Can't ride a bike!?!?

B

Bubbles

New member
ok, i know it's lame, but i am fifteen and i cant ride a bloody bike! I get the basics, but i guess i'm still scared of falling. I generally don't have god balance, so it's hard for me.
Me best friends discovered this embarrassment when we were in year six, but she tried to help(so i'm not far off being able to ride one!) but she never brought it up again so i assumed she'd forgot.
at the end of school today, my other friend comes up to me and says "Sasha*, can you ride a bike?" I lied and said "yes, why wouldn't i be able to." My best friend looked guilty because my other friends obviously wanted us to go biking somewhere and she must have been trying to tell her that i couldn't, and now my other friend knows and it's embarrassing!
they're going tomorrow, and i want to go and show them that i can before she tells anyone else, but i cant ride without almost falling off and having to stop!!
we don't have a proper bike at home, just a smaller one, and i'm embarrassed to attempt to learn tonight with my family+sister's boyfriend always hanging around.
Is there someway i can learn WITHOUT actually riding? like what do i do to stop falling off?
i know i'm pathetic, but once you've stopped laughing, can you please help!
thanks
 
You have to get on a bike to learn. Here are a few tips.

The faster you go, the easier it is to stay upright. Try to go at least as fast as you can quickly walk, or you will fall easier. Don't go full speed though until you get the hang of it in case you do crash.

If you are really afraid and you can pedal hard enough, practice on the grass so falls don't hurt. It will be easier to learn on pavement though.

Turn the handlebars toward the fall. For example, if you start to fall to the right, turn right and pedal a bit harder. It will pop you right back up! (So practice in a wide open area so you can do this).

If you have a smaller bike, you can practice without pedaling. Just push with your feet and scoot/coast around until you get the hang of it. This way, if you start to fall, you can catch yourself easy.
 
I had the very same problem, but if you want to learn then don't let what everyone else thinks stop you.
When I learned, I used a smaller bike, that way if I did fall, I wouldn't have fallen very far.
I also wore safty pads and a helmet
I just kept trying and soon was able to do it.
If the bike you do have is a two wheel, then ride it anyway, even if it is small.
Hope it helps, and I wish you luck
 
It sounds like you are thinking about this way too much. First you have to get over the fear of falling or crashing. The truth is THE BEST RIDERS IN THE WORLD FALL AND CRASH AS WELL. It's gonna happen especially when learning how to ride. Don't let this discourage you though. I would tell your friends you can't make the ride. Instead, spend the day learning how to so the next time you can say "Yeah, let's go ridin'!" Soon it will be a piece of cake. Hey, ya never know. It just might become your new addiction like alot of us. It's my new drug of choice. Hehehe!
Remember, falling and crashing are more than likely goin' to happen. It's how you handle it afterwards. Just get up, catch your breath and mojo, and get back on the bike and ride again, and again, and again. Just like learning to walk. Forget what your friends think! Heck, you might go on to be a professional rider for all you know.

Good luck and ride!
 
Well, you will be lucky to get it down in a day, but you can learn the basics.

I have to say this first though, if you don’t get on a bike and fall off, you won’t learn....

what my dad did was, he took me to a park (with soft grass) the he stuck me on a bike and told me to pedal, if I didn’t balance, I would have fallen off, so gradually you learn to balance so that you DON'T fall off!

Obviously I fell off the first few times, but it’s amazing how you just start riding! You have to get over your fear of falling, if you put your foot down before you fall, it’s really hard to actually hurt yourself.

Just try it, don’t be embarrassed. the great thing about ridding a bike is, that you will never forget, recently my friends and I went out and he brought a bike and I just got on and rode away after about 2 years of not even touching a bike....

If you can’t learn by the time of the bike trip, just tell your friends that you cant ride a bike, and don’t go....
 
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