Quote Originally Posted by bikegranny View Post
Ok, I'm scared, sore and discouraged! tried riding my old bike today, after about 10 years. Was barely out of the garage when I fell; thankfully, no injuries..........think my helmet saved my life, it was a faceplant into the paved driveway. Now I'm very very sore, but mostly discouraged, and scared to try again. If I can move tomorrow, will try again. I'm thinking a Day 6 bike. hope to find a dealer to try them out, in Columbus, OH.

thanks for words of encouragement and good advice.
Oh my goodness Ow ow ow! I can certainly understand why you would be scared and discouraged. Hope you feel better soon, from the sounds of it you avoided breaking anything but took a big blow to your confidence. Been there. When I re-took up biking again a couple of years ago I'd been through a period of inactivity for a few years. Prior to that I was pretty athletic and strong with good balance. It's amazing what a few years of inactivity can do to a person, fortunately all of that can be reversed with persistance and work. Speaking from one who was in your exact spot not long ago I can empathize with the fear and discourgament. I fell a lot the first few months. I'd bought a craigslist bike and the person was taller than me, I made some adjustments and it helped. Since this was your bike before it probably fits you and is set up for your height so I'm guessing that the fall was a result of lack of strength, balance and confidence with handling skills. Often I had no idea why I fell, I just did. I came to realize it was lack of skills coupled with too much bravado. I should have spent more time practicing before I ventured out into challenging situations. Oh well.

You said you are scared but you also said if it dosen't hurt too much you'll try again - you've got spunk! Working on some core body strengthening will help you gain confidence because you'll be better able to handle your bike.

Feel better soon and best of luck.