Where to learn how to ride a push bike

It's sad, but true. I'm 31 years old and don't know how to ride a bike! (Go ahead, make fun ) I tried to learn on my own but can't quite figure out how to do it.

I checked online and in the UK and US there seem to be a lot of courses for adults... but with my zero German I can't figure out if there are any in Munich. HELP!

gambletroy.

You do not need a course...in fact kids do not generally speaking do a courses they get their parents to teach them. So you should get a friend, a good friend who willn't laugh, to help you.

Believe me as an adult I think you should be able to pick it up in a day or two. It is just about balance...

Best of luck...

A good friend who won't laugh and knows how to apply a plaster while not laughing.

I'm sure there are enough thirsty cyclists on TT who would teach you for a crate of beer.

Yeah, I'm just thinking of how I learned to ride a bike...that was painful.

Kids heal fast...31 years old? shit...got some hockey equipment?

Naw...just have a friend (laughing or not) do the same as you would with a kid...and you'll be okay after a few painful falls. (but it could definately hurt)

A friend of mine only learned to ride a bike a couple of years back in her early twenties. I would recommend knee pads - at 31, you have a lot further to fall than a 5 year old, and are likely to do so harder. Actually, it sounds stupid, but those new bikes without pedals are supposed to be great to teach kids to cycle - you could try the same with a normal bike - put the saddle down so you can "run" along the floor whilst sitting on the bike, and then once you've got going, pick your feet up. If you wobble, or don't feel safe, put them back down on the ground again. This will help you get your balance sorted before you start confusing things with pedals

Get a friend to give you a push. Once the wheels are rolling, then you'll be balanced. You might think you'll fall at first, but after you practice this balance thing more, you'll get the hang of riding a bike. That's how I learnt when I was a a kid.

And choose a bike (or adjust the seat) that fits you well, so that your feet can easily reach the ground when you're stationary.

If you can skip...not the biz. with a rope...then you can cycle. The leg movements are the same.

Apologies for digressing, but I just found this and wondered if one of these has ever been sighted in Munich?

Hilarious

Perhaps we could put together a spotting club, a bit like bird or train spotters, but for cyclists-in-a-bag. You know the kind of thing, when and where sighted, identifying colours and markings, gradient of wobble, etc. Imagine the hilarity of club meetings, what fun.



btw - Seriously though, hope you get the cycling lessons sorted and er, apologies for hijacking

gambletroy,

I am around your age and have just learnt how to bike as well. It was actually not that hard and you do not need a formal lesson at all. Believe me! Actually I am a 100% sports phobia. If I can do it, everyone can do it.

What I did ... I went to a shallow grass-covered slope and tried to roll down the slope without pedalling. In this way, I tried to get a feeling of how the balance and speed was like. I did it several times until I thought I was ready to pedal. Then I tried to ride a bit on the grassland. It was very difficult in the beginning since the friction of the grass was so high that it was hard to get the bike moving. I just tried to pedal harder and harder. I found that it was still better than people helping by pushing or pulling the bike. So I just learnt by myself and after 1 day or 2 I could ride it. Then I practised the "8" turns and biked along the Isar and in the Englischer Garten with friends who are patient and encourging and did not laugh at me. I am really really thankful to them. Now I could ride the bike around Munich ... not very very good but sufficient. I am still practising.

So good luck ... you can do it

... I guess I'm gonna have to find that friend now... along with a bike without pedals and what not...

Thanks for the replies (but if you've got other ideas keep 'em coming)!

This time of year is ideal for cycling in Munich. I really love it. No wonder you have the urge to start.
Now I'm not the best person to give cycling advice as I just spent 2 weeks in hospital due to a bike accident. But dont let that put you off. It is quite safe.

But my suggestion anyway. Recently on Toytown a member did a sponsored haircut for charity. Where lots of Toytowners turned up to cut his long hair off. How about a charity sponsored cycle lesson. Toytowners could turn up with several bikes and give advice and encouragement (and a push) Everyone has a lot of fun, you get free advice and end up having a few drinkies afterwards. And of course, you'll have learned to ride a bike. AND a charity gets a nice lot of money. Everybody wins!

Now even I would consider that (if the calendars all fitted)

Get on, go, fall down, get back on and go again. Repeat as necessary and wear a helmet and wrist gaurds.

the saddest thing ive ever read on the internet.

for so many reasons.

Name three of those reasons. Sounds to me like someone deciding to take action to do something they really want to do, and getting a lot of helpful suggestions about how to go about it. Nothing not to like.
And if that's the saddest thing you ever read on the Internet, you don't surf much, do you?

Try www.sad.com now thats sad!

So Gambletroy, can you ride a bike yet?? If not, I will help you. Once we've mastered riding slowly in a straight line, we'll progress to mono's, endo's, jumps and tricks... but let's start at the start. I will help.

Hey gambletroy i feel so glad that i aint the only one on this planet who's 30 and cant ride a bike...had no clue that Toytowners were so cool with the advice and the help...so did you finally get goin ???

Gambletroy : Let me assure you that there are many adults who are learning to ride a bicycle in Germany, else there wouldn't be courses offered specially for adults. I presume you are in the Munich area, so check out:
http://www.adfc-muenchen.de/. They are currently offering technical courses - bike repairs and such like but someone there will surely know where you can get professional help to help you learn to ride a bike.

ADFC stands for Allegemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad Club. Here's the address: Platenstraße 4, 80336 München

You might also see what the Volkshochschule in Munich might have to offer.

Here in Berlin, the VHS periodically offer courses to various themed groups. My current favourite is 'Wir lernen Fahrrad fahren - für Frauen nichtdeutscher Herkunft'. So if you are female, are not of German ancestery, and would like to learn to ride a bike on one of those funky school children cycling training areas IN BERLIN then this could be the link for you:

http://www.vhsit.berlin.de/VHSKURSE/Busine...aspx?id=155650

It does seem like there are many courses organised by the ADFC, this one in Düsseldorf. Couldn't find something in Munich but as I said earlier, you could ask at the ADFC in Munich.