Never ridden before...

Frigating

I've never ridden a bike before, not even when I was younger, but I'd like to give it a shot. Has anyone any advice for someone completely starting out? Even a guide for teaching children to ride would be great . How long roughly would it take me to learn the basics?

Secondly, probably the most important part though, the bike. I haven't a great budget, partly due to being a student and partly due to not wanting to spend money on something I might never be any good at. I'd be willing to spend about E150 at the very max. Would I be able to get something semi-decent for this? (Obviously I wouldn't be winning the Tour de France, just zipping down to Tesco and around country roads). I was looking at

. Can anyone tell me if that (or anything in that price range) would be any good to learn on, or should I look at second-hand bikes instead?

Cheers 

Chuchote

To start cycling, go to somewhere without any cars, for a start. Bring a friend. Borrow a bike a bit too small for you and lower the saddle so your feet are touching the ground. Hold the handlebars, sit on the saddle and scoot along. When you're confident, start taking your feet off the ground, and then gradually putting them on the pedals. Expect a few spills at first. It should take you a couple of hours before you're able to pedal along.

As for the cheap bike, maybe go into a good local bike shop and ask their advice about secondhand. Because of the Bike to Work scheme, secondhand bike prices have come down a lot, and you'll get a better bike for your €150 than you would have a few years ago.

Don't get a bike on the Bike to Work scheme until you're an experienced cyclist - you can get a really good bike using the scheme, but it's only once every five years, and it would be a pity to get a crappy bike through it.

Once you're confident in using the bike, you'll need to find out about how to use the road courteously and correctly as a cyclist. Ask here, and with any luck someone local to you will cycle out with you once or twice, showing you the correct ways to signal, where to stop, etc.

Welcome to the cycling life!

smacl

Great thread here covering another boardsies progress from not being able ride a bike at all to where he's at now; http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056963524

_Brian

Go to a charity shop and you'll pick up something for €50 to mess around on and get going. You occasionally see few year old hybrid they're for small money.

Then decide what bike you'd like and buy a decent bike, hand back bike to charity shop.

Chuchote

This English how-to on cycling in cities is worth watching

magicbastarder

Chuchote wrote: »

As for the cheap bike, maybe go into a good local bike shop and ask their advice about secondhand. Because of the Bike to Work scheme, secondhand bike prices have come down a lot, and you'll get a better bike for your €150 than you would have a few years ago.

might even be worth popping in to rothar and asking were you to buy a bike off them for say €150 (not sure how much they charge!) how much they'd buy it back off you for in a few months when you're more confident about what sort of bike you want?
that said, i don't know anyone who has tried this approach.

HivemindXX

This video which shows someone teaching an adult to cycle for the first time is good I think. It basically says what Chucote already did in video form.

https://youtu.be/WP3DNPDKxOM

My nephew was cycling in less than an hour using this method (although his braking left a lot to be desired) but another child I tried to teach never picked it up so your mileage may vary.

Cheap bikes suck (and I've never seen one in a charity shop) but you are right not to spend a lot of money before you decide if this is something you will keep at. Since you're a student maybe you can enlist a friend to loan you a bike and teach you the basics and then help you buy one. Most cyclists are fairly enthusiastic to increase the numbers. The Dublin Bikes are heavy and a little hard to control as a result of this but maybe getting a three day pass for a fiver and using one of these to practice might be a good idea. I'm sure there are many good places but, for instance, you could borrow one at Kilmainham Gaol and practice in the grounds of the Royal Hospital.

If I was you I'd ignore everything about what to do in traffic and things like this and just concentrate on learning how to cycle to start with. Once you can control a bike in an area that is closed to cars, then you can worry about the masses of information on how to control one properly on the roads.

Chuchote

You'll also find secondhand bikes on adverts.ie - make sure the bike isn't stolen by looking at the seller's record - what do they normally sell, do they have good feedback, etc - and asking why they're selling.

Frigating

Thanks everyone! I noticed most of the cheaper ones on Adverts (heading round the charity shops tomorrow) are BMX bikes. Obviously I won't be doing tricks in the near future, but are these ok to learn on?

Unfortunately I can only think of one person with a bike I can rob/borrow, and it's a child's bike. Might be worth having a go on it anyway.

