How Do You Get Into It?

To ease in to it, as in getting a feel for riding on the roads and such, I would go out riding in the dead of night or the very early morning hours of a weekend when there is not going to be much stuff about at all. Ride around the suburbs until you get a comfortable feel for your bike and then go on to other places.

If going at night is a problem then I would also suggest finding a vacant parking lot or the parking lots of industrial businesses and riding around them a bit after hours.

It will all come in time, do not worry.

Good luck! 🙂

You are right about worrying getting for a ride in the city. Most accidents at present happen in the cities.

I had about 5 of them. A couple more serious. All in the city. And most of the km I do each year are outside of the city.

what you could possibly do, is go for a ride:

1. When there is terrible traffic. 😉
2. on a cycle path on a bad weather day.
3. On a holiday when the city is kinda empty.
4. Do a regular commute every day and try to improve it. (Dont get too good at it, you might crash 😉 I
5. Find some ppl (preferably Kamikaze Asian Pro Girls! 😄 Not that kind of "Pro" 😄 )

Try to practice common sense and btw I think its rare for noobs to crash. Its mostly the more experienced cats that seem to crash alot.

Find a local club. They can direct you a group ride that goes nice and easy where the riders are willing to help you out. As you gain confidence and strength they can help you find suitable groups.

How did I get into it? My mom took us on rides to local parks, swimming pools, shopping, and other attractions when we were kids. As we got a little older, she took us on longer rides.

When you're starting out, choose quieter routes, preferably with bike lanes or wide shoulders; avoid multi-lane boulevards and roads with high speed merges; assert your right to be on the road with confidence but a sense of humor; be predictable; and act like you know what you're doing, even when you're not quite sure. It will come as second nature eventually.

What oldbobcat, An old Guy, Volnix and Susimi say.

Just do it is my advice -- but start in local parks, and seek out roads that have bike lanes to start getting experience with road cycling. If you go early in the morning there is a lot less motor vehicle traffic than later in the morning. Weekend mornings can be very peaceful to ride, because all the car and truck folks are sleeping late.

Most of my attention actually goes into scanning the pavement ahead of me. Trash on the pavement is a big concern. Like the roadkilled cat that I almost hit. Potholes can be very messy and give you a pinch flat. Wet leaves can be equally exciting. Road litter can cause a problem too. So I keep learning the hard way to pay attention to the road in front of me. I do "check my six" a lot to figure out what traffic is behind me and decide whether it is safe to make a turn or swerve into the traffic lane. I think most motor vehicle drivers show respect and courtesy; there will always be a few turds. One learns to cope.

If motor vehicle traffic worries you a lot, perhaps the Garmin Varia will help? It is a radar device that tells you visually about traffic approaching from behind. I don't know if it can really help on a very congested road, which is what most of my roads are in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

Thanks a ton

Bob

oh yeah... Wet grates... Avoid! 😄

Railroad tracks, too. I walk my bike over railroad tracks. After looking both ways, of course.

Bob

I had some close ones on train tracks too, even with 35 width tires...

Yeah, if anything, try to -maintain- this feeling of caution. It seems to reduce accidents by a bit.

Later, you might have some more "advanced" problems. Like why do I feel like this everytime I go cycling: :P 😄

BobCochran said:

Railroad tracks, too. I walk my bike over railroad tracks. After looking both ways, of course.

Bob

I had a girlfriend who couldn't hack railroad tracks. After a while, I learned to listen for the sound of her bike hitting the pavement after crossing railroad tracks.

i am not know about this.

Avoiding rush hour and sticking to suburban, lower traffic areas is a good way to get a bit more comfortable, as well as finding bike paths to get some practice on. The seawall at Stanley Park is great, and there are also different paths and bike trails to explore. It's not road cycling, but getting a bit of experience in before you start commuting can be a huge confidence boost.

Cycling in rush hour is so damn good. :p 😄

Volnix said:

Cycling in rush hour is so damn good. :P 😄

Don't try this at home, kids.

When it comes to cycling on the road I think there always going to be some element of danger as even if you ride as sage as you can, there's never knowing for sure how other road users are going to react. Some people I know have been cycling on the road for over twenty years and never been in an accident and other that have escaped serious injury a couple of times in the space of a few week, so there also an element of luck involved.

If you are that anathema to your bike, I wonder how you get to own a bike in the first place. But since you are into it now, so get into it. The first thing is to focus on your riding. For me, my motivation is the freedom. Isn't it nice to navigate by yourself atop a vehicle powered by your legs? Don't mind the environment for now until you get yourself inside that ride. But of course you have to mind the traffic. Anyway, start riding inside a village where there are other riders and few vehicles. That would orient you naturally with your bike.

oldbobcat said:

Don't try this at home, kids.

😄 Redbull sponsored some alleycat races. So its all safe! lol 😄

[FONT=arial]I started riding in roads which are not that busy and also in a suburban neighborhood before I ventured to busy streets and major roads to eventually commuting using my bike. It was a big adjustment to get used to the city streets but it just takes time and actual experience to get used to it. But recently I have not been commuting using my bike because my family fears about encountering accidents since there is a lot of news in our place about bikers involved in accidents with motor vehicles. I guess you could start in the suburbs and on vacant roads like in subdivisions so you could practice freely. Then when you are in the city, always follow traffic rules and regulations and be in a defensive mode and precaution to avoid danger and traffic accidents on the way when riding in your bike and cycling through the busy roads. [/FONT]

goldenmaine said:

[FONT=arial]I started riding in roads which are not that busy and also in a suburban neighborhood before I ventured to busy streets and major roads to eventually commuting using my bike. It was a big adjustment to get used to the city streets but it just takes time and actual experience to get used to it. But recently I have not been commuting using my bike because my family fears about encountering accidents since there is a lot of news in our place about bikers involved in accidents with motor vehicles. I guess you could start in the suburbs and on vacant roads like in subdivisions so you could practice freely. Then when you are in the city, always follow traffic rules and regulations and be in a defensive mode and precaution to avoid danger and traffic accidents on the way when riding in your bike and cycling through the busy roads. [/FONT]

When your not used to riding on the roads, especially in a town or city, another golden rule is to always expect the unexpected.

It doesn't matter how safe of a rider you are, it's the others who you need to look out for as sometimes their road manners can leave a lot to be desired.

Ride with friends and ride outside the city to get comfortable being around cars/keeping speed. I started in smaller town, then moved to LA and already had some confidence riding on the road. I couldn't imagine how hard just jumping right in would be.