New and perplexed

[Catrin]

My LBS has a Townie section (an entire separate room) filled with a large number of Townies of every possible type. It really is amazing how many different options there are for those bikes, and a number of them are quite sharp!

[Melalvai]

I'd like to hear more about bike stabilizers if you try them. They look like kind of big training wheels? I'm sure a lot of people are intimidated about riding again after so many years, who would benefit from a transitional sort of thing like that. I am approached a lot for advice about cycling, so I'd love to have information about these sorts of things to pass on, and someone else's experience with it would be just the thing.

[bikegranny]

My excitment over them is tampered a bit after I checked the price...........$150 to $200. would probably only be used two or three times, just til I get the details of pedaling, shifting, brakes, etc. well remembered. sigh...........everything comes down to money! perhaps I can find a pair to rent.....

[malkin]

Hey granny! Welcome to TE!
I haven't got much to add here; you have received some good advice, and you certainly have pluck!

Best wishes for your bike shop visits! May you find a helpful and friendly place with lots of bikes to try.

[bikegranny]

Thanks for the very good advice. I'm so glad to have found this site, it's wonderful.

[bikegranny]

P.S. nope, I'm not the horseback rider.

[Melalvai]

I've heard the "best practices" for teaching someone (child or adult) how to ride a bike, and I imagine similar principles could apply for someone who is re-learning how to ride a bike. I don't know if you need to do all this, given that you once knew how to ride, but here it is if you like. I haven't had an opportunity to try this out on anyone yet myself. I heard it from someone who has taught many, many 9 year olds and a few adults how to ride a bike. He doesn't recommend training wheels at all.

Lower the seat fairly low, so you can sit on it with your feet flat on the ground. (This is the last time you want the seat like that. Once you have learned to ride a bike, if your feet touch the ground while you are sitting, your seat is too low, and it will cause your knees to hurt when you pedal.)

Take the pedals off if you can. (A pedal wrench is handy but I have done it with a regular crescent wrench.)

Sit on the bike and scooter it around, pushing or walking it with your feet. Only as fast as you are comfortable with. Get to where you can push off and keep your feet off the ground as you coast a little bit, maybe down a gentle little slope.

Once you can do that, put the pedals on, and try coasting one pedal stroke at a time, keeping your feet near the ground to catch yourself.

I've been told most people can learn to ride a bike with about an hour's worth of practice like this.

[bikegranny]

Thanks Melavai, good to know. I'm going to try this, sounds good to me.