I have a confession...starting the bike

[lph]

I can understand how you're unhappy about not being seated if you normally ride in an upright position with a lot of weight on your saddle and rarely stand on your pedals. The feeling of having your weight on your pedals is quite different from sitting, especially if you have little weight on your hands.

I agree that practicing scooting along on one foot especially sounds like a good exercise. The bike will feel "swingy" and wobbly at first at low speed until you get used to steering more with your feet and hands.

I'd also suggest practicing lifting your weight up off your saddle while riding or coasting. Don't "lose" the saddle completely, keep some pressure against your thigh (this is easier if you lean the bike slightly towards one thigh instead of trying to balance it dead centre). This should force you to start balancing more with your feet and hands. When you're comfortable just standing, try moving the bike around a little, riding gentle curves while coasting downhill.

I'm not an instructor or anything though, but from rock climbing I know that complex movements involving balance have to be broken down into small steps. And the older you are, the more time you have to spend settling each step. I don't think you have a mental block, you just have no muscle memory of how to do it.

I spent forever underwater teaching myself the "back-bend" necessary to dive backwards into the pool. And then one day I just up and did it.

[hebe]

Don't "lose" the saddle completely, keep some pressure against your thigh (this is easier if you lean the bike slightly towards one thigh instead of trying to balance it dead centre).

This! I did this by accident today and it gave me a much smoother set-off. I shall try it again now I know it wasn't a fluke. Thank you lph, and good luck Catrin!

[Owlie]

I am going to tell you a story that as far as I know is known to only four people.
And you may laugh.

When I first bought the bike, I had a real mental block on getting onto the saddle. The nose would get caught on my shorts and it would throw me (still happens, but not as often). My first ride, I was standing on part of the trail in my cheap shorts and borrowed jersey, all frustrated because I could.not. get. on. the. bike. I said to DBF "I think my seat's too high." He fiddled with it for a bit (I was still straddling the bike), then he told me to get on the bike and go. I got on the bike with no problems, and off we went.

In the car on the way back from the trail, DBF turned to me and said "Do you want to know what I did to your seatpost?" I looked at him confusedly. He grinned and said "Nothing." I didn't know whether I wanted to collapse in a heap laughing or smack him.

[lph]

Go dh!