Afraid To Fall

How about riding a bike with brakes? 🙄

What are brakes? Did your bike not have any fitted? And how did your feet not stop or at the very least slow you down so the speed was somewhat manageable?

Anyway, The faster you go the more difficult it is to fall off. Laws of physics. Plus any new bike you get will have some decent brand new brakes fitted to them so there should be no chance of failing to stop, and if you decide to practice some, do it on level ground 😉

Lol the bike had brakes but I was just messing around thinking my feet could anchor it. And the faster you go the easier it is to crash into something.

The same thing happened to me when I was younger as well. I lost control of my handle bars and crashed into a huge tree. But eventually I got back on and tried again. Just have to face your fears because biking is fun!

Yeah I think I might be facing my fears soon. Your accident sounds pretty close to mine. Good to know you recovered.

Well, I guess you could count that as childhood trauma, and that can be tough to handle sometimes. I first started to learn how to drive a car when I was 18 and I misjudged the situation and I hit a person (they were pretty much okay), but that thing messed with me mentally for a very long while. I finally got back and took my tests some three years later, and while I do have a licence, I still don't feel comfortable driving a car. I'd rather ride a bike 🙂

I was able to overcome by phobia about getting in an accident with my bike. I also had the same experience when I was young but bikes are easy to handle you see. One phobia I could not overcome though is driving a car. Just like most people I met an accident while learning how to drive a car but that totally scared the heck out of me. I will never ever drive a car again.

I was like this once, but I was able to overcome it. My father pushed me hard since he is an avid cyclist and I learned to ride and experience the cuts and bruises of falling off the bike, sliding off the road and bumping into different things (fortunately a car is not one of those). Now I am able to ride easily and go to places I wish to go, experiencing the beauty of nature and scenery that can only be reached by cycling through difficult bike trails and paths. The fear and trauma of a first falling off is real, but all the hardship an challenges will all be worth it in the end. So stand up, suck it up, treat those cuts and bruises, muster the courage, and mount on that bike and start riding again.

Most cyclists have fallen at one time or another and its all part of it. The worst mistake you can do is NOT get back on a bike and leave it, as the longer you wait to get back, the worse your feat will be to overcome.

Try to start off slow. It is not that you cannot ride a bike its that you are afraid to. 90% of everything do you in life is mental and this is just one more example. Do you have someone you feel very close and safe with, like a family member or spouse? Have them stick with you and hold onto the bike and do it for as long as you need to feel comfortable until it will probably get annoying and then have them let go but stay with you, Slowly but surely you will be fine to ride on your own again!

Zhen25 said:

Lol the bike had brakes but I was just messing around thinking my feet could anchor it. And the faster you go the easier it is to crash into something.

I'm still strying to work out how your feet did not slow you down enough. How steep was the slope?

And yes true the fast you go the easier it is to crash, but the faster you go the more easier it is to control 😉

The first time you go for a ride, go with someone who's comfortable riding(but also not a dare devil. I only started back in April and thought i'd never feel comfortable on a bike. I wasn't afraid, but lets just say I wasn't a natural 😄 . I remember on my first ride with my brother, I couldn't ride in a straight line, fell once, and bumped his bike. This was all inside of 20 minutes. I can now get on a bike and feel at ease. I fell just 2 weeks ago, but just chock it up to being part of life. I'd suggest you ride in a dedicated trail if the nerves are too much to embrace the open road.

Zhen25 said:

Hi, so when I was younger I had a bike. One day after riding it I was taking it to the back of the house to store. Unfortunately the back of the house is on a slope going down and I was stick on my bike using my feet on the ground as brakes. All of a sudden the I lost control of the speed and the bike sped off down the slope with me. I ended up crashing in a tree. I don't think I have had the courage to go back on a bike since because I am so afraid of falling.

Oh dear, I have fallen thousands of times from a bike in my life. Ended up with scratched knees, elbows,a lot of holes filled with small rocks in my legs, terrible. But, I always got up and tried again and again. I guess that is why one has to do. You know how the saying goes, “And falling's just another way to fly.”― Emilie Autumn.
That means, if you do not fall down sometime in your life, you will never realise, first, that life needs to have some balance, that not everything is just straight in life, and second, that you have not died and disappeared if you fell down, you can always get back on your feet, because there is a huge chance that you get wings (metaphorically speaking), that is become even more successful at doing something.
Two years ago, almost, I fell on ice and broke my leg in half, completely got separated..I was immobile for 2 years, but I am back on my feet now. I could say now, oh no I will never leave my house when the winter comes along, and just stay in my safe comfort zone. But, I can't do that. Life is too precious and there are so many things I still want to try out, just like you do in your case, to get back on that bike and enjoy the wind in your hair, again.
Just go for it my friend, you will be just fine. And if you fall again -- well, you can always stand up, right? 🙂 Peace

I also have to say that the 'just go for it' attitude is probably the best way to go, as the longer you leave it, the longer it will take to get your confidence back.

Confidence is the main thing that your be lacking as sometimes your pride can take longer to heal than a physical injury.

pwarbi said:

I also have to say that the 'just go for it' attitude is probably the best way to go, as the longer you leave it, the longer it will take to get your confidence back.

Confidence is the main thing that your be lacking as sometimes your pride can take longer to heal than a physical injury.

I'd also recommend the "just go for it" attitude.

The brain can be a powerful thing and the long you leave it the harder it will be to get back on once you decide to because your mind and fears will be going into overtime.

Exactly and sometimes it IS the mental block you have to get over. Falling off a bike happens to everyone, more than once no doubt but it's all about how you handle it afterwards.

What's the saying about falling off a horse, makes sure you get straight back on it? The same applies to a bike aswell.

Susimi said:

I'm still strying to work out how your feet did not slow you down enough. How steep was the slope?

And yes true the fast you go the easier it is to crash, but the faster you go the more easier it is to control 😉

The slope did not need to be all that steep if it was covered with slick wet grass or leaves. . . Your feel will *not* slow you very much in that situation. Also Zhen25 mentions that this was as a child, so cut some slack please. . .

Gnufrau said:

The slope did not need to be all that steep if it was covered with slick wet grass or leaves. . . Your feel will *not* slow you very much in that situation. Also Zhen25 mentions that this was as a child, so cut some slack please. . .

Thank you. I was scared when it started speeding up so probably lifted my feet and forgot all about brakes.

Yeah, brain-lock happens. The only cure for it is miles. Lots and lots of miles. After enough miles, you will not need to *think* about what to do as your body will have already done it. This is called Muscle memory.