For some, riding a bike seems so simple yet really scary. If you are one of those who really want to get into learning how to ride a bike but are too scared, all you need to do is follow a few baby steps. Sometimes, though, the fear is just too overwhelming. And what better way to get over your fear than subjecting yourself to it and slowly conquering it?
If you already have a bike, the first thing you can do is simply straddle it. Get a feel of how the bike feels when you’re straddling it. If possible, get a bike where you can sit on the bike seat and still have both feet planted on the ground.
The next thing you can do is to put one foot on the pedal while the other remains in the ground. Finally, put both feet on the pedals. At this point, your goal is to balance the bike while stationary and hold it upright with your own weight for as long as possible. You can also put your hands on a wall for better balance at first.
Another goal for stationary balancing is to develop your legs’ muscle memory of putting one foot on the ground if the bike is about to fall. This way, your legs will move on their own even if you’re panicking that you’re falling over.
At any rate, once you have gotten the hang of stationary balancing, it’s time to start moving the bike. While still straddling the bike, push yourself forward by kicking the ground. Once you get a bit of a momentum, lift your feet a few inches above the ground and just let the bike move slowly. This will also be good practice of steering.
Once you have gotten comfortable with the idea of a moving bike, steering, and straddle-balancing a non-moving bike, you can start practicing in small slopes. You can kick the ground for the initial push and let gravity and momentum take over. This will be a good time to learn how to brake, which you should do at the end of the slope.
As soon as you are comfortable with it, start going to steeper yet shorter slopes and start learning how to pedal. Once you know how to balance yourself, everything is smooth sailing from there.
Note that all of this can take weeks or months depending on how much you fear cycling. Just take a few small steps. They’re always the hardest ones to take, but once you go through them, you will be fine.
