy up and go factor, this would make it easy to get to a trail.

Ladies, I want cycling to me more than just a hobby, I want it to be a passion. I love my trek 2.3 WSD and I think I have most of the fitting issues taken care of. I just need the inner strength to go. Where do I find it?

[redrhodie]

This is what works for me, and I know it's not going to make any sense, and it's not at all inspirational, but…if I pump up my tires, I ride. The excuses end right there. It's a routine thing. I've never gone through the trouble of pumping them up and not ridden. It's probably not necessary to pump before every ride, but I do. I seem to get fewer flats on full tires. I wish I had a more poetic reply, like how you get to see the flowers and pretty scenery, but bah....just pump yer tires and go!

I'm a wind pro, but not by choice . It's ALWAYS windy here on the coast. I found a cloth headband, worn over my ears, dampens the noise. It also keeps sweat out of my eyes, and since it's under my helmet, no one can see that I look like Bob Roll in 1980. In colder temps, I wear a buff.

There are lots of tips here about riding in traffic. Someone recently posted a video of riding in traffic that is brilliant. I choose the most scenic routes with the least amount of car traffic when I ride.

[kat_h]

A little mirror that mounts on your helmet or glasses will let you watch behind you a lot more.

I wear a headband for the wind when it's cold out.

[spokewench]

This is what works for me when my motivation is low. I tell myself, if I just go out for 15 minutes and if I don't want to ride after 15 minutes, I'm turning around. 1. I get a 30 minute ride out of it at the least; but it has NEVER come to that, I have always at least gotten in an hour ride since once I got on my bike I was fine to go!

spoke

[Zen]

I hope someone can answer this, I have the same problem.

The only thing that really helps me get out there is if I have made a commitment to ride with someone and they expect me to be there.



.

[motochick]

I was having the same problem as you until I started setting goals for myself. The goals are rides that I want to do, rides you have to register for and pay for. That way I have to get out there and ride to be ready for the rides I have paid for. I don't want to show up and not be ready for what I have signed up to do. It has worked out very well and I am enjoying myself.

Brenda

[Kimmyt]

Put your bike and all items for a ride in the car. If you plan on riding after work, do not (repeat DO NOT) allow yourself to go home in between. Get changed at work. Yes, walk out of work in your lycra. If you have everything with you then you have no excuse.

[Fujichants]

This works for me for cycling and running. I buy new clothes. It totally gets me motivated to get on my bike or to hit the pavement.

[indysteel]

When I first got a bike, I wanted to ride but was intimidated about certain things, like riding in traffic and not otherwise knowing where to ride. It was that intimidation and not my lack of motivation that held me back. I get the sense that you're experiencing the same things. So, my advice to you is to this:

Arm yourself with as much as you can to minimize the risks associated with riding in traffic. Practice looking behind you w/o swerving on a quiet street; use a mirror; wear high vis clothing; use a blinking tailight; avoid riding in rushhour traffic; know the rules of the road and how to use hand signals so that drivers know what you're doing; learn to ride in a steady, straight line; carry a cellphone and emergency information.

Practice riding on what are usual busier roads in the morning when traffic is light. That will hopefully give you a bit more confidence for when traffic is heavier.

Try to find a more experience friend to ride with.

Start riding on the trail if it'll get you out there (but me mindful that trails, especially multi-use trails, can be as nervewracking as the road.

Find other places to ride. Okay, this is harder than it seems, but I think this is what held me back the most when I started. I knew that there places to ride; I had friends who did long road rides with our local club, but I had no idea how to "access" that information and I was too nervous to join the club. Finally, I asked at one of the bike shops and they directed me to a marked route leaving from the shop that was 26 miles and went largely through neighborhoods and lightly traveled rural roads. So, I put aside my fears of riding alone and just started doing that route all the time. I had to drive to get there and it was sort of out of the way, but it gave me a place to start.

After many miles spent mostly alone on those roads, I finally got up the nerve to take part in a club ride. It was much less intimidating than I had built it up to be. From there, everything just got easier. I started to discover where I could ride and I met plenty of people to ride with. That was in September of 2006. Since then, I've ridden about 8,000 miles, including 5,200 last year in my first full year of riding. My point in sharing those numbers is that every great journey starts with one small step (or however that saying goes).

I'd encourage you to approach it with some baby steps of your own and give yourself time to gain some confidence. Celebrate each victory, no matter how small it may seem. Good luck and have fun!

[Kano]

Arm yourself with as much as you can to minimize the risks associated with riding in traffic. Practice looking behind you w/o swerving on a quiet street; use a mirror; wear high vis clothing; use a blinking tailight; avoid riding in rushhour traffic; know the rules of the road and how to use hand signals so that drivers know what you're doing; learn to ride in a steady, straight line; carry a cellphone and emergency information.

All good ideas!

Start riding on the trail if it'll get you out there (but me mindful that trails, especially multi-use trails, can be as nervewracking as the road.

Easily MORE nerve-wracking! Cars and trucks might be fast, but I think they're FAR more predictable than "loose" people!

Karen in Boise

[Savra]

This works for me for cycling and running. I buy new clothes. It totally gets me motivated to get on my bike or to hit the pavement.

This really works. I just got a shipment in the mail today of a new cycling shirt and just had to go biking in it!!

[wackyjacky1]

This is what works for me when my motivation is low. I tell myself, if I just go out for 15 minutes and if I don't want to ride after 15 minutes, I'm turning around. 1. I get a 30 minute ride out of it at the least; but it has NEVER come to that, I have always at least gotten in an hour ride since once I got on my bike I was fine to go!

spoke

+1 -- this is exactly what I do!

[NbyNW]

Lots of great advice above!

I've recently started biking to work, and I'm lucky in that it's a manageable distance for me (about 5 miles), since I am recovering from an injury and I want to be careful not to overdo it. My motivations are that it's much more pleasant than taking the bus (the walk between my bus stop and office is essentially a huge construction site), and it takes less time than the bus. And I can count it towards my PT.

I'm also terrified of riding in traffic, so it took me a bit of research and a lot of asking around to find a route that I'm comfortable with. I also don't care that other cyclists are going a lot faster than I am.

Bike commuting can be done in baby steps, too. My first time I just did it one way, then caught a ride home with DH in the evening. A week later I did my first round-trip. I'm planning to add a little bit more each week.

It's important to find safe places where you can work on your skills, get stronger, and become more confident when confronting those things that are holding you back.

Weekend motivation: to rediscover the joy I had riding my Schwinn Fair Lady when I was a kid. To not worry about wearing special shoes, or special clothes (but definitely a HELMET!), and to still have a great time even when things aren't perfect. To let that flat tire be my next big adventure. To have so much fun that I don't realize the sun is setting, or that my stomach is growling. To lose track of time.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

A helmet mirror makes me much more at ease in traffic. Imagine driving your car without any mirrors at all. Helmet mirrors take a bit of getting used to, but after a few weeks you might find it changes your outlook completely and you may love it like I do. You get a full view of the entire road behind you including both shoulders, all in the tiny mirror the size of a quarter!

[OakLeaf]

+1 to what everyone else has said, especially the mirror and riding in quiet places to start with. Nobody mentioned bar end mirrors - some people find them easier to use than helmet/sunglass mirrors.

Maybe find a club to ride with (make sure they have rides for beginners - many do).