Thankfully my town has lots of very well-kept, off-the-road cycle paths, and the roads themselves don't see much action in the middle of the day, so I can practice in solitude.

Regarding helmets, is there much difference in price ranges other than for aerodynamics? Would this keep me safe enough if/when I crash?

HivemindXX

BMX bikes are generally not suitable because the saddle is far too low. You would find this out when you try it for size which you absolutely must do before you buy something. Don't assume it will fit just because the seller tells you it will be fine.

All helmets should be pretty much the same with regard to protection.

Chuchote

You also need to get a bike that fits you. What height are you?

If you look in the "Hybrid bikes" ads you should find something - price advertised is a hope price, and you could make an offer, subject to viewing.

http://www.adverts.ie/for-sale/sports-fitness/bikes/hybrid-bikes/833/

mcgratheoin

Chuchote wrote: »

To start cycling, go to somewhere without any cars, for a start. Bring a friend. Borrow a bike a bit too small for you and lower the saddle so your feet are touching the ground. Hold the handlebars, sit on the saddle and scoot along. When you're confident, start taking your feet off the ground, and then gradually putting them on the pedals. Expect a few spills at first. It should take you a couple of hours before you're able to pedal along.

+1

My brother in law only started 5 or 6 years ago in his late 30s and now he commutes to and from work every day (~80km per week).

Finding a comfortable safe place to practice is key and get a bike a little small for you to start learning balance on. Stopping and starting will be the hardest things at first so make an effort to practice those rather than just tootling along.

Set yourself a goal as well - e.g. cycle a lap of the Phoenix Park. It'll give you a nice target and a great feeling when you can post back here about how you got on.

quozl

You'll be fine; you don't need to worry about not getting any good at it. I started that thread that Smacl kindly linked to; started cycling at age 34 in 2013, and I did a 300KM 1-day cycle last year. All you need is a suitable bike, somewhere to practice and a willingness to spend a bit of time practicing. It doesn't even take that much practice in the grand scheme of things; it's not like learning to play the guitar or anything!

If you want to get competent as quickly as possible then I'd keep challenging yourself; ie practice tighter and tighter turns, more exact following of marks on the ground, etc. Aim to improve your precision/control. All done at a fairly slow pace; which makes it harder and also means that falls won't hurt much more than your dignity - as long as you wear some gloves. Otherwise falls will also hurt the palms of your hands

Mix it in with some gentle cycling around somewhere really easy; long off-road cycle paths (ones that aren't mixed with dog-walkers, small kids and street furniture) or similar. So that you can enjoy the cycling and it isn't just a chore to learn.

I found learning very enjoyable, except for my first few excursions onto roads with traffic. Those are unnerving but that passes.

nordicb

One and most important thing for a starting road cyclist is to know rules of the road. Same rules as with the car, but with understanding that cyclist is slower and more vulnerable, which means one has to obey rules and plan ahead, indicate intentions in a very clear manner to other users and not be too polite, vague and ambiguous as a result, as often happens with inconfident riders. Imagining how other road users see and "read" you helps a lot when making others aware of your actions and, hence, keeping you safer.

Chuchote

Absolutely. You need a white light on the front and a red light at the back. You need a bell. Reflectors. Brakes in good order - in fact, the bike in good order.

Signal clearly, with your right arm stretched out to the right if turning right, or left arm stretched out to the left if turning left; the right arm waving up and down from shoulder to hip if stopping. (I add a hand wriggle because drivers see motion better than a static signal.)

You need to know how to ride in traffic, with consideration for other road users. And you need to know your city so that you know how to avoid roads with a lot of traffic for most of your cycling.

Cycle about a metre out at least from parked cars, so you can swerve if necessary if someone flings a door open. Be used, however, to checking through the back and side window as you come up (you'll soon do this automatically with half an eye) so you can move gently out if a car has an inhabitant who may do this.

Don't hug the edge of the pavement - that's where you find seams and potholes and slippery manhole covers. Cycle far enough out that you're on relatively smooth road surface.

Know the rules of the road; more importantly, know the law on cycling:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057136579

Buy a good lock, and lock your bike to a Sheffield stand (standard Corpo bike stands) through the back wheel and seat tube (you'll find videos on YouTube).